Glossary · glossary · 1 min read

Swara

स्वर; also spelled svara

A swara is a musical note in Indian music. The seven basic swaras are Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni.

By SJN, Founder, BeatRootRaga · Reviewed by BRR · Last reviewed 27 Sept 2026

What does swara mean?

A swara is a musical note in Indian music. There are seven basic swaras: Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni.

These names are short forms. Sa means Shadja, Re means Rishabha, and Ga means Gandhara. Ma is Madhyama, Pa is Panchama, Dha is Dhaivata, and Ni is Nishada.

Five of the seven swaras have two forms: natural and lowered, or natural and raised. A swara is not a fixed pitch. The singer chooses Sa, the home note. Every swara is measured from that chosen Sa.

This is a short definition. For the full explanation, read BeatRootRaga’s Sa Re Ga Ma: sargam explained for beginners. Sargam means singing or writing melodies with these note syllables.

An example of swara and where to read more

In Raga Kirwani, the swaras, or musical notes in Indian music, are written like this:

Sa Re ga Ma Pa dha Ni

Notice ga and dha. The lowercase letters mark the lowered forms of Ga and Dha in this example.

These note names do not stand for fixed pitches. Each swara is measured from Sa, the home note chosen by the singer. Read ga and dha as lowered notes within that relationship to Sa.

For more on reading and singing these syllables, follow the BeatRootRaga teaching page. It gives the full explanation, including how to recognise natural, lowered and raised forms.

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.