For a person who tends to listen to a huge variety of songs, this is one Raag which each of us has come across multiple times. It is one of the most fundamental and basic raags in Hindustani Classical music.
For one, it is a raag which uses all seven notes, namely Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni, and because it uses all 7 notes, the combinations are a lot more than what a 5 note raag might have. Hence, the number of songs which are based on Yaman or are pure Yaman are uncountable.
Notice that we use the teevra Ma, i.e. the sharp Ma in this raag. The shuddha ma is avoided, though sometimes in compositions, you might hear a note or two of the shuddha ma, but that is added only for adorning the composition. To stick to the pure Yaman, we completely avoid using the shuddha ma.
Yaman is also called emaan, aimaan. To begin classifying it, lets get to the definition of the Raag Yaman.
Thaat: Kalyan
Jati: Sampoorna
Vadi Swar: Ga
Samvadi Swar: Ni
Time of day: Evening/ Late evening
Aaroh (ascent): Ni Re Ga Ma Dha Ni Re Sa
Avaroha (descent): Sa Ni Dha Pa Ma Ga Re Sa
Most raags will have a recognizable pattern to them, which will almost immediately tell you that oh, this might be so and so raag, just on the basis of the 4-5 note phrase. This is often called the pakad, i.e. the primary phrase or the defining phrase of that raag.
For Raag Yaman, it is the phrase,
Pakad: Ni Re Ga
This phrase will almost immediately pull you towards defining the raag as yaman.
Some other very familiar and often used phrases are:
Ma Ga Pa
Ma Dha Pa
The reason for this is that Yaman rules will push you to not move from Ni -> Sa directly, and from Sa -> Re too. And thats the same case with Pa, wherein Ma -> Pa, and Pa -> Dha isn’t allowed. These three rules kind of define the whole raag structure. Its one of those raags with very less number of rules. The Vadi Samvadi swars are usually the notes which are most emphasized, but yaman is so elaborate, that it doesn’t need to stick to these to emphasize itself. All the notes have almost equal weight, and can be used as per the mood and as per the composition, which gives even more space to play with in the land of the 12 notes (essentially in one octave).
Yaman really brings out a variety of emotions, and most of it depends on the usage of notes in the compositions. It can sound devotional, romantic, nostalgic or just plain happy. It is this wonderful capacity that Yaman has, that has excited composers and has given them the hope that they can create something new yet another time, from one of the oldest raags, i.e. Yaman.
A lot of famous songs are based on this raag, and I will try to explicitly state the Pakad in each of these which make them easy to identify them with Yaman. Who can forget:
Mohammed Rafi’s – Zindagi bhar nahi bhoolegi wo barsaat(Ni Re Re Re Ga) ki raat. This is one good example of how a composer uses the shuddha ma and komal ni to great effect. At the end of the verse, you will see a beautiful usage of these two notes. In the line “Kabhi dekhi na suni aisi, kabhi dekhi na suni(use of the komal Ni) aisi, tilismaat ki(use of shuddha ma) raat”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5GWp3w65s0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5GWp3w65s0
Mohammed Rafi’s – Mann re tu kaahe na dheer dhare, wo nirmohi, moha na jaane, jinka(Ni Re Ga) moha kare. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSRN316hGFA
Asha Bhosle – Nigaahe milaane(Ni Re Ga) ko ji chahata(Ni Re Ga) hai. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5SM4D515Jc
Asha Bhosle – Tethe(Ni Re Ga Pa) kar majhe julti. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQWTcEuLucg
Zeb, Haniya - Chal Diye. (You will find the Ni Re Ga in the Sa Ni Sa Ni Dha Ni, Ni Dha Ni Re Ni Dha Pa, Ma Dha Ni Re Ga Re Sa Ni Dha Pa Ma, Re Ga… part of the sargam which he sings) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY_LzIAG4gc
Suman Kalyanpurkar – Jithe Saagara(Ni Re Ga Ga Ga Ga), dharani milte. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX2xeEEXSNw
And so many more! As you will see, the phrase Ni Re Ga is so widely used, yet it is so difficult to distinguish since it is composed and fit so well in the song. And it occurs time and again, yet it always sounds different and just as beautiful each time.
