A Malkos Raga Mandolin Scale
Mandolin scale — fretboard diagramIntermediate
A Malkos Raga Scale — Notes and Intervals
The A Malkos Raga scale is a dark and powerful night Raga used for deep meditation. On Mandolin, its notes are A, C, D, F, G. It is intended to be performed in the late hours to explore the shadow self and create an atmosphere of profound, serious introspection. Commonly used in Indian Classical, Meditation, Dark Ambient, World. Notable players include Ravi Shankar, Hariprasad Chaurasia. Use over minor drones and pedal tones. Works beautifully with delay and reverb for ambient, meditative textures.
Notes: A, C, D, F, G
Intervals: 1P, 3m, 4P, 6m, 7m
Degrees: 1 b2 3 b4 b5
Formula: WH-W-WH-W-W
Number of notes: 5
Musical Character
A night raga for exploring the 'shadow self' — its omission of the 2nd and 5th creates deep, open spaces that encourage introspection and meditation.
Genres & Notable Artists
Genres: Indian Classical, Meditation, Dark Ambient, World
Notable players: Ravi Shankar, Hariprasad Chaurasia
How to Use the A Malkos Raga Scale
Use over minor drones and pedal tones. Works beautifully with delay and reverb for ambient, meditative textures.
Origin & Background
A powerful night raga (Malkauns) from the Hindustani tradition. Intended for late-night performance to explore deep, contemplative states.
How to Play A Malkos Raga on Mandolin
Begin by locating A on your instrument and play through the 5 notes of the Malkos Raga scale slowly, ensuring each note rings clearly before increasing speed.
The A Malkos Raga scale uses no sharps or flats, consisting entirely of natural notes. This scale does not follow a traditional major or minor key signature, so reading from sheet music may require accidentals.
Practice Routine
Set a metronome to 80 BPM and play the A Malkos Raga scale in groups of four notes, shifting the starting note each repetition. This builds muscle memory across the entire scale range. After a week, try improvising short 4-bar phrases using only these notes.
This scale works well over simple power chord progressions or a 12-bar blues in A. Try a A5 - F5 - G5 progression. This scale is especially effective in meditation contexts.
Mandolin Tips
Practice the A Malkos Raga scale slowly and evenly on your instrument, focusing on tone quality for each of the 5 notes before building speed. Aim for a dark quality in your phrasing to match the natural character of this scale.
Related Scales
The A Malkos Raga scale contains 5 notes (A, C, D, F, G). Use the interactive fretboard above to explore this scale on Mandolin with different tunings and fret ranges.
CAGED Positions & Patterns for A Malkos Raga
The A Malkos Raga scale can be played in 5 CAGED positions across the fretboard, each based on an open chord shape (C, A, G, E, D). As a 5-note pentatonic scale, 2-notes-per-string patterns are the most ergonomic way to traverse the fretboard. Use the pattern selector above to isolate each position.
Explore A Malkos Raga Further
- Browse chord progressions
- A Malkos Raga on Guitar
- A Malkos Raga on Ukulele
- A Malkos Raga on Bass
- A Malkos Raga on Piano