Mayamalavagaula is a sampoorna raga – it uses all the seven notes in both the ascending and descending scales. The swara-s used in Mayamalavagaula are sa – shadja, ra – suddha rishabha, gu – antara gandhara, ma – suddha madhyama, pa – panchama, dha – suddha dhaivata, and  nu – kakali nishada. The alignment of the notes gives the impression of four pairs of notes. The time intervals between paired notes – sa and ra, gu and ma, pa and dha, nu and sa – are short, while the time interval between any two consecutive pairs, as for example between ra-gu and ma-pa, is longer. This is true of the reverse order of the scale as well.

This alternating pattern of short and long time intervals gives the raga a distinct identity and facilitates the comprehension of its structure, as well as that of its janya raga-s. Perhaps this was among the factors that led the Pitamaha of the Carnatic mode of music, Purandaradasa, to opt for Mayamalavagaula as the basic abhyasa raga.