For some reason, the Ni Re Ga for me tends to emote a wonderful emotion to the song. While listening to a song, if I find it, I feel amazed with the skill with which this phrase was hidden in the composition. I just feel like my mind blows away every time I listen to it. And I find it tough to figure out notes by just listening to a sung version of the song, so when I do come to realize that woah, that seemed like a Ni Re Ga there, it is a feeling comparable to finding gold.
Many classical compositions are available, and Yaman has been sung with great splendor in all of them. A few which come to my mind are:
Ut. Rashid Khan - Aiso sughara sundaravaa baalamavaa - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSEuCJSnu94
Pt. Venkateshkumar – Haravaa moraa re devo maMgaae - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Itbwcyaxq4
Nachiket Sharma – Bolo Raam Naam - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwyREIblBwY
Pt. Jayashree Patankar – Jiyaa maanat nahi - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6YZRkf5luc
And no list would be complete without..
Pt. Bhimsen Joshi – Eri Ali Piya Bin - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf-s2bZNl7w
There are so many transitions which sound so amazing when taken in Yaman. And although the compositions are much more than these small transitions, it is these which make the song all that complex and wonderful at the same time. The Ni Pa Ma Ga Re Sa, Ni Re Ga Re Pa Ma Ga Re Sa, Ga Ma Ga Pa, Ma Ga Re Ma Re Ga Re Sa, Ni Dha Sa, (Sa)Dha Ni Re, are a few which strictly adhere to the rules, and yet give a completely new side to Yaman whenever used. Then there are a few which don’t strictly adhere, but are often used since the application kind of makes it seem that the rule is followed. For example, often you will hear a well trained singer sing Re Ga Ma Pa, but its done so quickly, and by not stopping on Pa, and proceeding onto another note, it kind of shifts the weight from Pa to the next note, thereby almost following the rule of not moving from Ma-Pa. Then often time you might hear a singer sing Ni Sa Ni Sa, which technically shouldn’t be allowed, but again, the right application makes it sound interesting. And by not forcing the use or by utilizing it in just a one off spot, it makes it an interesting and fun to experience composition.
A very fun part which strikes me is the meend. Meend is the transition from one note to another, and is usually taken while playing/singing a note. For example, if I am singing a Ni, I can sing the exact frequency of Ni, and it will sound as Ni. But, I can also start singing Sa, and then sing Ni. And that transition, wherein I just somehow start at Sa's frequency but immediately move to Ni and sing Ni is called meend, and is denoted as so (Sa)Ni. What that does is, it gives an effect as if we are sliding down from Sa to Ni. And that slide creates wonderful musical combinations. Meends can be taken between any two notes, and if the distance between the notes is more than 1, then you will notice that the slide goes and slightly touches all the notes in between and then plays the real note. A very simple example is as stated below, and you will notice how much of a wonderful difference it makes, while playing plain Dha Ni Re Ga Re Sa,
and then playing it with the meend, (Sa)Dha Ni (Ga)Re Ga Re Sa.
and then playing it with the meend, (Sa)Dha Ni (Ga)Re Ga Re Sa.
Yaman is a fascinating raag, and every time I listen to someone play it or sing it, it takes me to a divine place. Music is an experience, and I wish that I had the vocal capacity to sing as well as the stalwarts, but I suffice that need by listening to any and every thing I can lay my hand on. My wish is that I can sit in an acoustically designed room, and have a singer sing wonderful aalaps/taans and that I just listen to it all day. Till then, I have my headphones and the internet at my disposal.
Yaman to me is like the wind, like the cool breeze. You know its always there around you, you just have to give it a shape, and it will sing to you!
