# Learning to Sing — Eastern Classical Vocal, A Beginner's Guide
Sing the **swaras** — *Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni* — the seven notes at the heart of
Eastern classical music. This guide takes you from zero: how the note system works
(saptak, komal/tivra), **SOVT** voice setup, breathing and warm-ups, a daily morning
routine, the full family of **alankars** (sargam drills), the **taals** to sing your
practice against, and ornaments like **meend** (the smooth glide). It's built as a
companion to the madal and tabla guides.
> How to use this repo:
> - **Live site:** https://bikashacharya.com/singing/
> - **Hub:** [`index.html`](index.html) links to [Home: Sangeet Yatra](https://bikashacharya.com/) (piano, guitar, madal, tabla).
> - **Local:** open [`index.html`](index.html) — Theory + Practice cards, then the clustered riyaz path.
> - **Theory (hub):** [`/theory/eastern/`](/theory/eastern/) — foundations (Sound → Path, plus Vādya). Rāga sheets: [`/theory/eastern/raga.html`](/theory/eastern/raga.html). Local [`theory.html`](theory.html) redirects to foundations.
> - **Riyaz path:** Get ready → Practice → Ornaments → Taals → Beyond (SOVT with Get ready). Labs: Tunes, Śrutis, Ear training.
> - **Get ready:** [`ready.html`](ready.html) — Sa, breath, Bilawal, morning warm-ups (`01-basics.md`, `warmups.md`).
> - **Practice:** [`practice.html`](practice.html) — alankars, custom paltas, 4-week plan.
> - **Ornaments:** [`ornaments.html`](ornaments.html) — meend (glides) and volume swells.
> - **SOVT:** [`sovt.html`](sovt.html) / [`sovt.md`](sovt.md) — straw, lip trills, and other semi-occluded voice-setup drills.
> - **Ear training:** [`/tools/ear-training.html`](/tools/ear-training.html) — shared Tools lab (not this room).
> - The Markdown files below hold the same practice content if you prefer plain text.
> - Skim Theory first, then `01-basics.md` (pick Sa + breath) — twin of Get ready → Basics.
> - Do the morning routine in `warmups.md` daily (with a few minutes of SOVT from [`sovt.html`](sovt.html) / `sovt.md`).
> - Work through `alankars.md` (the sargam drills). When you want rhythm, open [`taals.html`](taals.html). After the 4-week plan, open [`beyond.html`](beyond.html).
> - Bookmark `resources.md` for videos, apps and reading.
## Contents
| File | What's inside |
|------|---------------|
| [`index.html`](index.html) | **Landing** — Theory / Practice entry + clustered riyaz path |
| [`theory.html`](theory.html) | **Redirect** → hub [`/theory/eastern/`](/theory/eastern/) (canonical foundations; rāga companion is [`raga.html`](/theory/eastern/raga.html)) |
| [`theory.md`](theory.md) | Pointer stub — use hub theory (this file may still hold an older mirror) |
| [`srutis.html`](srutis.html) / [`srutis.md`](srutis.md) | **Optional depth** — 22 śrutis deep dive; hear ratios from your Sa |
| [`ready.html`](ready.html) | **Get ready** — Sa, breath, Bilawal, morning warm-ups |
| [`practice.html`](practice.html) | **Practice** — alankars / paltas, custom pad, 4-week plan |
| [`ornaments.html`](ornaments.html) | **Ornaments** — meend (glides) and volume swells |
| [`sovt.html`](sovt.html) / [`sovt.md`](sovt.md) | **SOVT** — straw phonation and the full “can’t find a straw?” drill list (m, n, ng, v, z, lip/tongue trill, cup) |
| [`taals.html`](taals.html) | **Taals companion** — Teentaal & friends with tabla theka (not part of the daily vocal routine) |
| [`beyond.html`](beyond.html) / [`beyond.md`](beyond.md) | **Beyond week 4** — ornaments, then thaat, raag, bandish, next-path checklist |
| [`tunes.html`](tunes.html) / [`tunes.md`](tunes.md) | **Make your own tunes** — composer with rests and durations (not on the numbered home path) |
| [`samples/harmonium/`](samples/harmonium/) | Real reed harmonium (donyaquick / cabled_mess CC0) + tonejs backup (CC BY 3.0) — see `CREDITS.md` |
| [`samples/tanpura/`](samples/tanpura/) | Optional CC0 loops (unused by the continuous synth drone) — see `CREDITS.md` |
| [`samples/tabla/`](samples/tabla/) | Tabla one-shots copied from the [tabla](https://github.com/Zither-Labs/tabla-site) guide (dio_333 / Sonic Pi) — see `CREDITS.md` |
| [`01-basics.md`](01-basics.md) | Practice twin of §1 Basics — choose Sa, sing Bilawal, belly breathing; full note system points to Theory |
| [`warmups.md`](warmups.md) | The **daily morning routine** (humming → vowels → sargam → octaves) plus **meend** glides |
| [`alankars.md`](alankars.md) | The **alankars / paltas** — 1–18 plus how to **make your own** (interactive note pad on the site) |
| [`beats.md`](beats.md) | Markdown for the **taals** page — cycles, theka, singing sargam through them |
| [`practice-plan.md`](practice-plan.md) | A 4-week starter schedule |
| [`resources.md`](resources.md) | Curated YouTube channels, websites, apps and books |
> Note: `practice.html` and the practice Markdown files are kept in sync — the same swaras,
> alankars, taals and notation appear in both. Canonical theory is on the hub
> (`/theory/eastern/`); `theory.html` redirects. `srutis.html` mirrors `srutis.md`.
> `sovt.html` mirrors `sovt.md`. `tunes.html` mirrors `tunes.md`.
## Notation used in this guide
Swaras are written with their **sung names**. Accidental and octave marks:
| Mark | Meaning | Example |
|------|---------|---------|
| plain name | shuddha (natural), middle octave | Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni |
| lowercase + underline | **komal** (flat) | re ga dha ni |
| vertical stroke above | **tivra** (sharp) — only Ma | Ma |
| **dot below** | *mandra* (low octave) | Sạ |
| **dot above** | *taar* (high octave) | Sȧ |
- **Sa** and **Pa** never change — they're the two fixed anchors (*achal swar*).
- The **major scale (Bilawal thaat)** is all natural notes: Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sȧ.
Sing everything **slowly first, in tune, against the drone**. Beauty of tone
and pitch accuracy come before speed — always.