GuideYour voice5 min read
Kali 1 to 5 and safed 1 to 7, in English key names
On a harmonium, the black keys are kali and the white keys are safed. Both are counted up from C. So kali 1 is C♯, kali 4 is G♯ and safed 5 is G. Here are all twelve, with a tanpura to play in each key.
| Harmonium name | Key in English | Hear it, sing at it |
|---|---|---|
| Safed 1 safed ek, white 1 | C | Tanpura in C Sing at safed 1 in Sangat |
| Kali 1 kali ek, black 1 | C♯ C sharp, or D♭ (D flat) The classic male Sa | Tanpura in C♯ Sing at kali 1 in Sangat |
| Safed 2 safed do, white 2 | D | Tanpura in D Sing at safed 2 in Sangat |
| Kali 2 kali do, black 2 | D♯ D sharp, or E♭ (E flat) | Tanpura in D♯ Sing at kali 2 in Sangat |
| Safed 3 safed teen, white 3 | E | Tanpura in E Sing at safed 3 in Sangat |
| Safed 4 safed chaar, safed char, white 4 | F | Tanpura in F Sing at safed 4 in Sangat |
| Kali 3 kali teen, black 3 | F♯ F sharp, or G♭ (G flat) | Tanpura in F♯ Sing at kali 3 in Sangat |
| Safed 5 safed paanch, safed panch, white 5 | G | Tanpura in G Sing at safed 5 in Sangat |
| Kali 4 kali chaar, kali char, black 4 | G♯ G sharp, or A♭ (A flat) The classic female Sa | Tanpura in G♯ Sing at kali 4 in Sangat |
| Safed 6 safed chhe, white 6 | A | Tanpura in A Sing at safed 6 in Sangat |
| Kali 5 kali paanch, kali panch, black 5 | A♯ A sharp, or B♭ (B flat) | Tanpura in A♯ Sing at kali 5 in Sangat |
| Safed 7 safed saat, white 7 | B | Tanpura in B Sing at safed 7 in Sangat |
Hear each key
Press play, then pick a key. The tanpura moves to it, and the key’s harmonium name shows beside Sa. Sing a long “aa” over each one and feel where your voice sits.
Sa G♯ · 207.65 Hz
How to read the names
Count each colour on its own, starting from C. The white keys run safed 1 to safed 7: C, D, E, F, G, A, B. The black keys run kali 1 to kali 5: C♯, D♯, F♯, G♯, A♯. Then the pattern starts again at the next C.Kali, safed काली, सफ़ेदBlack and white, in Hindi and Urdu. Safed is also spelled saphed or sufed.
The numbers are often said in Hindi: ek, do, teen, chaar, paanch, chhe, saat. So kali chaar is kali 4, and safed paanch is safed 5.
In Indian music, a “scale” here means where Sa is. “My scale is kali 4” means “my Sa is G♯”. Every raga is then sung from that key.
Some teachers keep counting into the next octave. Then safed 8 is C again, safed 9 is D, kali 6 is C♯ and kali 7 is D♯. To read one of these, take away 7 from a safed number, or 5 from a kali number.
Find your own Sa
A scale name helps once you know your Sa. The usual way is to find the lowest note you can sing clearly, then count five keys up, black keys included. How to find your Sa walks you through it, with a keyboard to play on the page.
Or let the app listen. Sangat’s Find my Sa hears you sing a few comfortable notes and suggests a key. It is free and runs in your browser.
Male and female keys
- Most male khyal singers sing at kali 1 (C♯). Deeper voices and dhrupad singers use safed 1 (C). Brighter voices use safed 2 or kali 2 (D, D♯).
- Most female khyal singers sing at kali 4 (G♯). Deeper voices use kali 3 or safed 5 (F♯, G). Brighter voices use safed 6 or kali 5 (A, A♯).
- In between, safed 3 and safed 4 (E, F) suit voices between the usual keys, and group singing. Safed 7 (B) suits the highest voices and children.
The two classic keys are a fifth apart: kali 4 is Pa when Sa is kali 1. These are starting points, not rules. Your own voice decides.
Why the harmonium counts keys this way
The harmonium is the instrument most teachers sit at. Its keys are fixed, so a singer’s Sa has to be one of them. The key’s name became the name of the scale.
Counting from C works because the keyboard repeats from C: two black keys, then three. Each key gets a short name a student can find by sight. You do not need letters or sharps, only the colour and a number.
Western names say the same thing in letters. Kali 4 is G♯ because G♯ is the fourth black key after C. The names point to the same twelve keys.
Questions
What is kali 4 scale in English?
Kali 4 is G♯ (G sharp), the same key as A♭ (A flat). It is the fourth black key counted from C, kali chaar in Hindi, and the classic Sa for female khyal singers.
What is kali 5 scale in English?
Kali 5 is A♯ (A sharp), the same key as B♭ (B flat). It is the fifth and last black key in the octave, kali paanch in Hindi, and suits high female voices.
What is kali 1 (kali ek) scale?
Kali 1 is C♯ (C sharp), the same key as D♭ (D flat): the first black key after C. It is the classic Sa for male khyal singers.
What are the safed scales in English?
Safed 1 to 7 are the white keys from C: safed 1 is C, safed 2 is D, safed 3 is E, safed 4 is F, safed 5 is G, safed 6 is A and safed 7 is B.
Does every teacher count the keys from C?
Most do. Some keep counting into the next octave, so safed 8 is C again and kali 6 is C♯ again. If a number seems odd, ask which key is number 1, or match the key against a tanpura.
Which scale should I sing in?
The one that suits your voice. Find the lowest note you can sing clearly and count five keys up, black keys included. Most men start near kali 1 (C♯) and most women near kali 4 (G♯).