STRINGSCALES

A todi raga Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: E, F, G#, A, Bb, C, D#, E at frets 0, 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 12

A string: A, Bb, C, D#, E, F, G#, A at frets 0, 1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12

D string: D#, E, F, G#, A, Bb, C at frets 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10

G string: G#, A, Bb, C, D#, E, F at frets 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10

B string: C, D#, E, F, G#, A, Bb at frets 1, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11

High E string: E, F, G#, A, Bb, C, D#, E at frets 0, 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 12

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A todi raga

The todi raga scale is the heptatonic frame of raga Todi, one of the principal ragas of Hindustani music: root, flat 2nd, flat 3rd, raised 4th, 5th, flat 6th, major 7th. Nearly every degree is inflected, giving it an intense, pleading quality that Indian tradition assigns to late morning performance. As a guitar scale it is hungarian minor's darker cousin with a flat 2nd.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

A

i

Am
B♭

bII

B♭sus4
C

bIII+

Caug
D♯

#IV

F7no5/D♯
E

V

Emaj♭5
F

bVI

Fmaj
G♯

VII

G♯sus2

Same notes, different mode

A todi 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.

E persian

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

tip
  • Approach A todi as a raga frame, not a run: sustain and bend into the flat 2nd (Bb) and flat 3rd (C) rather than striking them cold.
  • The raised 4th (D#) resolves up to the 5th (E); Hindustani practice often treats V as a resting tone, so end phrases there or on A.
  • Slide from VII up to the root with a slow bend; the leading tone is where this raga's pleading character lives.
  • Play it rubato over a tanpura-style drone on root and 5th; strict tempo flattens its character.

How to play A todi raga on guitar

Open A is a root and both E strings are the fifth, which lets you drone the tonic and the fifth across three open strings. Low E fret 5 and the open A are the same pitch, meaning the lowest root doubles a string you never fret. F7no5/D# is the #IV chord, with another root at fret 2 on the G string. A shape barre climbs to fret 12.

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