About BeatRootRaga
BeatRootRaga is an independent music label and audio technology platform from India. We release independent music, build free audio tools for musicians, and publish practical guides to Indian music and music production.
The label
BeatRootRaga records and releases ghazals, Indian classical pieces, Malayalam and Hindi acoustic covers and indie originals. Every release has its own page with the video, the credits for every singer, composer, lyricist and arranger, and links to where it streams. The label credits people by name only when a credit has been confirmed with them.
The tools
The free audio tools on this site grew out of the label's own work: mastering singles for streaming, separating reference tracks so singers can practise, converting and cutting files for rehearsal, and a tuner and metronome that speak sargam and taal. The converter, cutter, tuner, BPM finder and metronome run entirely in your browser and upload nothing. Mastering and stem separation run on our servers and you keep every right to your recordings.
The guides
The Learn section explains ragas, taals, ghazal form, film-song structure and the language of Indian music in plain words, alongside practical mastering, mixing and releasing guides. The guides are written by John and each one is reviewed by BRR, the group of musicians who record with the label, before it is published. Facts are traced to the sources listed at the foot of each guide.
Who is behind it
A small team in India: the musicians who record for the label and the people who build the site. We do not publish individual names or photographs at the moment. The label's YouTube channel and Instagram carry the releases and the day-to-day work.
Working with us
Independent musicians from anywhere in India, in any Indian language, and from the wider world, can send an unreleased track through the Submit music page. Questions about the tools, the guides or a release go through the contact page.
Featured releases
All releases
Latest guides
All guidesTaal for beginners: teentaal, keherwa and dadra with clap patterns
A taal is a repeating rhythmic cycle: count 16 beats for teentaal, eight for keherwa, and six for dadra. For teentaal, clap on 1, 5 and 13, wave on 9; for keherwa, clap on 1, wave on 5; for dadra, clap on 1, wave on 4.
Raga Yaman (Kalyani)
Yaman is a seven-note Hindustani raga, a melodic framework, with a raised fourth; Kalyani shares its scale but uses different phrasing and ornaments. Traditionally associated with evening, Yaman can sound serene or devotional; hear its character through Ni Re Ga, starting below Sa, the home note.
What is a raga? A plain-language guide for listeners
A raga is a melodic framework in Indian classical music for creating pieces and inventing melody during performance. Listen for four things: which notes appear, how the melody moves, where the musician lingers, and which short phrases return.
Raga Kirwani (Keeravani)
Kirwani is a raga, a musical framework, using C D Eb F G Ab B when Sa, its home note, is C. Heard in concerts, light classical music and film scores, it often suggests longing; listen for Ab rising to B, then C.
Raga Charukeshi (Charukesi)
Charukeshi comes from Carnatic music and uses Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, lowered Dha and lowered Ni. Heard in concerts, light music and film scores, its bittersweet character is clearest in the descent from lowered Ni through lowered Dha to Pa.
Raga Bhoop (Mohanam)
Bhoop, or Bhoopali, is a raga (melodic framework) using Sa, Re, Ga, Pa and Dha; Mohanam shares its notes, but uses Carnatic phrasing and ornaments. An evening raga with a calm, devotional mood, Bhoop is often taught early; hear its character through Ga Re Sa and Dha Pa Ga.
Questions people ask
What is BeatRootRaga?
An independent music label and audio technology platform from India. It releases ghazals, Indian classical, acoustic covers and indie originals, builds free browser-based audio tools, and publishes guides to Indian music and music production.
Where is BeatRootRaga based?
In India. The label records with musicians in Bangalore and elsewhere in the country, and releases worldwide through Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music and Amazon Music.
Is BeatRootRaga the same as Beatroot Records or beatroot.com?
No. BeatRootRaga is a separate, independent label from India with no connection to Beatroot Records, beatroot.com or any other company with a similar name.
Who writes the BeatRootRaga guides?
John writes them from the label's own recording, mixing and mastering work. BRR, the group of musicians around the label, reviews each guide before it is published.
Are the BeatRootRaga tools free?
Yes. The converters, cutter, tuner, BPM finder and metronome run in your browser with no account. Mastering and stem separation are free too; an account keeps the results in your dashboard.