Seven tones, ornaments and harmonium

Indian music is based on the disciplined use of tones and rhythms. The group of seven vowels is called octave. The Indian music octave has seven tones-

Sa (Shadaj), Re (Rishabh), G (Gandhar), Ma (Medium), Pa (Pancham), Dha (Dhaivat), Ni (Nishad)

Of course

Sa, re, c, m, padh, ni

Sa and Pa are considered to be immovable vowels. While other tones may have more forms. Like ‘ray’ can be sung as ‘gentle ray’ which is different from pure ray. Similarly, 'g', 'dh' and 'ni' also have soft forms. Similarly ‘pure m’ is sung differently as ‘sharp m’.

The vocal octave that the singer or musician basically uses when singing or playing is called the middle octave. Exactly the same tone is called Saptak, when it is sung from below it is called Mandra, and when it is sung from above it is called Tar Saptak. By putting a dot under the mantra vowels, they are called mantra. And the tones of the string octave are shown as a string octave by putting a dot at the top. Similarly, tones can also be sung in Ati Mandra and Atitar Saptak.

Namely- ध⁇ ि सा रे ग म पध नि सां रें गं ...

The new student of music is first asked to make a sound by various use of the seven tones of the pure vowel octave. These are called vowel ornaments.

Let’s look at some ornaments

1) Sa Re Ga Ma Pad Ni Saan (Ascension)
सं निध प म ग रे सा (अवरोह)

(Here the last string is of octave, so a dot is placed above this string)

Thus when the tones are sung from bottom to top in the octave it is called ascension. And while singing from top to bottom, the tones are said to be sung in descending order.

See some more ornaments-

2) Sasa rere gag mum pop dhadh nini saansa.
Sasana nini dhadh pop mum gag rere sasa.

3) Sareg, Regam, Gamp, Mapadha, Padhani, Dhanisa.
Sannidh, Nidhap, Dhapam, Pamag, Magare, Garesa.

4) Saare, reg, gum, mup, padh, dhani, nisan.
Sanni, Nidh, Dhap, Pum, Mug, Gare, Resa.

5) Saregampa, Regamapadha, Gampadhani, Mapadhanisa.
Sannidhapam, Nidhapamag, Dhapmagare Pamagresa.

6) Saresareg, Regaregam, Gamagampa, Mpampadha, Padhapadhani, Dhanidhanisa.
Sannisannidha, Nidhanidhapa, Dhapadhapam, Pampamag, Magamagare, Garegaresa.

7) Saregasaregasaresagaresa, regamaregamaregaremagare, gampapagampagamagapmag, mapadhampadhampadhapam, padhanipadhanipadhapanidhap, dhanisandhanisandhanidhasannidha, nisanrenisanrennisannirensanni,

संरेंगंसांरेंगंसांरेंसांगंरेंसां, निसांरेनिसांरेनिसांनिरांसांनि, धनिसांधनिसांधनिधसांनिध, पधनिपधनिपधपनिधप, मपधमपधमपमधपम, गमपगमपगमगपमग, रेगमरेगमरेगरेमगरे, सारेगसरे.