In this lesson, we will discuss about swar/notes. To learn any language, we first learn its alphabet. Eg to learn English, we first learn a, b, c, d, etc. Then we learn how to create words, then how to create sentences, then paragraphs, then we become capable of creating stories/novels. In music, there are 12 notes. You might have heard there are 7 notes in music. You are right in a sense. There are 7 natural notes. In the Indian music system, they are called Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni. There are other notes as well, called Komal swar (flat notes) and Teevra swar (sharp note). To understand music, we should understand the sequence of all 12 notes. Before this, let's get familiar with the full forms of all 7 natural notes.

1. Sa - Shadja
2. Re - Rishabh
3. Ga - Gandhar
4. Ma - Madhyam
5. Pa - Pancham
6. Dha - Dhaivat
7. Ni - Nishad

In music, the first note and most important note is Sa (Shadja). The sequence of 12 notes is:

1. Sa
2. Komal Re
3. Shuddha Re
4. Komal Ga
5. Shuddha Ga
6. Shuddha Ma
7. Teevra Ma
8. Pa
9. Komal Dha
10. Shuddha Dha
11. Komal Ni
12. Shuddha Ni

You can see the sequence of these 12 notes in any instrument such as a harmonium or a keyboard.