C Malkos Raga Guitar Scale
Guitar scale — fretboard diagramIntermediate
What chords fit over C Malkos Raga?
Open C Malkos Raga HarmonizerC Malkos Raga Scale — Notes and Intervals
The C Malkos Raga scale is a dark and powerful night Raga used for deep meditation. On Guitar, its notes are C, Eb, F, Ab, Bb. 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: C, Eb, F, Ab, Bb
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 C 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 C Malkos Raga on Guitar
Place your index finger at fret 8 on the 6th (low E) to find your C root note. With only 5 notes, this scale fits comfortably in a two-notes-per-string pattern across all six strings. Focus on learning a single box shape first before connecting positions.
The C Malkos Raga scale contains 3 flats (Eb, Ab, Bb). 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 C 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 C. Try a C5 - Ab5 - Bb5 progression. This scale is especially effective in meditation contexts.
Guitar Tips
On guitar, practice the C Malkos Raga scale on a single string from the open position to the 12th fret. This trains your ear to hear the intervals linearly and helps with slide guitar applications. Aim for a dark quality in your phrasing to match the natural character of this scale.
Related Scales
The C Malkos Raga scale contains 5 notes (C, Eb, F, Ab, Bb). Use the interactive fretboard above to explore this scale on Guitar with different tunings and fret ranges.
CAGED Positions & Patterns for C Malkos Raga
The C 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 C Malkos Raga Further
- Harmonize the C Malkos Raga scale — triads & 7th chords
- Browse chord progressions
- C Malkos Raga on Ukulele
- C Malkos Raga on Bass
- C Malkos Raga on Piano
Explore C Malkos Raga in Other Tunings
- C Malkos Raga in Drop D (E-B-G-D-A-D)
- C Malkos Raga in DADGAD (D-A-G-D-A-D)
- C Malkos Raga in Open G (D-B-G-D-G-D)
- C Malkos Raga in Baritone (B Standard) (B-F#-D-A-E-B)
- C Malkos Raga in 7-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B)
- C Malkos Raga in 8-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B-F#)
- C Malkos Raga in Drop C (D-A-F-C-G-C)
- C Malkos Raga in Drop B (C#-G#-E-B-F#-B)
- C Malkos Raga in Open D (D-A-F#-D-A-D)
- C Malkos Raga in Half Step Down (Eb-Bb-Gb-Db-Ab-Eb)
- C Malkos Raga in Open E (E-B-G#-E-B-E)
- C Malkos Raga in Open A (E-C#-A-E-A-E)
- C Malkos Raga in Double Drop D (D-B-G-D-A-D)
- C Malkos Raga in Open C (E-C-G-C-G-C)