MalkaunsOne note apart
- Jogkauns uses Shuddh Ga, which Malkauns does not.
- Jogkauns uses a different number of notes going up than coming down; the other is more symmetrical.
- Mood: Jogkauns leans karuna, Malkauns leans veera, shanta.
Hindustani raga
Jogkauns
Jog meets Chandrakauns; uses both Ga.
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- Thaat
- Bhairavi
- Jati
- Audava–Shadava
- Notes
- 6 of 12
- Movement
- Vakra (zig-zag)
- Time
- Late night
- Rasa
- Karuna
Your guide to Jogkauns
New to classical music — moods, stories, film songs and simple listening.
Start listening
Press play to hear the notes of Jogkauns, rising then falling.
Its mood
Karuna. Traditionally heard at late night.
Film songs you may know ↓New to classical music?
Jogkauns, explained simply
Think of a raga as more than a scale: a set of rules and a personality. Jogkauns 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.
How it feels
Jogkauns sounds dark, deep and inward, full of the lowered (komal) notes that make music sound serious or sad. Its emotional colour is tenderness and sorrow, the feeling of a sad song that still comforts you. Traditionally it is traditionally performed in the late night, because Indian musicians believe each raga matches the feeling of a certain hour or season.
How to recognise it
- Listen for the gaps. Jogkauns never uses Re or Pa, so the melody seems to skip over certain steps. This "missing note" sound is one of the quickest giveaways.
- The melody goes up with 5 notes but comes down with 6, so the climb and the descent sound noticeably different.
- The melody zig-zags instead of climbing straight up a ladder. It takes little turns and steps back before moving on, which gives it a winding, conversational shape.
Its beauty
Jog meets Chandrakauns; uses both Ga. The beauty of Jogkauns 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.
What makes it different
- In Hindustani music, a raga usually unfolds slowly. The performance often begins with a long, beat-less exploration (alaap) where the musician reveals the raga one note at a time.
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 missing Re. Once you catch it, you've started to recognise Jogkauns.
History & evolution
Hindustani ragas mostly developed through oral tradition, passed guru to disciple. Medieval treatises such as Sangita Ratnakara (13th c.) and the later Raga-Ragini systems grouped them into 'families'.
In the early 20th century, V. N. Bhatkhande organised Hindustani ragas into ten thaats (parent scales). Jogkauns is classified under Bhairavi thaat. The thaat is a modern classification, not necessarily the raga's historical origin.
Each gharana (school) interprets ragas slightly differently, so a raga's phrasing has kept evolving through the 19th and 20th centuries, and further through recordings and radio.
Looking for more history…
Scale
Arohana (ascent) · 5 notes
S G M d n S'
- Devanagari
- सा ग म ध̱ नि̱ सा•
- Bengali
- সা গা মা ধা̱ নি̱ সা•
Avarohana (descent) · 6 notes
S' n d M G M g S
- Devanagari
- सा• नि̱ ध̱ म ग म ग̱ सा
- Bengali
- সা• নি̱ ধা̱ মা গা মা গা̱ সা
Synthesised with Sa = A3. A real performance uses gamakas, meends and phrasing that a bare scale can't capture.
Notes on the octave
S
C
r
C#
R
D
g
D#
G
E
M
F
M#
F#
P
G
d
G#
D
A
n
A#
N
B
| Swara | Interval from Sa | Western (Sa = C) |
|---|---|---|
| Sa | Unison | C |
| Komal Ga | Minor 3rd | D# |
| Shuddh Ga | Major 3rd | E |
| Shuddh Ma | Perfect 4th | F |
| Komal Dha | Minor 6th | G# |
| Komal Ni | Minor 7th | A# |
Omitted (varjya) swaras: Re, Pa.
Character
Jati (Audava–Shadava). The ascent uses 5 distinct notes and the descent 6. 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. Bhairavi thaat: Komal Re, Ga, Dha and Ni. Equivalent to the Phrygian mode and Carnatic Hanumatodi.
Time (Late night). Sung during the night prahars (roughly 9 PM–3 AM). Night ragas often stress the upper tetrachord (uttaranga).
Karuna
Compassion, pathos and sorrow.
Listen
Each link opens a YouTube or Spotify search for this raga by the instrument or artist.
Vocal
Flute (Bansuri)
Sitar
Sarod
Why this time of day?
Jogkauns is traditionally sung: Late night.
- Hindustani music follows the samay chakra, a 'clock of ragas'. Musicians noticed over centuries that certain combinations of notes match the feeling of certain hours, and teachers passed these timings on as a rule.
- Flat Ga and flat Ni create a deep, grave, introspective mood that suits the quiet hours of late night.
- These are traditions, not physics. Today, recordings and concert schedules mean ragas are often heard at other times, but many musicians still honour the samay chakra.
Close ragas & how they differ
Ragas that sound most like Jogkauns, and how to tell them apart.
Megh RanjaniTwo notes apart
- Jogkauns uses Komal Ga and Komal Dha, which Megh Ranjani does not.
- Jogkauns uses a different number of notes going up than coming down; the other is more symmetrical.
- They belong to different times: Jogkauns is sung in the late night, Megh Ranjani in the night.
- Mood: Jogkauns leans karuna, Megh Ranjani leans shringar.
Kaunsi KanadaTwo notes apart
- Jogkauns uses Shuddh Ga, which Kaunsi Kanada does not.
- Kaunsi Kanada uses Shuddh Re, which Jogkauns avoids.
- They belong to different times: Jogkauns is sung in the late night, Kaunsi Kanada in the night.
- Mood: Jogkauns leans karuna, Kaunsi Kanada leans gambhira.
JogTwo notes apart
- Jogkauns uses Komal Dha, which Jog does not.
- Jog uses Pa, which Jogkauns avoids.
- They belong to different times: Jogkauns is sung in the late night, Jog in the night.
- Mood: Jogkauns leans karuna, Jog leans shringar.
Gopika BasantTwo notes apart
- Jogkauns uses Shuddh Ga, which Gopika Basant does not.
- Gopika Basant uses Pa, which Jogkauns avoids.
- Jogkauns uses a different number of notes going up than coming down; the other is more symmetrical.
- They belong to different times: Jogkauns is sung in the late night, Gopika Basant in the spring.
- Mood: Jogkauns leans karuna, Gopika Basant leans shringar.
Bhavmat BhairavClose cousin
- Jogkauns uses Komal Ga, which Bhavmat Bhairav does not.
- Bhavmat Bhairav uses Komal Re and Pa, which Jogkauns avoids.
- Jogkauns uses a different number of notes going up than coming down; the other is more symmetrical.
- They belong to different times: Jogkauns is sung in the late night, Bhavmat Bhairav in the dawn.
- Mood: Jogkauns leans karuna, Bhavmat Bhairav leans bhakti.
Linked ragas & variants
Ragas from the same family or named after Jogkauns, such as Yaman and Yaman Kalyan. They are related but each has its own rules.
Other ragas from Bhairavi
Film songs in this raga
Bollywood (Hindi)
No well-known Hindi film song is confidently attributed to this raga yet.
Other Indian films (Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali, Marathi)
No regional film song is confidently attributed to this raga yet.
Top Bollywood songTop Tamil songTop Telugu songTop Malayalam songTop Kannada songTop Bengali songTop Marathi song
Film songs often take liberties with a raga, so treat these as "based on" rather than strict renditions.
Discussion
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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, …).