Bare Bones Raga Guide:
The heuristic value of classification by Wim van der Meer

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Well done! So it is Todi indeed! Of course, the labyrinth in this article doesn't give you any other options, but on the CD that will be brought out shortly every raga has a longer description, more or less like the one below. There are also more music examples on the CD. When you have had a look at the information below you may click on NEXT.

Miyan ki todi (adapted from The Raga guide )

Miyan ki todi is today the most important raga of the Todi family and therefore often simply referred to as Todi, or sometimes Shuddh Todi. It is supposed to be a creation of Miyan Tansen (Ý1589). The scale of Todi at the time of Tansen however, was that of modern Bhairavi that (SRGMPDN), and the name Miyan ki todi appears only in 19th century literature on music. The precursor of today's Miyan ki todi was a raga called Todi varali, obviously a combination of the then current ragas Todi and Varali. It is first mentioned by Ahobala (1665) and had a scale which is similar to modern Todi, the only difference being the use of flat Ni.

Todi is a plaintive raga which creates a "mood of delighted adoration in a gentle, loving sentiment." She is portrayed as a lovesick woman who attracts the deer in the forest with the music of her vina. Raga Todi is performed in the late morning.

Todi is characterised by a strong, very flat Dha on which the ascent usually begins, a strong very flat Ga, a very flat Re and the distinctive phrase RGRS, in which Re (and sometimes Ga) may be subtly oscillated. The following sample from a private recording of Malikarjun Mansur's Todi demonstrates this very clearly:

(pitch extraction done with the author's PitchXtractor software, horizontal division in seconds)

Pa is often omitted in ascent, but it has a notable presence and is frequently sustained. Some musicians approach it obliquely from Dha in ascent; others insist that it can be reached directly from Ma.

Melodic outline:

Raga Miyan ki todi is very similar to Gujari todi and many movements are common to both ragas. However, in Gujari todi Pa is omitted and there is more emphasis on Re. Raga Multani has the same tone material as Miyan ki todi, but these ragas have a different ascent-descent, different pivotal tones and an almost contrasting melodic structure. In contrast to Todi, in Multani Re and Dha are weak and omitted in ascent. Pa and Sa are the sonant-consonant pair and Ni is also frequently sustained. Ga is usually approached from Ma, and sometimes there is a slight oscillation on Ga in conjunction with Ma.

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