Question

Short note on swara in indian music100 words.

Answer 1

Swara (or sur) in Indian music are the basic musical notes. There are seven of them and they are called sapta swara. They are also called octaves.  They are together called sargam.  They form part of Hindustani and Carnatic music.

They are :  Sa, Re (Ri) , Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni.
The long names and their meanings of the swaras are :
  Sa: Shadaja : sound made by a peacock 
  Re: Rishabha : sound made by a cow
          This swara is written and pronounced as Ri in Carnatic music.

  Ga: Gandhara : bleating sound by a goat
  Ma :  Madhyama : sound made by a heron

  Pa :  Panchama :  sound made by a nightingale or cuckoo, kokila
  dha: Dhaivata : sound made by a horse
   Ni : Nishada : trumpeting sound made by an elephant.

   Thus the swaras are gathered from the nature from the sounds made by birds and animals.

A raga is a combination or sequence of swaras with some swaras repeating many times or some swaras being omitted. Thus swaras are the fundamental building blocks of Indian music.

The swaras are sung in ascending or descending tone and with high or low level. The duration of the swara is also variable and is dependent on the raga.

Swaras are mentioned in the Natya Shastra written in BCE. They are mentioned in Samaveda also.