Sangat

संगतdaily riyaz for Hindustani singing

Sing it back, in sur.

Sangat is daily riyaz for Hindustani singing. The harmonium plays each line in your scale, with the tabla and tanpura, and waits while you sing it back. Then Sangat shows which notes were off and what to practise next.

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Yaman

Aroha and avaroha · Teentaal 90 · Sa C♯

25 seconds of a riyaz: the harmonium’s turn, then yours

Yaman, Teentaal at 90, Sa C♯: the harmonium’s line, then your turn. Recorded from the app.

A riyaz video plays in one scale and carries on whether you sing or not, so you can practise for weeks and never find out which notes were off. Sangat plays in your scale, waits for your turn, and listens to every line you sing.

A raga for every hour of the day

Sangat has 85 ragas, each drawn at the time of day it’s sung, with something it’s known for. Yaman has lamps on the river steps at nightfall; Todi, deer in a grove in the late morning. The far hills in each picture follow the raga’s aroha and avaroha.

Tap a raga to practise it. Yaman, Bhupali and Bhairav, the ragas most learners begin with, open a page of their notes and lines to sing back; they are free with all their paltas, and Pro opens the paltas of the other 82. Every raga, listed. Or just listen: the Radio plays the ragas of the hour on sitar, bansuri, violin and harmonium, free.

Your daily riyaz

Sangat plays each line first, waits while you sing it back, and tells you what to work on next. Or follow a riyaz routine, one part at a time: a morning riyaz, kharaj, Yaman in the evening, or five minutes for a busy day.

  1. 01

    Sing it back to the harmonium

    The harmonium plays a line and holds its last note until sam. Then it’s your turn, with the tabla and tanpura still going.

    The note to sing is written large in the middle of the picture, so you can read it from where you sit. A long line can be taken eight or four notes at a time.

  2. 02

    See which notes were off

    Turn on Listen and Sangat draws your voice under the notes as you sing. The line stays green while you’re in sur and turns amber where you go low or high. After each line it names what slipped, like “komal Ga low”.

    Tested on recordings of nine singers, Listen was right on 99.7% of clear notes. Your voice is checked on your device and never uploaded.

  3. 03

    Practise the notes that slipped

    Practise these takes the part of the line with the missed note and plays it in short calls until you sing it in sur twice.

    When you finish, Sangat plays your riyaz back and lists the swaras to work on. The recording stays on your device, and the week shows every day you sat down to sing.

Ear training and bandish

Short drills that train your ear, and bandish with the swaras written over the words.

  • Know your swaras

    Hear any swara, sing it from its name, or name it when you hear it, and hear how close you were. Practise the swaras you choose, or follow Swaras step by step from Sa, Ga and Pa to all twelve, with a two-minute ear check to show where to begin.

  • Taal by ear

    Tap on sam while the tabla plays, or name the taal from its theka alone. The ten taals most students start with are free.

  • Bandish Beta

    524 bandish in 59 ragas. Begin with a sargam geet, then go on to khayals, taranas and dhrupads. The harmonium plays each line in the bandish’s own taal, then waits for you to sing it back.

Four instruments, tuned to your Sa

The tanpura, tabla, harmonium and swarmandal are recordings of real instruments, and they stay in time with each other. Every sound on this page was recorded from the app.

  • Harmonium हारमोनियम

    It plays each line of your riyaz in your raga, at your Sa and in time with the tabla, then waits while you sing it back. For kharaj, it holds Sa and the low notes.

  • Tabla तबला

    Recorded strokes, tuned to your Sa, play the theka of any of 70 taals. Slow it down for vilambit or speed it up for drut. Sam lands a little stronger, so you always know where the cycle starts.

  • Tanpura तानपूरा

    Set it to any Sa from C to B, and fine-tune it in cents to match your harmonium. Tuned to Pa or Ma, it’s a recorded tanpura. Ni and the other tunings are built from recorded strings.

  • Swarmandal स्वरमंडल

    It’s strung with the notes of your raga and strummed every few beats, the way singers use one on stage. Turn it on when you want a fuller sound.

  • Or a sitar, bansuri, violin or a singer Pro

    Each one plays the same line as the harmonium, at your Sa and in time with the tabla. Play it beside the harmonium or on its own. They are recordings of a real sitar, bansuri and violin, and of a singer singing the swaras. They come with Sangat Pro, and you can hear each one free for 90 seconds of riyaz a day.

For a drone or a theka on its own, these pages play straight away, free.

Tanpura C C♯ D D♯ E F F♯ G G♯ A A♯ B

Tabla Teentaal Ektaal Jhaptaal Rupak Dadra Keherwa Ada Chautaal Pancham Sawari Matta Rudra

Metronome A plain click, 10 to 720 BPM

Who it’s for

Learning at home
For anyone learning Hindustani singing at home, at any age: on your own with YouTube videos, between weekly lessons, or coming back after years away. If you sing along with a riyaz video now, Sangat is the same sitting in your own scale, and it waits for you. Ten minutes a day is enough to begin.
Teachers
Send students a practice as a link, with the Sa, raga, alankar, taal and speed already set. Tap Share on the stage to make one. It opens on any phone, with nothing to install. Try one: Yaman · Sa Re Ga Ma at Sa G♯, Teentaal at 80

Practise free, for as long as you like

The free plan needs no account and has no daily time limit, and it covers your first years of riyaz. Pro opens every raga, taal and alankar, keeps every riyaz you sing, and adds a sitar, bansuri, violin and singer to play the line. The harmonium, tanpura and tabla are the same in both.

