Any key · Pa, Ma or Ni · pure or equal
Online tanpura
Pick your Sa and press Play: four strings plucked in turn round your key note, Pa, Sa, Sa and low Sa, for as long as you practise. The first string can be Ma or Ni instead.
How to use it
- Pick the key of your Sa at the top, then press Play. The strings keep plucking while you sing.
- Choose the first string, Pa, Ma, Ni or none, to suit the raag. Under More, set the pace (Slow, Steady or Quick) and the reference A.
Choosing your Sa
Sa is your home note: a relaxed note low in the middle of your voice, so both the lower notes and the upper Sa are easy. Many men sing with Sa around C to D, many women around G to A sharp. The key control at the top moves it a half step at a time.
Pa, Ma and Ni
The first string is usually Pa, the fifth. For a raag without Pa, such as Malkauns, tune it to Ma, the fourth; some, such as Marwa, use Ni. None leaves it out.
Pure or equal
A tanpura is tuned by ear, so its Pa is a pure fifth, 2 cents wider than a keyboard's. Pure does the same; Equal matches a harmonium or keyboard.
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Questions
What is a tanpura?
The drone of Indian classical music: a long-necked instrument whose strings, usually four, are plucked in turn round the singer's key note, Sa. It plays no melody; it holds the home note so every other note can be measured against it.
How do you practise with a tanpura?
Sing Sa and hold it until it settles into the drone, then Pa, then slow scales, stopping on each note. This daily practice is often called riyaz.
Which key should my Sa be in?
Wherever a relaxed, low-middle note sits in your voice. Set Sa there, then move it a half step at a time until the lower notes and the upper Sa both feel easy.
Why does it sound different from a real tanpura?
A real tanpura's curved bridge, the jawari, gives each string its buzzing, shimmering overtones. This one is synthesized: close enough to sing to, not a recording.
Is a shruti box the same thing?
Close. A shruti box holds its notes steadily with bellows, where a tanpura plucks them in turn. Drone, the other mode here, holds notes like a shruti box.
Can it keep playing while I lock the screen?
It keeps playing in another tab, and the phone's media controls can pause it. On an iPhone, Safari stops a web page's sound when the screen locks, so while it plays it keeps your screen on (switch that off under More).
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