Once you know a few raags, you start noticing that some of them feel like cousins: similar notes, similar moods, but different personalities. These groups are often called raag families.
Bhairav family
Raag Bhairav has a characteristic combination of shuddha and komal notes (komal Re and Dha) and a very serious, dawn mood.
Related raags include:
- Ahir Bhairav – mixes Bhairav with elements of Kafi; more folkish, gentle.
- Jogiya – ascetic, meditative, with a haunting feel.
Kalyan family
The Kalyan family revolves around the teevra Ma and a bright, evening mood:
- Yaman – the flagship evening raag, romantic and devotional.
- Puriya Kalyan – more complex, with Marwa and Kalyan flavors.
- Shuddha Kalyan – blends Bilawal and Kalyan elements.
Malhar family
The Malhar family is associated with the monsoon and rain:
- Miyan ki Malhar
- Gaud Malhar
- Sur Malhar
- Megh Malhar
All of them share a feeling of clouds, showers, and emotional intensity, but each uses different note patterns and pakads.
Kanada family
The Kanada family raags often share a distinctive phrase involving the jump between Pa and komal Ga, with strong use of Dha:
- Darbari Kanada – grave, powerful, associated with royal courts.
- Shahana Kanada – more romantic, slightly lighter.
- Adana – heroic and bright in the upper register.
Learning families helps you:
- Recognize individual raags faster by noticing what is common and what is unique.
- Appreciate how composers tweak a few notes or phrases to create entirely new flavors.
It’s similar to Western modes: if you understand major and minor scales, you can understand a lot of related modes. Here, if you understand the “parent” raag, its cousins are easier to grasp.