The twelve swaras (notes) in Indian classical music, represented in Devanagari script, are:
षड्ज (Sa), ऋषभ (Re), गान्धार (Ga), मध्यम (Ma), पञ्चम (Pa), धैवत (Dha), and निषाद (Ni)
Comparison between Carnatic, Hindustani, and Western Notations| Semitones from Tonic | Carnatic name | Hindustani name | Western note
(when the tonic, Sa, is C) |
|---|
| Full form | Abbreviation | Full form | Abbreviation |
|---|
| 0 | Ṣaḍjam | Sa | Ṣaḍj | Sa | C |
| 1 | Śuddha R̥ṣabham | Ri₁ | Kōmal R̥ṣabh | Re | D♭ |
| 2 | Catuśruti R̥ṣabham | Ri₂ | Śuddh R̥ṣabh | Re | D |
| Śuddha Gāndhāram | Ga₁ | E𝄫 |
| 3 | Ṣaṭśruti R̥ṣabham | Ri₃ | Kōmal Gāndhār | Ga | D♯ |
| Sādhāraṇa Gāndhāram | Ga₂ | E♭ |
| 4 | Antara Gāndhāram | Ga₃ | Śuddh Gāndhār | Ga | E |
| 5 | Śuddha Madhyamam | Ma₁ | Śuddh Madhyam | Ma | F |
| 6 | Prati Madhyamam | Ma₂ | Tīvra Madhyam | Ḿa | F♯ |
| 7 | Pañcamam | Pa | Pañcam | Pa | G |
| 8 | Śuddha Dhaivatam | Dha₁ | Kōmal Dhaivat | Dha | A♭ |
| 9 | Catuśruti Dhaivatam | Dha₂ | Śuddh Dhaivat | Dha | A |
| Śuddha Niṣādam | Ni₁ | B𝄫 |
| 10 | Ṣaṭśruti Dhaivatam | Dha₃ | Kōmal Niṣād | Ni | A♯ |
| Kaiśikī Niṣādam | Ni₂ | B♭ |
| 11 | Kākalī Niṣādam | Ni₃ | Śuddh Niṣād | Ni | B |
Svaras in Carnatic music
The svaras in Carnatic music are slightly different in the twelve-note system. Each svara is either prakr̥ti (invariant) or vikr̥ti (variable). Ṣaḍjam and Pañcamam are prakr̥ti svaras, whilst R̥ṣabham, Gāndhāram, Mādhyamam, Dhaivatam and Niṣādam are vikr̥ti svaras. Ma has two variants, and each of Ri, Ga, Dha and Ni has three variants. The mnemonic syllables for each vikṛti svara use the vowels "a", "i" and "u" successively from lowest to highest. For example, r̥ṣabham has the three ascending variants "ra", "ri" and "ru", being respectively 1, 2 and 3 semitones above the tonic note, ṣaḍjam.
| Position | Svara (स्वर) | Short name | Notation | Mnemonic | Semitones from Sa |
|---|
| 1 | Ṣaḍjam (षड्जम्) | Sa | S | sa | 0 |
|---|
| 2 | Śuddha R̥ṣabham (शुद्ध ऋषभम्) | Ri | R₁ | ra | 1 |
|---|
| 3 | Catuśruti R̥ṣabham (चतुश्रुति ऋषभम्) | Ri | R₂ | ri | 2 |
|---|
| Śuddha Gāndhāram (शुद्ध गान्धारम्) | Ga | G₁ | ga |
| 4 | Ṣaṭśruti R̥ṣabham (षट्श्रुति ऋषभम्) | Ri | R₃ | ru | 3 |
|---|
| Sādhāraṇa Gāndhāram (साधारण गान्धारम्) | Ga | G₂ | gi |
| 5 | Antara Gāndhāram (अन्तर गान्धारम्) | Ga | G₃ | gu | 4 |
|---|
| 6 | Śuddha Madhyamam (शुद्ध मध्यमम्) | Ma | M₁ | ma | 5 |
|---|
| 7 | Prati Madhyamam (प्रति मध्यमम्) | Ma | M₂ | mi | 6 |
|---|
| 8 | Pañcamam (पञ्चमम्) | Pa | P | pa | 7 |
|---|
| 9 | Śuddha Dhaivatam (शुद्ध धैवतम्) | Dha | D₁ | dha | 8 |
|---|
| 10 | Catuśruti Dhaivatam (चतुश्रुति धैवतम्) | Dha | D₂ | dhi | 9 |
|---|
| Śuddha Niṣādam (शुद्ध निषादम्) | Ni | N₁ | na |
| 11 | Ṣaṭśruti Dhaivatam (षट्श्रुति धैवतम्) | Dha | D₃ | dhu | 10 |
|---|
| Kaiśikī Niṣādam (कैशिकि निषादम्)कैशिकि निषाद (Kaiśiki Niṣāda), | Ni | N₂ | ni |
| 12 | Kākal ī Niṣādam (काकलि निषादम्)काकलि निषाद (Kākali Niṣāda) | Ni | N₃ | nu | 11 |
|---|
As you can see above, Catuśruti Ṛṣabham and Śuddha Gāndhāram share the same pitch (3rd key/position). Hence if C is chosen as Ṣaḍjam, D would be both Catuśruti R̥ṣabham and Śuddha Gāndhāram. Similarly for the two svaras each at pitch positions 4, 10 and 11.
