7 swar

🎵 The Sapta Swaras

Sa – Ri/Re – Ga – Ma – Pa – Dha – Ni

Swara

Sanskrit name

Western equivalent*

Sa

Shadja

Do

Ri / Re

Rishabha

Re

Ga

Gandhara

Mi

Ma

Madhyama

Fa

Pa

Panchama

Sol

Dha

Dhaivata

La

Ni

Nishada

Ti

Then the cycle returns:

Sa → Ri → Ga → Ma → Pa → Dha → Ni → Sa

The Sa of the next octave is higher than the first Sa.

What is special about them?

Unlike Western music, where the notes are generally fixed to particular pitches, in Indian music Sa is the reference note chosen according to the singer's or instrument's pitch. The other swaras are understood in relation to that Sa.

And the beautiful thing is that Sa and Pa are treated as fixed swaras, while Ri, Ga, Ma, Dha and Ni have different forms, giving rise to the rich melodic possibilities of Indian classical music.

The page  gives Alankars — patterns made by arranging these seven swaras in different combinations. Repeating such patterns is excellent for developing pitch accuracy, voice control, memory and fluency.

*The Western equivalents are only an approximate conceptual comparison, because Indian swara relationships and intonation are more nuanced than the simple Do–Re–Mi correspondence.