Harmonium
Play every swara from your own Sa. Each key names its note, so you learn the scale while you play.
Sing along with the harmonium
Start with the daily warm-up, or pick one exercise. The harmonium plays it, and you sing with it or after it.
Press start, then sing
Your microphone is only used to hear the note. Nothing is recorded or sent anywhere. Headphones help, so it hears only your voice.
At least one reed stays on.
Hindustani: lower case is komal (flat), Ma' is tivra. Do Re Mi: Ra, Me, Le and Te are lowered, Fi is raised. A dot above a name is the upper octave, below is the lower.
All twelve swaras with Sa on C
Equal-tempered positions, which is how a harmonium is tuned. Sung Indian intervals often sit slightly away from these, so use your ear as the final judge.
- SaCS · 0 st
- Komal ReC♯R1 · 1 st
- Shuddha ReDR2 / G1 · 2 st
- Komal GaD♯G2 / R3 · 3 st
- Shuddha GaEG3 · 4 st
- Shuddha MaFM1 · 5 st
- Tivra MaF♯M2 · 6 st
- PaGP · 7 st
- Komal DhaG♯D1 · 8 st
- Shuddha DhaAD2 / N1 · 9 st
- Komal NiA♯N2 / D3 · 10 st
- Shuddha NiBN3 · 11 st
Practising with the harmonium
Set Sa to the note that sits comfortably in your voice, turn on Sustain and hold Sa while you sing it back. Then walk up Sa Re Ga Ma Pa slowly, matching each key before moving on. Add the Bass reed for a fuller sound under your voice.
The harmonium sound is generated live in your browser, with no recordings or downloads. For a constant Sa to sing against, switch on the tanpura above or open the full tanpura. The pitch trainer shows your voice live against every swara.
Singing tips
- Warm up firstHum Sa softly with the tanpura for a minute before fast patterns or songs.
- Breathe lowBreathe into your belly, not your chest. Your shoulders stay relaxed and still.
- Sit or stand tallBack straight, chin level and jaw loose. A slumped body squeezes the voice.
- Start softSing at a comfortable, medium volume. Loud isn't better, and soft singing builds control.
- Slow is the skillKeep each exercise slow until every note is right on, then try the next speed.
- Listen backRecord yourself on your phone once a week. You'll hear things you miss while singing.
- Look after your voiceSip room-temperature water, and rest if your throat feels scratchy or tired.
- Same time every dayTen minutes daily, at the same time, does more than one long session a week.
Questions
Is the harmonium free?
Yes. No sign up, nothing to install. It runs right in your browser, on a computer or a phone.
What do Safed 1 and Kali 2 mean?
It's how many singers name the keys. White keys are Safed 1 to 7 from C, and black keys are Kali 1 to 5. If your teacher says your Sa is Kali 2, choose C♯ as your Sa and every key is labelled for you.
How does Sing and see work?
It listens through your microphone, finds the pitch of your voice and shows the nearest swara for your Sa. The needle shows if you're a little flat or sharp. Sing one clear note at a time, somewhere quiet.
What do single and double reeds mean?
A single reed plays one note per key. Switch on the Bass reed to add one an octave lower, for the fuller sound of a real harmonium with its coupler on.
Can I use it with headphones?
Yes, and it's better for Sing and see, because the microphone then hears only your voice and not the harmonium.