Raagmala painting illustrating Swara

Saarey Music Glossary · Melodic Concepts

Swara

Also called: Sur, Sargam, Swar

Swara is a musical note. The seven swaras — Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni — are the building blocks of every raag, and their solfège names form the sargam.

Swara is the South Asian concept of a musical note. There are seven principal swaras, named Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni — abbreviations of the Sanskrit Shadja, Rishabh, Gandhar, Madhyam, Pancham, Dhaivat, Nishad. Sung as solfège, this sequence is the sargam.

Five of the seven can be flattened (komal) or, in Ma's case, sharpened (tivra); Sa and Pa are fixed (achal). The particular selection and treatment of swaras is exactly what distinguishes one raag from another, and which swara is the vadi (most prominent) colours its mood.

Unlike Western fixed pitch, Sa is a movable tonic: the singer chooses a comfortable Sa and every other swara is tuned in relation to it.

Examples on Saarey Music

  • The seven swaras sung as sargam: Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni
  • Raag Yaman is defined by its particular set of swaras (with tivra Ma)
  • The most prominent swara of a raag is its vadi

Frequently asked

What is a swara?
A swara is a musical note. The seven basic swaras are Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni.
What is the difference between swara and sargam?
A swara is a single note; sargam is the system of singing those notes by their solfège names (Sa Re Ga Ma…).
Are swaras fixed in pitch?
No. Sa is a movable tonic chosen by the performer; all other swaras are tuned relative to it, and most can be natural (shuddha) or flat (komal).

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