Frequently Asked Questions

I want to get better and singing, how do I start
You have landed up with right app! First thing you do is to select your "Sa" and start singing.

What is my ideal setup.
Your ideal setup is a good headphone with a microphone. Apple airPod is an excellent choice. Many other choices exist. The key is to practice in a relatively noise-free environment.
If the phone receives other sound signals the sur-accuracy determination suffers. 

What is the first step I need
The very first step is to select your "Sa", also known as "Base Sur" and select your Music Type.
For most male singers, start with "Base Sur" or "Sa" of K1 or C#; for most female singers start with "Base Sur" of K4 or G#. Don't worry, if it is too low or too high it is easy to change in future.
Next step is to choose your Music Type. If you are a classical singer select Classical, else select Karaoke (which is same as light music). If you don't know, or are unsure, just select "Karaoke"

How can I change my Sa, and why should I change it
If you can hit upper Ga easily then stick to your Sa. If you have trouble then lower it. If you can hit upper Ga, Ma or Pa easily then your Sa is too low, go to the upper Sa.
In general the tribal knowledge says that practicing in lower Sur will be better.

Why do you have "Music Type"? What should I select and why
If you are unsure, just select "Kareoke". So why do we have this? It suffices to say that Classical Singers use what is known as "Gandhar Tuning", whereas light music singers use "Tempered Tuning". We have both, so make your choice. Again, if not sure, go with Karaoke

Ok, I selected Music Type and my Base Sur (AKA Sa), what next.
You can either practice your notes with real time feedback, or you can go and sing along the pre-made Alankars. Let us take each separately. 

How do I practice my Sur
You will see three tabs at the bottom. "Sur Practice", "Sargams" and "Settings". Tap on "Sur Practice " tab. This is the screen where you will spend time practicing and perfecting your Sur. Click on each sur, you will hear the correct sur, try singing it as you hear. On-line feedback mechanism will tell you how far off you are, or not. Try Shuddha Swars to begin with. Take your time on each note. You are going to do this every day, slowly but surely your Sureelapan will improve.
Remember to sing each Sur for as long as you can; at least 10 seconds or more. This will improve the Sureelapan, and also allow the RiyaazPal to give you accurate information about possible corrections. Your goal should be to sing each note so that it shows green for at least 5 seconds continuously; more the better. 

Should I concentrate on lower octave, or try higher octave as I practice my Sur
The lower octave is an age-old recommendations. They say, "the lower you practice, the higher you can go". So start with Sa, and then gradually go down to lower P. Back to Sa, you can start ascending the octave slowly. Without rushing, do as much as possible. There is no need to traverse every Sur every day, as long as you do enough practice in the lower octave. 

What do you mean by Mandra, Madhya and Taar Saptak, also known as lower, middle and upper octaves
From your Sa, all the lower notes are in Mandra Saptak (i.e. lower octave). Your starting Sa to the Shuddha Ni (just before upper Sa) is the Madhya Saptak (i.e. middle octave). Your upper Sa onwards is the Taar Saptak (i.e. upper octave)

How do I practice Sargams
You will see three tabs at the bottom. "Sur Practice", "Sargams" and "Settings". Tap on "Sargams" tab. Here you will find a rich set of pre-created Sargams for you. There are standard Sur Alankars, such as SRG, RGM, GMP etc. You will find several pre-created Alankars. In addition, we have grouped them in convenient lessons. You will find five lessons, Lesson1 through Lesson 5, which are lessons with increasing complexity.
Try Lesson 1. Don't be in a rush, first listen to the entire Sargam as it plays out for you, and when it repeats start singing it. 
Once you have some familiarity, try other Alankars. 

What are the controls at the bottom of the Sargams screen
You will see rewind, pause and speed adjustment controls at the bottom. Normally the default is good enough for you, but you can choose to speed up or slow down. If you want to adjust speed, we recommend lower speed as opposed to higher. 

What is the unique "Grouping" on the Sargams page
The Sargams, or Alankars have a logical patter. For example, the "threes" Alankar is SRG, RGM, GMP. The "fours" is SRGM, RGMP, GMPD etc.  We have added a unique feature that displays the grouping  and the sequence below the scale. It is immensely helpful to understand the structure. 

Why should I practice Alankars every day.
Your Alankars is basis for singing. Even a small amount of daily Alankar practice will do wonders. Confidence level goes up, you can hit notes easily, you can concentrate on other aspects of singing such as singing words, playing with taal/lay etc. Just 5 minutes every day will change things.

How do I make sure my Sa is accurate
Use the feedback mechanism on the Sur Practice page.  Try to remain in Green for 15 consecutive seconds. 

What should be my daily routine
First rule is simple. You have to practice on every day that ends in "Y".
We suggest 10 minutes per day, minimum. Spend 5 minutes practicing your Sur accuracy, and 5 minutes with a set of Alankars. 

What type of singer am I?
You will know if you are a classical singer or not. If you are not a classical singer, then just choose “Karaoke”. 

Why do you want to know if I am a Karaoke Singer or Classical SInger?
Without getting into gory details (leave that part to us), the note placement is different. Ever so slightly of course, but it is different. Classical singers will readily tell you that it is called “Gandhar Tuning”. But don’t worry about it, we will handle the details. 

How often should I do the riyaaz?

Very simple. Every day. But note that it should not become a chore. You should enjoy it. We would say, 10 minutes is sufficient, and if you want to do more you are most welcome. 

My Sur is not stable, what should do?
Take a deep breath and sing naturally. If you are off then try to correct yourself slowly. Patience is the key. Nothing may happen for a few weeks, and suddenly, you will get it. The progress is always nonlinear. 

Should I sing upper notes or lower notes to begin with?
Always go for lower notes first. If you hit them then you will hit upper notes. The longer you hold the lower notes (in Sur of course), the better your voice sounds in all octaves. 

How do I use the Sur Practice Tab to get Sureelapan

How do I use the Sargams Tab

Does this application replace my Guru?
The RiyaazPal is designed as an aid to your Guru, it is not intended to replace your Guru.