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A malkos raga Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: F, G, A, C, D at frets 1, 3, 5, 8, 10

A string: A, C, D, F, G, A at frets 0, 3, 5, 8, 10, 12

D string: D, F, G, A, C, D at frets 0, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12

G string: G, A, C, D, F, G at frets 0, 2, 5, 7, 10, 12

B string: C, D, F, G, A at frets 1, 3, 6, 8, 10

High E string: F, G, A, C, D at frets 1, 3, 5, 8, 10

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A malkos raga

The malkos raga is the pentatonic framework of raga Malkauns, one of the oldest and most revered ragas in Hindustani classical music: root, flat 3rd, 4th, flat 6th, flat 7th. With no 2nd and no 5th it avoids every easy anchor, giving it the deep, meditative gravity of the late night performances it is traditionally reserved for.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

A

I

C

bIII

D

IV

F

bVI

G

bVII

Same notes, different mode

A malkos raga uses the same notes as the scales below. Start from a different note and you get a new mode built on the very same note set.

C ritusenD minor pentatonicF major pentatonicG egyptian

malkos raga in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • No 2nd, no 5th: build A malkos phrases from root, b3 (C), 4th (D), b6 (F) and b7 (G), and let the missing anchors create the depth.
  • Descend more than you ascend; Malkauns phrases traditionally unfold downward toward the root.
  • Sustain the flat 6th (F) longer than feels natural, then fall to the 4th; that is the raga's meditative center of gravity.
  • Play it over a bare root drone late-night slow; speed and chords both dissolve its character.

How to play A malkos raga on guitar

Open A is the tonic and open D the fourth, with open G a minor seventh, so three strings state the key untouched. Every tone here is natural, which lets you play it without tracking a single accidental. Lowest root sits at 5, low E. Fretted roots continue at 7 on the D string and 10 on the B. First position runs out at 9, so plan the move up there.

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