swara
Raga building block
Swara is a note in Indian classical music, roughly equivalent to a scale degree in Western music.
The seven swaras—sa, re, ga, ma, pa, dha, ni—form the basis of ragas and melodic composition.
In a broader sense, swara refers to tone, pitch, or musical sound generally.
The word appears in discussions of Hindustani and Carnatic traditions: Each raga uses a specific set of swaras.
Short written record
- pitchFrequency of sound
- scaleMeasure of relative size
- octaveEight-note interval
- shrutiIndian microtonal pitch interval
solfa · frequency · tuning · interval · intonation
Vocal music-making
- voiceSound from throat
- vocalExpressing views freely
- dhrupadAncient Indian vocal style
- practiceRepeated work toward mastery
vocalist · singer · breath · throat · range · expression · ornament · vibrato
Indian melodic framework
- melodyPleasing sequence of notes
- compositionArranged elements forming whole
- improvisationSpontaneous, unplanned creation
- moodPrevailing emotional condition
Audible wave phenomenon
- toneQuality of sound
- vibrationRapid oscillating movement
- resonanceAmplified oscillation at natural frequency
- frequencyRate of recurrence
timbre · harmonic · overtone · waveform · oscillation · acoustics · sonority · quality
Repeated focus phrase
- chantingRhythmic repetitive vocalization
- recitationOral delivery from memory
- intonationPitch variation in speech
- sacredWorthy of reverence
ritual · syllable · accent · pronunciation · scripture · priest · ceremony
note
Short written record
singing
Vocal music-making
practice · vocalist · singer · breath · throat · range · expression · ornament · vibrato
raga
Indian melodic framework
- melodyPleasing sequence of notes
- compositionArranged elements forming whole
- improvisationSpontaneous, unplanned creation
sound
Audible wave phenomenon
- toneQuality of sound
- vibrationRapid oscillating movement
- resonanceAmplified oscillation at natural frequency
frequency · timbre · harmonic · overtone · waveform · oscillation · acoustics · sonority · quality · texture
mantra
Repeated focus phrase
- chantingRhythmic repetitive vocalization
- recitationOral delivery from memory
- intonationPitch variation in speech
sacred · ritual · syllable · accent · pronunciation · scripture · priest · ceremony
- Carnatic Musicraga, shruti, veena, trinity, tambura
- Indian Musicraga, ragas, sitar, tabla, sarod
- Indic linguisticsSanskrit, Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi
- Indian Performancekathak, mudras, classical drama, folk theater, court dance
- sacred musichymns, hymn, anthem, anthems, gospel
- Indic scriptsBengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil