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Guides written by musicians, with recordings you can hear: ragas and taals, ghazal and film-song forms, Indian instruments, and the practical side of recording, mixing and mastering.
Indian music
All indian music articlesexplainer · 7 min
Sa Re Ga Ma: sargam explained for beginners
Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni are Indian music’s seven basic notes; sargam means singing or writing melodies with these syllables. To read and sing sargam, choose your home Sa, follow the note names and octave marks, and recognise the natural, lowered and raised forms.
explainer · 6 min
Mukhda and antara: how a film song is built
In a typical Hindi film song, the mukhda is the returning opening section, while an antara is a verse with new words and melody. This pattern comes from Hindustani classical music; listen for the verse climbing higher, then leading back to the opening tune.
explainer · 7 min
Krishna flute music: what bansuri meditation music is and how to listen to it
Krishna flute music usually means music on the bansuri, North India's bamboo flute, named for its association with Krishna in Hindu stories. In a slow piece, listen for held notes, slides and returns to Sa, the home note, against the drone, a steady reference sound.
explainer · 6 min
Jaun Elia: the poet behind Kitne Aish Se Rahte Honge
Jaun Elia was an Urdu poet whose speakers argue with themselves and mock their own grief. Hear his words in BeatRootRaga’s Kitne Aish Se Rahte Honge, composed by Alap Desai and sung by Gayatri Asokan.
explainer · 4 min
Charanam meaning: what a charanam is and how it differs from the pallavi
A charanam is the concluding section of a composed song in Carnatic (South Indian classical) music, usually bringing new words and a fresh melody. The pallavi is the opening section that returns as a refrain, while the charanam develops something new before leading back to it.
explainer · 7 min
Bansuri: the bamboo flute explained
The bansuri is North India's side-blown flute, made from one hollow, seasoned length of bamboo with a blowing hole and six or seven finger holes. Fingers and breath change its notes without keys; listen for slides between notes, breath-shaped phrases and returns to Sa, the home note.
Ragas
All ragas articlesreference · 6 min
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.
explainer · 7 min
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.
reference · 5 min
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.
reference · 5 min
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.
reference · 5 min
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.
explainer · 8 min
Thaat and melakarta explained
A thaat in Hindustani music and a melakarta in Carnatic music are seven-note parent scales used to organise ragas, the melodic frameworks musicians perform. Hindustani music uses 10 practical categories, while Carnatic music uses 72 allowed scale combinations; these help identify note relationships, not a raga’s phrases or character.
Taals
All taals articlesexplainer · 7 min
Taal 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.
reference · 4 min
Teentaal: the 16-beat cycle of Hindustani music
Teentaal is a 16-beat Hindustani rhythmic cycle counted in four groups of four, with claps on 1, 5 and 13, and a wave on 9. Its theka, or basic tabla stroke pattern, is dha dhin dhin dha | dha dhin dhin dha | dha tin tin ta | ta dhin dhin dha.
reference · 4 min
Rupak: the 7-beat taal that starts on khali
Rupak is a taal, or repeating rhythmic cycle, with seven beats grouped 3 + 2 + 2. Its opening closed strokes make sam, the first beat, sound light; this beat is khali, marked by a wave, rather than tali, marked by a clap.
reference · 4 min
Keherwa: the 8-beat taal of film songs, bhajans and folk
Keherwa is an eight-beat taal, or repeating rhythmic cycle, arranged as 4 + 4. To recognise it, listen for two groups of four, a lighter second half, and the recurring drum pattern: dha ge na ti | na ka dhin na.
reference · 3 min
Jhaptaal: the 10-beat taal
Jhaptaal is a taal, a repeating rhythmic cycle, with ten beats. Its four vibhags, or divisions, follow 2 + 3 + 2 + 3, alternating two-beat and three-beat groups.
reference · 4 min
Ektaal: the 12-beat taal of khayal
Ektaal is a twelve-beat taal, or repeating rhythmic cycle, divided into six two-beat sections called vibhags. Its stretched beats let the tabla player elaborate the stroke pattern in vilambit (slow-tempo) bada khayal, the slow opening composition of a khayal performance.
Glossary
Open the glossary90 Indian music terms, each defined in a sentence and explained in a paragraph: Vikrit swara, Varnam, Vakra, Tivra, Tillana, Thaat, Tarana, Swarasthana and more.
