Interesting Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About The Kalyan Thaat

A raga group named Kalyan Thaat performs evening ragas. This thaat means ‘good luck’ and is defined by the teevra Madhyam. Ragas in this thaat are considered to be blessing-seeking and soothing. This is one reason why the ragas of this thaat are performed in the evening at the beginning of a concert. It gives a feeling of how the evening will unfold.

In Hindustani music, kalyan is a raga that falls within a thaat; it is one of ten fundamental thaats.

The background of Kalyan thaat

Kalyan thaat (or Khamaj thaat) is one of the ten parent scales on which the traditional Indian raga system of music is based. In modern times, it has become associated with the Kalyan raga, and this raga often refers to the thaat as well.

Kalyan is related to the Western Mixolydian mode, with a natural 6th and minor 7th. It is one of the five Sikh thaats, and is derived from the Bilaval thaat.

Kalyan is one of the oldest thaats in Indian classical music. The term “thaat” simply refers to a family of seven notes that can be used in composition, while “Kalyan” specifically refers to the characteristic melodic movement in Kalyan thaat compositions.

The history of Kalyan thaat is somewhat obscure, with several versions of the origins floating around. The thaat was popularized by Mrajan Chand, who was the court musician for Ala-ud-din Khilji and Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq.

3. What makes the Kalyan thaat unique?

The Kalyan thaat is a musical mode in Hindustani classical music.

It is the 5th thaat of the Carnatic music.

The Kalyan thaat is equivalent to the Mixolydian mode in western music.

Kalyan thaat is the 3rd tonal thaat of the thaats in Carnatic music.

The Kalyan thaat is a minor Hindu musical mode or raga. It is not a part of the popular 72-sargam. Unlike the rāgas, which have distinct and easily recognizable melodies, the thaats are less melodic and more rhythmic in nature. Therefore, they are closely associated with tala (rhythm) than with raga (melody).

Kalyan thaat is characterised by a very distinctive ascending and descending scale that is used to create phrases and patterns in the music. The ascending scale has three notes – Sa, Pa, Ga while descending scale.

The Kalyan thaat has been prevalent since about the 16th century, after it was refined by Bade Ghulam Ali Khan (the 4th son of the great Sarangi player Ustad Ghulam Ali Khan). It is one of the most popular thaats among Hindustani musicians even today.

4. Which instruments are used in this thaat?

A lot of unusual instruments are used in Kalyan thaat.

1. Khol (Khol)
It is a very interesting instrument that is made of wood, very similar to the dholak. It has a horse tail hair attached to it which helps in producing sound. It is played with the help of beats.
2. Rabab (Rabab)
This instrument is very similar to the sitar in its structure and set-up. It has three strings and the resonator forms a big portion of it which gives it a great volume.

3. Sarangi

Sarangi is a bowed string instrument. The musical repertoire for sarangi consists of romantic ballads, folk songs and light classical pieces.

6. The most popular raags in this thaat

The Kalyan thaat is one of the most important thaats in Hindustani music. It is a parent thaat, meaning that all other thaats are derived from it.

Kalyan thaat comprises the following ragas:

 Yaman, Bhupali, Hindol, Shuddha Kalyan, Shyam Kalyan, Yaman Kalyan, Savani Kalyan Chhayanat, Hameer, Gaud Sarang, Kamod, Maru Bihag, Nand, Kedar.