Sankarabharnam — The Carnatic equivalent of the major scale

A spectrogram analysis of the Carnatic version of the C Major scale

The basics

Sankarabharanam is the Carnatic version of the major scale (or Ionian mode). Here are the notes of Sankarabharanam:

Ascending: S R₂ G₃ M₁ P D₂ N₃ Ṡ

Descending: Ṡ N₃ D₂ P M₁ G₃ R₂ S

This is the 29th Melakarta raga in Carnatic music. As I explained in this previous article, Carnatic music is classified into 72 major scales (equivalent to modes in Western classical music). The first 36 have M₁ and ragas 25 through 30 have R₂ G₃ notes. Sankarabharanam has D₂ N₃ and so it corresponds to number 29.

Sankarabharanam Spectrograms

Spectrograms are a powerful way to visualize musical patterns. When you hear jazz or listens to a Carnatic music Aalapane, you are conscious of repeating patterns. The best artists weave these patterns into beautiful symmetries, and add emotion on top off it — making it seem effortless, yet evocating emotions and a deep sense of harmony with ones surroundings. Spectrograms convert signals in time to frequency.

Frequency is extremely important to all forms of music. Each note (C,D,E,… or S, R, G,…) has a particular frequency. A spectrogram decomposes music over time to the frequencies it is made of.