In the context of
Indian classical music,
Swara is a Sanskrit word that means a note in the octave. The seven basic
swaras of the
scale are named shadja, rishabh, gandhar, madhyam, pancham, dhaivat and nishad, and are shortened to Sa, Ri (
Carnatic) or Re (
Hindustani), Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, and Ni and written S, R, G, M, P, D, N. Collectively these notes are known as the
sargam (the word is an acronym of the consonants of the first four swaras). Sargam is the Indian equivalent to
solfege, a technique for the teaching of
sight-singing. The tone Sa is not associated with any particular
pitch. As in Western moveable-Do solfège, Sa refers to the
tonic of a piece or scale rather than to any particular pitch.