sapta swara~ggaLin tamizhiSai peyargaL
sa- kural,ஸப்த ஸ்வரங்க₃ளின் தமிழிஶை பெயர்க₃ள்
ஸ- குரல், ரி- துத்த₂ம், க₃- கைக்கிளை,
ம-உழை,ப-இளி,த₄- விளரி,நி-தாரம்
സപ്ത സ്വരങ്ഗളിന് തമിഴിശൈ പെയര്ഗള്
സ- കുരല്, രി- തുത്ഥമ്, ഗ- കൈക്കിളൈ,
മ-ഉഴൈ,പ-ഇളി,ധ- വിളരി,നി-താരമ്
(സ്വര) Short name Notation Mnemonic[21] Semitones from Sa
1 (ഷഡ്ജമ്) Sa S sa 0
2 (ശുദ്ധ ഋഷഭമ്) Ri R1 ra 1
3 (ചതുശ്രുതി ഋഷഭമ്) Ri R2 ri 2
(ശുദ്ധ ഗാന്ധാരമ്) Ga G 1 ga
4 (ഷട്ശ്രുതി ഋഷഭമ്) Ri R3 ru 3
(സാധാരണ ഗാന്ധാരമ്) Ga G2 gi
5 (അന്തര ഗാന്ധാരമ്) Ga G3 gu 4
6 (ശുദ്ധ മധ്യമമ്) Ma M1 ma 5
7 (പ്രതി മധ്യമമ്) Ma M2 mi 6
8 (പഞ്ചമമ്) Pa P pa 7
9 (ശുദ്ധ ധൈവതമ്) Dha D1 dha 8
10 (ചതുശ്രുതി ധൈവതമ്) Dha D2 dhi 9
(ശുദ്ധ നിഷാദമ്) Ni N1 na
11 (ഷട്ശ്രുതി ധൈവതമ്) Dha D3 dhu 10
(കൈശികി നിഷാദമ്) Ni N2 ni
12 (കാകലി നിഷാദമ്) Ni N3 nu 11
the context of Indian classical mus
Saptaswaras, in the context of Indian classical music, refers to the seven fundamental musical notes, or swaras, that form the basis of both Carnatic and Hindustani music. These seven notes are: Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, and Ni. They are also known by their longer Sanskrit names: Shadja, Rishabha, Gandhara, Madhyama, Panchama, Dhaivata, and Nishada, respectively.
ic, refers to the seven fundamental musical notes, or swaras, that form the basis of both Carnatic and Hindustani music. These seven notes are: Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, and Ni. They are also known by their longer Sanskrit names: Shadja, Rishabha, Gandhara, Madhyama, Panchama, Dhaivata, and Nishada, respectively.
Here's a breakdown of the Saptaswaras: - Sa (Shadja): The tonic or foundational note.
- Ri (Rishabha): The second note.
- Ga (Gandhara): The third note.
- Ma (Madhyama): The fourth note.
- Pa (Panchama): The fifth note, also considered a fixed or perfect interval.
- Dha (Dhaivata): The sixth note.
- Ni (Nishada): The seventh note, which completes the octave.
These seven notes are the building blocks for melodies and ragas in Indian classical music. They are often associated with specific sounds from nature, with Sa being linked to the peacock's cry, Ri to the bull's bellow, Ga to the goat's bleat, Ma to the heron's call, Pa to the cuckoo's song, Dha to the horse's neigh, and Ni to the elephant's trumpet Sapta Swaras - The Seven Musical Notes of Carnatic Music | PDF - Scribd
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