Reading and singing tunes in swaras

Carnatic musicians learn melodies by singing them in swara names. You can do the same with a simple tune you already know. It shows how swara notation works, how it stays the same when Sa moves, and how the guitar translates it.

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• Write a simple tune in swara notation relative to Sa.
• Play it on the guitar from Sa = A and from Sa = E.
• Explain why the fret pattern is the same when Sa changes.

Carnatic musicians learn melodies by singing them in swara names. Writing a tune in swaras describes it by relationships to Sa, not by fixed pitches. That is why the same notation works for any singer, in any Sa.

As an exercise, take a tune you know well and write it in swaras. The seven pitches used here are Sa, Ri2, Ga3, Ma1, Pa, Da2 and Ni3, the set Carnatic musicians know as the scale of the raga Sankarabharanam. We use it only as a convenient set for notation practice: a raga is much more than its set of notes, as you saw earlier.

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star in swaras:

• S S P P D D P
• M M G G R R S

With Sa = A on the 5th string, S is fret 0, R2 fret 2, G3 fret 4, M1 fret 5, P fret 7 and D2 fret 9.

Moving Sa. If you change Sa to E (the open 6th string), the swaras are in the same places on that string: S fret 0, R2 fret 2, and so on. The fret numbers do not change, only the string. That is the real meaning of "relative to Sa": the tune moves as a whole.

Singing first. Hold Sa as a reference and sing the swara names. The notation becomes music only when it is sung.

Sing, then play, then move Sa.

1. Play the open A string and hum along until you can hold Sa.
2. Sing "S S P P D D P" slowly on the swara names, keeping Sa in your ear. Then "M M G G R R S".
3. Play it on the 5th string using the tab, singing as you play.
4. Change Sa to E (open 6th string) and play it again, using the same fret numbers. Notice that the tune sounds the same, a fifth lower.

Try writing your own short tune, for example a four-note phrase, in swaras. Check it by singing it first.

Do these in order. Each one is small. Tick the ones you have practised.

• 1.Sing it in swaras

  4 min

  1. Learn the tune in the lesson as swara names: S S P P D D P, M M G G R R S.
  2. Sing it slowly to the swara names with a steady pulse.
  3. Sing Sa and hold it as a reference first, so your pitch is anchored.

  You have it when

  • You can sing the tune with the swara names without hesitation.
  I practised this one

• 2.Play it from Sa = A

  4 min · 40 → 60 BPM

  1. On the 5th string with Sa = A (open string): S is fret 0, R2 fret 2, G3 fret 4, M1 fret 5, P fret 7, D2 fret 9.
  2. Play the tune using the tab in the lesson, one note per click.
  3. Sing the swara names while you play.

  You have it when

  • You play and sing the tune together and in tune.
  I practised this one

• 3.Move Sa

  4 min · 40 → 60 BPM

  1. Choose Sa = E: the open 6th string.
  2. Play the tune again using the same fret numbers, now on the 6th string.
  3. Sing it from the new Sa. Notice that nothing changed in the relationships.

  You have it when

  • You can play and sing the tune from two different Sas.
  I practised this one

40 to 60 BPM, one swara per click. Sing first, then play. A steady pulse matters more than speed.

• Treating the swara names as note names tied to a pitch. S is whichever pitch you choose. The names describe relationships, so moving Sa moves the whole tune.
• Playing without singing. Singing the names is the point. It ties the notation to your ear.
• Assuming this is Carnatic performance. This is an exercise in the notation. The tune is Western, using the pitch set known in Carnatic music as the scale of Sankarabharanam. Ragas have far more to them.

Once swara notation is comfortable, you can write down any melody you can sing and play it from a Sa that suits your voice or instrument. That is how you will approach learning phrases from Carnatic recordings.

Short version (10 minutes)

Sing the tune in swaras three times, then play it once from Sa = A.

Standard version (about 30 minutes)

Do all three exercises, then write a different simple tune you know in swaras and play it.

• Swara notation describes relationships to Sa, not fixed pitches.
• Moving Sa moves the whole tune with the same fret pattern on one string.
• Sing the names as you play.
• This is notation practice, not a raga performance.

You are ready to move on when you can honestly say:

• I can write a simple tune in swaras.
• I can play it from two different Sas.
• I can explain that the swara names stay the same when Sa changes.