Carnatic Swaras as Piano Intervals: The Melakarta Raga Finger Drill

The swara challenge keeps Sa and Pa fixed, combines the three Ri and three Ga swaras into six valid pairs, pairs each with either shuddha or prati Ma for 12 permutations, and plays each as a Sa-Ri-Ga-Ma-Pa-Ma-Ga-Ri-Sa five-finger drill on the piano.

Video lesson by Jason Zac · Intermediate · 19 min

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What this lesson teaches

This lesson from Jason Zac at Nathaniel School of Music turns the swaras of Carnatic music into a five-finger piano exercise he calls the swara challenge. It draws on the 72 melakarta ragas, the seven-note scales that use the same notes going up and coming down. You do not need to know all the theory of the melakarta system. You only need to understand how the swaras map onto Western intervals, and then work through every combination under your fingers.

It suits pianists who are comfortable with basic five-finger positions and want an exercise that trains finger independence, note awareness and the ear at the same time.

The fixed notes: Sa and Pa

The lesson is in D. Sa, the root, is always D and Pa, the perfect fifth, is always A. Place D under the left-hand pinky and the right-hand thumb.

The two Ma options

Ma, the fourth, can be one of two notes:

• Shuddha Ma: the perfect fourth, G.
• Prati Ma: the augmented fourth or sharp four, G#. This is also the tritone or Lydian fourth.

The three Ri swaras

• R1: minor second (flat two), Eb.
• R2: major second, E.
• R3: augmented second (sharp two), spelled E#. It sounds like F, but it functions as a second.

The three Ga swaras

• G1: diminished third, spelled Fb. It sounds like E, but it functions as a third when the flat two is already in use.
• G2: minor third, F.
• G3: major third, F#.

Some of these share a key. R2 and G1 are the same key (E), and R3 and G2 are the same key (F), so these pairs cannot be used together. That leaves six Ri-Ga combinations:

1. R1 G1: D Eb Fb
2. R1 G2: D Eb F
3. R1 G3: D Eb F#
4. R2 G2: D E F
5. R2 G3: D E F#
6. R3 G3: D E# F#

Each of these six can go with either Ma. That gives 12 permutations, with Sa and Pa staying the same throughout.

The drill

Play each permutation up and down with one finger per note: Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Ma Ga Ri Sa, or fingers 1 2 3 4 5 4 3 2 1. The sixth and seventh swaras are left for a later lesson.

1. Start with the six combinations using shuddha Ma (G). Begin with R1 G1, then R1 G2 and R1 G3. Anything with a flat two has a Middle Eastern colour, and the flat two with a flat three can also sound Spanish.
2. Move Ri to E (R2). Now only two Ga options remain: F, which gives the minor sound, and F#, which gives the major sound.
3. Finish with R3 G3, the augmented second with the major third.
4. Repeat all six with prati Ma (G#).

Notice the tight clusters, such as R1 with G1 and R3 with G3. These force your fingers into unusual shapes, so let your wrist support the movement.

How to practise

Begin by simply going up and down each pattern. The real challenge is to play all 12 in a row without stopping. Once that feels secure, try these ideas from the lesson:

• Play both hands together.
• Build chords from each scale.
• Keep the right hand on the drill while the left hand plays a drum-like groove.
• Rearrange the right-hand notes into thirds or groups of three, or play notes together.

The exercise tests your fingers, ear, rhythm and theory all at once. Whatever names you use, whether sargam or do-re-mi, the logic of the intervals stays the same.

Questions about this lesson

Why are there only six Ri and Ga combinations instead of nine?

R2 (E) is the same key as G1 (Fb), and R3 (E#) is the same key as G2 (F), so those pairs cannot be used together. Removing those overlaps leaves six unique combinations.

Why call a note E# or Fb instead of F or E?

The spelling shows the note's job in the scale. E# works as an augmented second, a type of Ri, while Fb works as a diminished third, a type of Ga, even though they sound the same as F and E.

How many permutations does the swara challenge have?

There are 12. Six Ri-Ga combinations are each played with shuddha Ma (G) and with prati Ma (G#), while Sa and Pa stay fixed.

Which fingering is used for the drill?

It is a five-finger pattern, 1 2 3 4 5 4 3 2 1, covering Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa and back down. Start with D under the left pinky and the right thumb.

Practise it

• Melakarta SphereNavigate a three-dimensional map of the melakarta system.
• Solfa StudioPractise scales, solfège and swaras with visual and musical context.
• Piano classes at Nathaniel School of MusicLive online or in Bangalore, with a teacher.
• All free music apps40 practice tools for harmony, rhythm, ear training and more.

Related lessons

• 5 Finger Piano Exercises for Beginners That Sound BeautifulPlace your right thumb on C and your pinky on G. Then play four drills: up and down, in thirds, in triplet groups and in two-note pairs, all over a steady left-hand pulse. Next, change the second, third and fourth notes to turn the same drills into minor, dreamy or flamenco-like music.
• How to Creatively Practise Thirds Over Piano ScalesTo practise thirds over a piano scale, write the scale in a circle, pair each note with the scale note two steps above it (E with G#, F# with A, and so on in E major), then play those pairs up, down, or in mixed directions to build both technique and melody.
• Laufey's From the Start: An Intervallic Breakdown of Its Richer ChordsIn Laufey's From the Start (key of Db major), each melody note can be heard three ways: as a scale degree of the root Db, as an interval from neighbouring notes, and as a chord tone, so the same F is the 3rd of Db, the 9th of Ebm9 and the 13th of Ab13.
• Ear Training: The Sounds of Intervals (How to Identify Them Fast)To identify an interval by ear, ask whether it sounds resolved (perfect fifth, major third, minor third), dissonant (minor second, diminished fifth, major seventh) or like it wants to move somewhere (major second, perfect fourth, minor seventh), with the sixths sounding mysterious and versatile.