Carnatic raga
A janya (derived) raga of melakarta 14 Vakulabharanam. It takes its notes from that parent scale, using the ascent and descent shown here.
Your guide to Soma
New to classical music — moods, stories, film songs and simple listening.
Press play to hear the notes of Soma, rising then falling.
Varied. Traditionally heard at any time.
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Think of a raga as more than a scale: a set of rules and a personality. Soma has its own notes, its own favourite phrases, its own time of day and its own mood, the way a person has a recognisable voice and way of talking.
Soma sounds dark, deep and inward, full of the lowered (komal) notes that make music sound serious or sad. Its emotional colour is a character all its own. Traditionally it can be performed at any hour, because Indian musicians believe each raga matches the feeling of a certain hour or season.
A janya (derived) raga of melakarta 14 Vakulabharanam. It takes its notes from that parent scale, using the ascent and descent shown here. The beauty of Soma comes from patience: a good performer doesn't rush through the scale but lingers, bending into notes and letting each phrase breathe, so the mood builds slowly until it fills the room.
Listening exercise: Try this: press "Full scale" above, then open one of the recordings below. In the first few minutes, see if you can hear the melody circling back to Sa. Once you catch it, you've started to recognise Soma.
Soma is a janya (derived) raga, drawing its notes from its parent melakarta. Janya ragas often existed long before the melakarta system and were later fitted into it.
The Carnatic Trinity of the 18th–19th centuries (Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri) gave lasting shape to most popular ragas through their compositions. Their kritis remain the standard reference for how each raga should move.
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Arohana (ascent) · 6 notes
S R1 P M1 D1 N2 S'
Avarohana (descent) · 7 notes
S' N2 D1 M1 P M1 G3 R1 S
Synthesised with Sa = A3. A real performance uses gamakas, meends and phrasing that a bare scale can't capture.
| Swara | Interval from Sa | Western (Sa = C) |
|---|---|---|
| Shadjam | Unison | C |
| Shuddha Rishabham (R1) | Minor 2nd | C# |
| Antara Gandharam (G3) | Major 3rd | E |
| Shuddha Madhyamam (M1) | Perfect 4th | F |
| Panchamam | Perfect 5th | G |
| Shuddha Dhaivatam (D1) | Minor 6th | G# |
| Shatshruti Dhaivatam (D3) / Kaishiki Nishadam (N2) | Minor 7th | A# |
Jati (Shadava–Sampurna). The ascent uses 6 distinct notes and the descent 7. Audava = 5, Shadava = 6, Sampurna = 7.
Vakra (zig-zag) movement. The scale doubles back on itself, so phrases have to follow its characteristic turns, not run straight up or down.
Parent scale. Melakarta 14 sits in chakra 3 of 12 and uses shuddha madhyamam (M1). Soma is a janya (derived) raga, drawing its notes from this parent.
Time (Any time). Not tied to a particular time; often placed by convention at a set point in a concert.
Each link opens a YouTube or Spotify search for this raga by the instrument or artist.
These ragas use exactly the same notes, though their phrasing and ornaments differ.
Same notes, but a different character because of emphasis, movement and phrasing.
Soma is associated with: Any time.
Ragas that sound most like Soma, and how to tell them apart.
No well-known Hindi film song is confidently attributed to this raga yet.
No regional film song is confidently attributed to this raga yet.
Film songs often take liberties with a raga, so treat these as "based on" rather than strict renditions.
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Notation: Hindustani komal notes are lowercase (r g d n), M# = tivra Ma, ' = upper octave. Carnatic numbers mark swara variants (R1, G3, …).