Harmonium Notes
A complete chart of all harmonium notes mapping the Indian Sargamsystem (Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni) to Western note names (C D E F G A B). Whether you're a beginner learning your first raga or an experienced player brushing up on theory, this guide covers every note on the keyboard.
The 7 natural harmonium notes
Every harmonium keyboard is built on 7 natural notes called Shuddha Swar in Indian music theory. These correspond directly to the white keys and map one-to-one with Western note names.
| Sargam Note | Full Name | Western Note | Key Color | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sa | Shadja | C | White | Tonic — the root of every scale |
| Re | Rishabha | D | White | Second degree |
| Ga | Gandhara | E | White | Third degree |
| Ma | Madhyama | F | White | Fourth degree |
| Pa | Panchama | G | White | Fifth — always fixed, never altered |
| Dha | Dhaivata | A | White | Sixth degree |
| Ni | Nishada | B | White | Seventh degree |
Key point: In Indian music, Sa and Pa are achala swar (immovable notes) — they are never altered with flats or sharps. The remaining five notes (Re, Ga, Ma, Dha, Ni) can be modified, giving rise to the komal and tivra variations explained below.
Komal & Tivra notes on harmonium
Beyond the 7 natural notes, the harmonium keyboard has 5 altered notes called Vikrit Swar. These are played on the black keys and are essential for playing different ragas.
Komal (Flat) Notes
Komal Re
Lowered Rishabha — a semitone below Re
Komal Ga
Lowered Gandhara — a semitone below Ga
Komal Dha
Lowered Dhaivata — a semitone below Dha
Komal Ni
Lowered Nishada — a semitone below Ni
Tivra (Sharp) Note
Tivra Ma
Sharpened Madhyama — a semitone above Ma
Why only one Tivra? In Indian music theory, only Ma has a sharpened (tivra) form. The other four altered notes are all flatted (komal). This asymmetry reflects the unique acoustical intervals that define raga structures.
Full 12-note harmonium chart
All 12 harmonium notes in chromatic order within one octave. This is the complete set of notes available on the keyboard — 7 white keys and 5 black keys.
| # | Western | Sargam | Type | Key | Semitones from Sa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | Sa | Shuddha | White | 0 |
| 2 | C♯ / D♭ | Komal Re | Komal | Black | 1 |
| 3 | D | Re | Shuddha | White | 2 |
| 4 | D♯ / E♭ | Komal Ga | Komal | Black | 3 |
| 5 | E | Ga | Shuddha | White | 4 |
| 6 | F | Ma | Shuddha | White | 5 |
| 7 | F♯ / G♭ | Tivra Ma | Tivra | Black | 6 |
| 8 | G | Pa | Shuddha | White | 7 |
| 9 | G♯ / A♭ | Komal Dha | Komal | Black | 8 |
| 10 | A | Dha | Shuddha | White | 9 |
| 11 | A♯ / B♭ | Komal Ni | Komal | Black | 10 |
| 12 | B | Ni | Shuddha | White | 11 |
The 10 Thaat scales on harmonium
In Hindustani classical music, all ragas derive from 10 parent scales called Thaat, classified by Pandit Bhatkhande in the early 20th century. Each Thaat uses exactly 7 of the 12 harmonium notes.
| Thaat | Notes (Sargam) | Western Equivalent | Famous Raga |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bilawal | Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni | C Major / Ionian | Alhaiya Bilawal |
| Khamaj | Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni♭ | Mixolydian | Khamaj, Des |
| Kafi | Sa Re Ga♭ Ma Pa Dha Ni♭ | Dorian | Kafi, Bhimpalasi |
| Asavari | Sa Re Ga♭ Ma Pa Dha♭ Ni♭ | Aeolian / Natural Minor | Asavari, Darbari |
| Bhairavi | Sa Re♭ Ga♭ Ma Pa Dha♭ Ni♭ | Phrygian | Bhairavi |
| Bhairav | Sa Re♭ Ga Ma Pa Dha♭ Ni | Double Harmonic Major | Bhairav |
| Kalyan | Sa Re Ga Ma♯ Pa Dha Ni | Lydian | Yaman, Shuddha Kalyan |
| Marwa | Sa Re♭ Ga Ma♯ Pa Dha Ni | — | Marwa |
| Poorvi | Sa Re♭ Ga Ma♯ Pa Dha♭ Ni | — | Poorvi, Puriya Dhanashri |
| Todi | Sa Re♭ Ga♭ Ma♯ Pa Dha♭ Ni | — | Miyan ki Todi |
Beginner tip: Start with Bilawal Thaat (all natural notes — equivalent to the C Major scale). Once comfortable, explore Khamaj and Kalyan, which differ by only one note each.
