Glossary · glossary · 1 min read
Mandra, madhya and taar saptak
मंद्र, मध्य, तार; the three octaves
A saptak is an octave, named relative to the singer’s Sa, the home or reference note. Mandra is the lower octave, madhya the middle octave, and taar the upper octave.
By John, Music lover from Bangalore · Reviewed by BRR · Last reviewed 29 Sept 2026
What mandra, madhya and taar saptak mean
A saptak is an octave. Indian music names three octaves relative to the singer’s Sa, the home or reference note. These names tell you where a note sits: in the lower, middle or upper octave.
- Madhya saptak is the middle octave. Most of a composition lies here, so think of it as the centre of these three ranges.
- Mandra saptak is the lower octave, one octave below madhya.
- Taar saptak is the upper octave, one octave above madhya.
Where you hear and see the three octaves
In an alap, an opening exploration of the melody, listen for low notes in mandra, the lower octave. Follow the line as it rises through madhya, the middle octave, and touches taar Sa, the upper Sa. This gives you a listening example of movement across the three octaves.
Most of a composition lies in madhya saptak. Listen for that middle octave as the melody’s main area, rather than expecting it to spend equal time in all three octaves.
Keep going
- 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.