Guides for riyaz
Plain explanations of the things you meet in practice — your Sa, alankars, ragas, the taals, the tanpura — with something to play and sing back on every page, and a link that opens Sangat already set up for it.
Guides
Five to start with. Each has a player built in: a keyboard, a tabla, a tanpura or a harmonium.
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Guide · Your voice · 6 min
How to find your Sa
Find your Sa in five minutes: start from your lowest clear note, count up five semitones, and check you can reach taar Sa. Typical keys for male and female voices, and a keyboard that counts for you.
Read the guide
- Guide · Practice · 9 minTen alankars for beginnersSa Re Ga Ma to Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Ma Ga Re Sa: the ten a beginner meets first, written out, each to play and sing back.
- Guide · Rhythm · 7 minTaal basics: matra, vibhag, sam, taali and khaliThe words of Indian rhythm explained plainly, with ten common taals side by side — and all ten to play.
- Guide · The tanpura · 7 minWhich tanpura tuning for which ragaPa for most ragas, Ma when there is no Pa, Ni for Bihag — all eighteen tunings, and Malkauns to hear the difference.
- Guide · Practice · 8 minA 30-minute daily riyazSa, kharaj, alankars sung back to a harmonium, a raga’s outline and a bandish in taal: a half hour you can keep.
Ragas
The three ragas most learners begin with: each one’s notes on the harmonium, its aroha, avaroha and pakad, and its paltas to sing back at your Sa.
- Raga · Kalyan thaat · early nightRaag YamanAll seven notes with tivra Ma, climbing from mandra Ni. The first raga of most students.
- Raga · Kalyan thaat · early nightRaag BhupaliFive notes, no Ma and no Ni: the easiest raga to sing in sur.
- Raga · Bhairav thaat · dawnRaag BhairavThe dawn raga: komal Re and komal Dha beside shuddha Ga and Ni.
Taals
The ten free taals, shortest first. Each page has the theka to play, counted matra by matra.
Tanpura by key
A page for every Sa from C to B: the tanpura to play, the frequencies, and where Pa, Ma and Ni fall.