Mastering
All mastering articlesexplainer · 4 min
What is Audio Mastering?
Everything you need to know about audio mastering: from basic concepts to professional techniques used by industry engineers.
reference · 5 min
Mastering for Spotify: loudness, true peak and what normalization does
Master to Spotify’s recommendation of about -14 LUFS (loudness units relative to full scale) across the track, with reconstructed signal peaks below -1 dBTP (decibels true peak). Loudness normalization, playback adjustment toward a similar level, turns louder masters down and raises quieter ones only as far as their peaks allow.
explainer · 5 min
Peak limiting explained: true peak, ceilings and how not to squash a master
A peak limiter turns down peaks above its ceiling, the output limit you set, so raising the input can increase overall level. Set the ceiling below digital full scale to allow for true peak, the estimated reconstructed waveform peak between samples, and overshoot from lossy encoding.
tutorial · 7 min
Mastering vocal-led acoustic Indian tracks
Aim around minus 14 LUFS, a unit measuring loudness, with true peak, the maximum reconstructed signal level, at or below minus 1 dBTP (decibels true peak). Use gentle processing and preserve dynamic range, the contrast between quiet and loud passages, to keep the voice forward, the drone steady and vocal ornaments expressive.
tutorial · 3 min
Hip-Hop Mastering Guide
Master the art of hip-hop audio mastering with aggressive compression, sub-bass enhancement, and commercial loudness standards that make your tracks stand out on streaming platforms.
comparison · 4 min
Online vs Studio Mastering
Complete comparison of online AI mastering vs traditional studio mastering. Understand the costs, quality, speed, and creative control of each approach.
Mixing
All mixing articlestutorial · 7 min
Tuning to shruti: using a tanpura drone in a mix
Set the project’s pitch from the singer’s shruti, their chosen Sa or home note, after checking the song’s lowest and highest phrases. Tune the tanpura, a plucked instrument providing a drone or continuous pitch reference, to that Sa and keep it beneath the voice throughout.
tutorial · 2 min
How to Mix Vocals
Transform raw recordings into polished, professional vocals using industry-standard techniques for EQ, compression, and spatial effects.
tutorial · 8 min
Female version covers: how to arrange, record and release one
For a cover, a new performance of an existing song, fit the melody to your voice, rebuild the backing, and record full vocal takes. Before uploading to YouTube or streaming platforms, check cover rights, credit the original writers, and follow your distributor’s cover-song process.
comparison · 1 min
Mixing vs. Mastering
Every professional track goes through two distinct stages: Mixing (balancing the ingredients) and Mastering (polishing the presentation). Here's how to know which one needs your attention.
Releasing music
All releasing music articlesAI prompts for music
All ai prompts for music articlestutorial · 6 min
Suno prompt for an Indian classical meditation track
Ask Suno for an evening instrumental in Yaman, a raga (melodic framework), with bansuri (bamboo flute) over tanpura (a continuously plucked drone instrument). Specify an alap (a slow, unmetered opening) and tivra Ma (the raised fourth), then check the result rather than trusting the label.
tutorial · 6 min
Suno prompt for a bansuri and tabla instrumental
Name bansuri (North Indian bamboo transverse flute), tabla (paired hand drums), genre, tempo, mood and taal (repeating rhythm cycle) in your Suno prompt. For example, request a calm North Indian instrumental in teentaal (16 beats in four groups of four) at around 90 beats per minute.
tutorial · 7 min
ChatGPT prompt for a composition brief in raga Yaman
For a Yaman piece, give ChatGPT your voice or instrument, tempo and mood. Ask for a one-page composition brief covering allowed notes, identifying phrases, teentaal (a 16-beat rhythmic cycle) and form, with numbered items you can check.
tutorial · 5 min
ChatGPT prompt for a playlist pitch: Spotify editors and independent curators
Ask ChatGPT for an editorial pitch, a note for Spotify’s playlist team, and two sentences for a curator, someone who runs an independent playlist. Supply confirmed release facts, and ban invented artist comparisons, unsupported praise, and claims about streams or press.
tutorial · 5 min
ChatGPT prompt for an artist bio: independent Indian musicians
Ask ChatGPT for a 120-word artist bio, a short profile description, using only your supplied facts. Tell it to open with your voice or instrument, genre and city, then check every sentence against your fact list.