Mayamalavagowla Scale Unlocks a Whole New Sound World

Learn the double harmonic major scale (Mayamalavagowla, the 15th Melakarta raga) on piano Learn the double harmonic major scale (Mayamalavagowla, the 15th Melakarta raga) on piano with Jason Zac of Nathaniel School of Music. If you normally practise only major, minor and harmonic minor scales up and down, this lesson opens a whole new sound world. Around the world this same scale has many names, and we use them all: the double harmonic major (so called because it has TWO augmented seconds, unlike the harmonic minor which has one), Bhairav thaat in Hindustani music, and the Byzantine or gypsy major scale. These alternate names are exactly what students search for. You'll play the raga one octave up and back with correct fingering (three fingers, then a cross-over), hold the Sa like a tanpura in the left hand, and try the "one extra" swara drill to reframe a 7-note scale into a comfortable 4/4 feel. We add accents to train the weaker fingers and imagine a drum groove to build musicality. Then we harmonize the raga — the real fun for pianists and guitarists. Building in thirds gives the triads: G major, A♭ major, B minor, C minor, D major ♭5, E♭ augmented (also G augmented, also B augmented), and the F# cluster chord. We extend these into seventh chords, including G major 7, A♭ major 7, B minor 7, the beautiful C minor-major 7th, the D7♭5 dominant, the E♭ major 7 ♯5 (a proper James Bond chord), and the F# cluster acting as a dominant. 🏫 Courses, Workshops or Private lessons ➡️ https://forms.gle/fsbhFKSgJbZ5xZEr8 ============================= 📹 Our Video Courses (Everything for Life Bundle) - https://learn-music.nathanielschool.com/ 🏡 Visit our Channel for more Tutorials & Performances - https://geni.us/NathanielYouTube ============================= ▶️ Related Videos & Playlists 🎬 Carnatic Swaras & Piano Finger Exercise - https://youtu.be/zO6s41NHYjI 🎯 Scales vs Keys vs Modes vs Ragas - Music Theory 🎼 - https://youtu.be/nzBEfnHCiA4 🔑 Fusion Piano: Indian Pentatonic Scale - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0zGNckOhzY 📂 Indian Music Theory - Carnatic Ragas - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNNL05e9FT-EsBVRojlfDQ078y6R438k 📚 Indian Classical Music - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNNL05e9FT-uvkwcbt1C4RbIJ8t1n3vm ============================= 🎓 Learn Music With Nathaniel School of Music & Jason Zac: https://nathanielschool.com 📚 All our YouTube lessons (1000+) categorised by skill level, topic & genre all in one place: https://free-music-lessons.nathanielschool.com ⏳ Chapter markers 00:00 - Performance 00:23 - Introduction 00:51 - G Major, G Minor & Harmonic Minor 01:05 - Practising Every Scale in 12 Keys 01:22 - Scale vs Key vs Mode vs Raga 01:53 - What Is a Scale? Intervals & Swaras 02:10 - Enharmonic Notes: C# = Db and More 02:45 - Expanding Your Horizon with Ragas 🎼 03:05 - The 72 Melakarta Ragas Explained 03:29 - The Three Options for Re 04:04 - Introducing Mayamalavagowla (15th Melakarta) 04:30 - Playing the Raga vs Good Old Major 04:50 - What Makes This Scale Unique: The Gaps 05:06 - Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni & Scale Degrees 05:26 - Comparing Swaras with Western Solfège 06:07 - The Augmented Second Intervals 06:45 - Fingering the Scale on Piano ✋ 09:10 - Alternate Names: Double Harmonic Major 09:56 - Bhairav Thaat in Hindustani Music 10:15 - Playing the Raga One Octave Up & Back 10:36 - Left Hand as a Tanpura (Holding Sa) 11:21 - The ‘One Extra’ Swara Drill 11:47 - Black note positioning 12:15 - Singing and playing the Swaras 12:25 - The ‘One Extra’ Swara Drill 12:54 - One Down, One Extra on Descending 13:49 - Adding Accents & Training Weak Fingers 14:09 - Imagining a Drum Groove 14:32 - How to Harmonize the Raga with Chords 15:34 - Why Triads and Not Clusters 17:01 - All Triads Played Together 18:05 - The E♭ Augmented Chord Trio 18:27 - The F# Cluster Chord Explained 18:51 - All Triads Played Together 19:18 - Singing the Swaras with the Chords 20:18 - Moving to Seventh Chords 🎶 20:32 - C Minor-Major 7th: A Favourite Chord 20:45 - D7♭5 & E♭ Major 7 ♯5 (James Bond Chord) 21:25 - Scale in Right Hand, Roots in Left Hand 21:59 - Singing One Swara Every Two Beats 23:15 - Ascending & Descending with Chords 24:42 - Thinking Intervallically About the Raga 25:01 - Final Thoughts & Practice Encouragement 💰 Donate on PayPal: https://geni.us/DonatePayPal 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/jasonzac 📞 Call +91 98454 65411 · 💬 WhatsApp chat +91 77604 56847 📧 Customised & Private Classes: music@nathanielschool.com 🎧 Listen to Jason Zac Music: https://riffs.jasonzacmusic.com/ #Mayamalavagowla #DoubleHarmonicMajor #CarnaticMusic