Sa Re Ga Ma Pa — Complete Guide to Indian Sargam
The seven swaras of Indian classical music form the foundation of everything you'll ever play on harmonium. This guide explains every swara — including their komal and tivra variants.
Before you play a single raga or bhajan, you must make friends with the seven swaras. They are the alphabet of Indian music — everything from a simple bhajan to the most complex classical composition is built from these seven sounds.
The Seven Swaras (Sapta Swara)
In Indian classical music, the musical scale consists of seven principal notes called swaras. These are named Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, and Ni — abbreviated together as Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni.
| Swara | Devanagari | Full Name | Western | Keyboard Key |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sa | सा | Shadja | C | A |
| Re | रे | Rishabh | D | S |
| Ga | ग | Gandhara | E | D |
| Ma | म | Madhyama | F | F |
| Pa | प | Pancham | G | G |
| Dha | ध | Dhaivata | A | H |
| Ni | नि | Nishada | B | J |
Understanding Komal and Tivra Swaras
Not all swaras are created equal. Some swaras have two variants: a lower (flat) version called komal and a higher (sharp) version called tivra. These correspond to the black keys on the harmonium.
Here is the complete picture of all 12 notes in Indian sargam:
Komal (Flat) Swaras
Tivra (Sharp) Swara
Note: Pa and Sa are achala (fixed) swaras — they never change.
Sa as the Root
Unlike Western music, Indian music is not pitched to a fixed frequency. Sa (the tonic) can be placed anywhere that is comfortable for the singer's voice. However, for harmonium learning, we typically use C as Sa — the easiest position on the keyboard.
The most important concept to grasp is that all other swaras are defined relative to Sa. Re is one step above Sa. Ga is two steps above Sa. This relative quality is what makes Indian music so flexible and expressive.
How to Practice Sargam on Harmonium
The best way to internalize the swaras is through daily sargam practice. Follow this progression:
Level 1: Play Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa ascending, then descend. Repeat 10 times slowly.
Level 2: Sing the swara names while playing them. This builds the crucial connection between the note you hear and its name.
Level 3: Play random swaras and name them without looking — tests your note recognition.
💡 Practice Tip
Use our web harmonium with the Indian notation mode selected (सा रे ग). This way you see the sargam names on each key, making it much easier to memorize them.
Sargam Notation — Reading Written Music
Sargam notation uses the first letters of each swara name. The conventions are:
- Capital letters = natural swaras (S R G M P D N)
- Underline = komal (flat) swaras — written as Ṛ, G̣, D̤, Ṇ
- M with a dot = Tivra Ma (M̈ or M')
- Period below = lower octave (Ṡ Ṙ etc.)
- Dot above = upper octave (Ṡ)
The Octave System
Indian music uses three octaves: Mandra (lower), Madhya (middle), and Taar (upper). In sargam notation:
- Mandra Sa = S with dot below
- Madhya Sa = S (plain, no mark)
- Taar Sa = S with dot above
On harmonium, you will primarily use the Madhya (middle) octave for melody and the Mandra (lower) octave for drone/bass.
Next Steps
Now that you understand sargam, begin our structured practice lessons.