Free no account

  • Yaman, Bhairav and Bhupali with all their paltas, and the 10 thaats
  • Kharaj and 5 alankars, with Listen and Practise these
  • Know your swaras one swara at a time, and Taal by ear with the first ten taals
  • The full tanpura, 10 taals and a metronome
  • Find my Sa, your last 7 riyaz to hear back, 5 saved practices and a collection
  • The Radio, with ragas for every hour
  • 90 seconds of riyaz a day with each of the sitar, bansuri, violin and singer
Start your riyaz, free

Sangat Pro one membership, every device

  • All 85 ragas, each with its paltas and pakad
  • All 28 alankars, and all 70 taals from vilambit to drut
  • Every riyaz kept to hear back, and as many saved practices and collections as you like
  • Every bandish, and Name the taal with taals of the same length
  • Know your swaras two to eight swaras at a time, with the swara check and its certificate
  • The sitar, bansuri, violin and singer, to play the line with the harmonium or in its place
  • A sleep timer

New ragas, bandish and taals keep coming, all part of Pro.

₹99 a month · ₹649 a year · ₹1,999 once for the first 200US$3.99 a month · US$24.99 a year · US$49 once for the first 200

Full refund within 7 days if it’s not for you.

See what Pro adds

Questions

The pricing page has the rest.

Is it really free?

Yes. The free plan has Yaman, Bhairav and Bhupali with all their paltas, the 10 thaats, and kharaj and 5 alankars with Listen. Know your swaras one swara at a time, Taal by ear, the full tanpura, 10 taals, Find my Sa, your last 7 riyaz to hear back, 5 saved practices and a collection are free too. You don’t need an account, and there is no daily time limit. Pro adds the paltas of every raga, every taal and alankar, Know your swaras two to eight swaras at a time with its swara check, and the sitar, bansuri, violin and singer.

How is it different from a riyaz video on YouTube?

A riyaz video is in one scale, at one speed and in one raga, and it carries on whether you sing or not. In Sangat the harmonium plays each line in your scale and at your speed, with the tabla in taal, and waits while you sing it back. Turn on Listen and it shows which notes were off, and the next day home says what to work on.

I’m a beginner. Is it for me?

Yes, if you’re learning Hindustani singing. Start with Find my Sa, then Yaman’s aroha and avaroha: the harmonium plays the line, then waits for you. Yaman, Bhupali and Bhairav, the ragas most learners begin with, are free. Sangat helps you practise; it doesn’t teach voice technique. The guide to finding your Sa has typical keys for every voice.

How do I set my scale?

Your scale is your Sa. In the app, tap Sa at the top and choose it on the harmonium’s keys, or press Find my Sa there and sing a comfortable note for a few seconds: Sangat finds your Sa and tunes every instrument to it. Most men who sing khyal sit near C♯, and most women near G♯.

How long does a riyaz take?

As long as you like: there is no daily limit. Ten minutes a day is a good start: half a minute of Sa with the tanpura, an alankar or a palta, then the note you missed last time.

How accurate is Listen?

We tested it on recordings of nine real singers, five women and four men. When a note was clearly in tune, or off by half a semitone or more, Listen called it right 99.7% of the time. What can fool it is music from your speaker reaching the microphone. Headphones stop that.

Does my voice leave my device?

Only when you share it. Find my Sa and Listen work inside your browser. While Listen is on, your riyaz is recorded on your device so you can hear it back. Free keeps your last 7 riyaz; Pro keeps up to 1,000. Nothing is ever uploaded: a recording leaves your device only when you share it yourself. The privacy policy is short.

Does it work on my phone?

Yes. It runs in the browser on any phone, tablet or computer, with nothing to install. There is an iPhone app on the App Store too, and an Android app on Google Play. Headphones help when Listen is on, because the microphone then hears only you.

Do I need a teacher?

No. The harmonium plays each line first and waits for you, home says what to work on next, and Listen shows which notes were off. A teacher gives you what it can’t, like voice technique and how to sing a raga. It works well alongside one.

I learn Carnatic music. Is it for me?

Partly. The tanpura is the same instrument and the shruti is yours to set. Adi, Misra Chapu and the other talas are in Pro. The ragas and alankars follow Hindustani names and shapes.

Can I practise with a sitar, bansuri or violin instead of the harmonium?

Yes. Switch on the sitar, bansuri or violin, or the singer, in the row of instruments, and it plays each line at your Sa and in time with the tabla, beside the harmonium or in its place. They are recordings of real instruments and a real voice. They come with Sangat Pro, and you can hear each one free for 90 seconds of riyaz a day.

Can I get a refund?

Yes. Any payment is refundable within seven days, no questions asked.

Your first riyaz takes ten minutes.

Open the app, find your Sa, and sing today’s palta back to the harmonium. It’s free, and you don’t need an account.

Start your riyaz

Malkauns, a still lotus pond at midnight