It took a long time for music to come to the form found in present-day India. The most important advance in music was made between the 14^th and 18^th centuries. During this period, the music sang in the north came in contact with Persian music and absorbed it, through the Pathans and the Mughals. It is then that two schools of music resulted, the Hindustani and the Carnatic. Hindustani music adopted a scale of natural notes and Carnatic music retained the traditional octave. During this period, different styles of classical compositions such as Dhrupad, Dhamar, Khayal, etc. were contributed to Hindustani music.  

There is no absolute pitch; instead, each performance simply picks a ground note, and the other scale degrees follow relative to the ground note. As ragas were never codified but transmitted orally from teacher to student, some ragas can vary greatly across regions, traditions and styles.

1.    Bilawal (=Ionian mode): 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 morning raga

 It's pictorial descriptions create a rich, sensuous ambience in consonance with its performance.

2.    Khamaj (=Mixolydian mode): 1,2,3,4,5,6,b7

Its pictorial descriptions in the existing texts are sensuous and even today, the raag Khamaj is considered to be a 'flirtatious' raag. There is another theory which assumes that in the past, Khamaj scale found its way in Ch'in music of the late medieval China.

3.    Kafi (=Dorian mode): 1,2,b3,4,5,6,b7 evening raga

 Kafi is said to convey the mood of spring time.

4.    Asavari (=Aeolian mode): 1,2,b3,4,5,b6,b7 morning raga

The mood of renunciation and sacrifice as well as pathos.

5.    Bhairavi (=Phrygian mode):1,b2,b3,4,5,b6,b7 morning raga

Traditionally it is rendered as the last item of a program, for its unique fullness of sentiments as well as its wide scope of the tonal combinations. Pictorially, Bhairavi is represented in female form, as the wife of Bhairav.

6.    Bhairav: (=Double Harmonic):1,b2,3,4,5,b6,7 morning raga

 The vibrations of the notes in Bhairav is said to clear one's whole mind.

7.    Kalyan (=Lydian mode): 1,2,3,#4,5,6,7 evening raga

  It is considered to be a blessing-seeking and soothing raag. As a result, it is performed in the evening at the beginning of a concert. This raag creates a feeling of the unfolding of an evening.

8.    Marwa: 1,b2,3,#4,6,7 dusk raga

 The overall mood of this raag is of sunset where the night approaches much faster than in northern latitudes. The onrushing darkness awakens in many observers, a feeling of anxiety and solemn expectation.

9.    Poorvi:  1,b2,b3,4,5,b6,b7  dusk raga

  The thaat raag Poorvi is deeply serious, quite and mysterious in character and is performed at the time of sunset. Pictorial depictions in early texts, often mention the poise, grace and charm of Poorvi.

10.  Todi: 1,b2,b3,4,5,b6,7 morning raga

Todi is the king of all thaats. Todi pictures nearly always show a petite, beautiful woman, holding veena, with a deer around her, standing in a lovely, lush green forest. Todi represents the mood of delighted adoration with a gentle, loving sentiment and its traditionally performed in the late morning.