How to read harmonium notes
Understanding harmonium notation is essential for reading song sheets, learning ragas, and communicating with other musicians. Here's how the Sargam notation system works.
Octave Markers
A dot below a note (e.g., Ṡa) means play it in the lower octave (Mandra Saptak). A dot above means the upper octave (Taar Saptak). No dot indicates the middle octave (Madhya Saptak).
Komal Indicators
A line below the note letter (e.g., Re) indicates a komal (flat) version. Without the line, the note is shuddha (natural). Tivra Ma is often written with a vertical stroke or accent mark.
Duration & Rhythm
Notes written with spaces have equal duration. A dash (—) extends the previous note. Notes grouped under a bracket are played faster within one beat.
Notation Example
Ascending Scale (Aaroh)
Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa'
Descending Scale (Avroh)
Sa' Ni Dha Pa Ma Ga Re Sa
With Komal Notes
Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa'
Underlined notes are komal (flat) — Bhairavi Thaat
6 tips for learning harmonium notes
Whether you're using a physical harmonium or our free online harmonium, these strategies will help you memorize and internalize the notes faster.
Start with Sa-Pa-Sa
Practice the tonic (Sa) and fifth (Pa) relationship first. This interval is the foundation of harmonium music and will train your ear for relative pitch.
Sing While You Play
Vocalize each Sargam syllable as you press the key. This connects your voice, ear, and muscle memory simultaneously — the traditional Indian method of learning.
One Thaat Per Week
Master one scale before moving to the next. Spend a full week on Bilawal, then move to Khamaj. Rushing through scales leads to shallow knowledge.
Practice in Both Directions
Always practice ascending (Aaroh) and descending (Avroh) patterns. Many beginners can play upward but struggle coming back down.
Use the Transpose Feature
Try playing the same pattern starting from different keys. This develops your understanding of intervals rather than fixed positions on the keyboard.
Listen Before Playing
Before practicing a new raga, listen to recordings by masters like Pandit Jasraj or Ustad Rashid Khan. Internal hearing comes before external reproduction.
Practice these harmonium notes — for free
Open our free web harmonium and apply what you've learned. The on-screen keyboard shows both Sargam and Western note labels so you can practice instantly.
Play Harmonium OnlineHarmonium notes — frequently asked questions
How many notes does a harmonium have?
A standard harmonium has 12 unique notes per octave — 7 natural (white) keys and 5 sharp/flat (black) keys. Most physical harmoniums span 3 to 3.5 octaves, giving you 36–42 keys total. Our web harmonium extends this to 10 octaves (128 notes) for maximum range.
What is the difference between Sargam and Western notes?
Sargam (Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni) is the Indian solfège system, while Western notation uses letter names (C D E F G A B). Both represent the same 7 natural notes. The key difference: Sa is a moveable tonic — it can be set to any key — whereas C always refers to a fixed pitch in Western music at approximately 261.63 Hz.
What are komal and tivra notes on a harmonium?
Komal (flat) notes are lowered by a semitone: Komal Re, Komal Ga, Komal Dha, and Komal Ni. Tivra (sharp) applies only to Ma — Tivra Ma is raised by a semitone. These 5 altered notes correspond to the black keys on a harmonium keyboard and are essential for playing different ragas and Thaats.
Can I learn harmonium notes online for free?
Yes. Our free web harmonium displays both Sargam and Western note labels on the virtual keyboard. You can practice scales, ragas, and note recognition directly in your browser — no downloads, accounts, or subscriptions required.
Which harmonium notes are used in the most common ragas?
The most beginner-friendly ragas use mostly natural (shuddha) notes. Raga Bhupali uses only Sa, Re, Ga, Pa, Dha — five notes with no komal or tivra variants. Raga Yaman (Kalyan Thaat) uses all seven notes with Tivra Ma as the only alteration. Start with these before progressing to ragas with multiple komal notes.
How do I transpose harmonium notes to a different key?
Transposing shifts all notes by the same interval. For example, if Sa = C and you transpose to D, every note moves up 2 semitones: Re becomes E, Ga becomes F♯, and so on. Our web harmonium has a built-in transpose control that handles this automatically — just select your desired key and the labels update in real time.