Glossary · glossary · 1 min read

Aroha

आरोह; ascent

Aroha is the ascending order of notes in a raga, a melodic framework in Indian classical music. In Raga Bhoop, it is Sa Re Ga Pa Dha Sa', with Ma and Ni left out.

By SJN, Founder, BeatRootRaga · Reviewed by BRR · Last reviewed 27 Sept 2026

What does aroha mean?

Aroha is the ascending order of notes in a raga, a melodic framework in Indian classical music. It describes the path the melody takes upwards, from Sa to the upper Sa. The framework guides both creating pieces and inventing melody during performance.

Aroha is paired with avaroha, the descending path of notes. A raga can skip a note on the way up and use it on the way down. So the descent need not be the ascent played backwards. The two paths are not always mirror images.

This is a short definition, not the full explanation. For that, see the linked BeatRootRaga learning page.

An example of aroha and where to read more

A raga is a melodic framework in Indian classical music. In Raga Bhoop, the aroha, or ascending order of notes, runs from Sa to the upper Sa.

Sa Re Ga Pa Dha Sa'

Bhoop’s ascent uses five notes, leaving out Ma and Ni. The final Sa' marks the upper Sa.

Notice the move from Ga to Pa, with no Ma between them. Aroha is paired with avaroha, the descent. A raga can omit a note going up and use it coming down.

Continue with the linked BeatRootRaga learning page for aroha’s full explanation. For background on the melodic framework, read What is a raga? A plain-language guide for listeners.

Keep going

What is a raga? A plain-language guide for listeners · A raga is a melodic framework in Indian classical music for creating pieces and inventing melody during performance. Listen for four things: which notes appear, how the melody moves, where the musician lingers, and which short phrases return.
Raga vs scale: what Western musicians get wrong · A raga adds rules for movement, emphasis, identifying phrases and ornamentation to a scale or mode, a scale with a home note. Producers lose its identity when they treat it as a note list, ignore its tuning and phrasing, or let changing chords reshape the melody’s meaning.