a type of musical sound that is a single note, but which is not of a defined frequency. Instead, a swara defines a relative (higher or lower) position of a note. There are seven swaras, sa ri ga ma pa da ni which correspond to Western do re mi fa so la ti, respectively. sa and pa are the drone notes that play in the background and are invariable but the other swaras have multiple forms. The swaras are sung by name in improvisations and in forms such as varnams

The notes, or swaras, of Indian music are Shadjam, Rishabham, Gandharam, Madhyamam, Panchamam, Dhaivatam and Nishadam. Collectively these notes are known as the sargam, the Indian solfege. In singing, these become Sa, Ri(Carnatic) or Re(Hindustani), Ga, Ma, Pa, Da(Carnatic) or Dha(Hindustani), and Ni. ("Sargam" stands for "Sa-R(i,e)-Ga-M(a)").