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B♭ malkos raga Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: Gb, Ab, Bb, Db, Eb at frets 2, 4, 6, 9, 11

A string: Bb, Db, Eb, Gb, Ab at frets 1, 4, 6, 9, 11

D string: Eb, Gb, Ab, Bb, Db at frets 1, 4, 6, 8, 11

G string: Ab, Bb, Db, Eb, Gb at frets 1, 3, 6, 8, 11

B string: Db, Eb, Gb, Ab, Bb at frets 2, 4, 7, 9, 11

High E string: Gb, Ab, Bb, Db, Eb at frets 2, 4, 6, 9, 11

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Bb 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:

B♭

I

D♭

bIII

E♭

IV

G♭

bVI

A♭

bVII

Same notes, different mode

Bb 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.

Db ritusenEb minor pentatonicGb major pentatonicAb egyptian

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

tip
  • No 2nd, no 5th: build Bb malkos phrases from root, b3 (Db), 4th (Eb), b6 (Gb) and b7 (Ab), 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 (Gb) 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 B♭ malkos raga on guitar

Root nearest the nut is 1 on the A string, so the A-shape barre sits right at the bottom of the neck. Lowest root is fret 6 on the low E, matched at 6 on the high E. Ten semitones up the same shape spells Ab egyptian, which lets one grip cover two labels. No open string fits this key. Fret 10 ends the root-anchored box, so shift up before the phrase stalls.

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