Raga Mohanam – The Major Pentatonic Raga (Notation)

This lessons explores Raga Mohanam. Raga Mohanam is another pentatonic raga, sharing the same pitches as the major pentatonic scale. Pentatonics are used the world over in composition and improvisation so there is a wealth of melodic material from a Carnatic perspective that musicians can borrow and explore through this lesson. I’ve transcribed lines sung to me by distinguished Carnatic vocalist Sreyas Narayanun during one of our lessons. The lines can be played freely. Replay ones that really stand out. Also explore taking these melodic gestures and applying them to other pentatonic scales. There are some exercises at the end of the lesson which take inspiration from Sreyas’ lines and a downloadable pdf of the lesson at the bottom of the page. Enjoy!

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