0a.1 Sruti, the drone, and finding your own sa
Set a drone, find the sa your own voice sits on, and hold it steadily against the drone.
Everything in this music is measured against one note you choose and never move. Sa is not a fixed pitch the way middle C is; it is wherever your voice is comfortable, and the drone is what keeps you honest about it. Beginners usually pick a sa that is too high, because a high sa sounds bright for ten minutes and hurts for the rest of the hour.
Work through these
Start a drone at a pitch you can sing comfortably, and leave it running.
The drone sounds sa and pa continuously so that every note you sing has something to be measured against. An electronic sruti box, a phone app or a tanpura all do the same job here.
Tanpura · ReferenceSing sa against the drone and hold it for the length of one comfortable breath.
Holding one note steadily is harder than it sounds and it is the whole skill this sitting builds. If the note wavers or drifts upward, you are pushing; lower the drone rather than fighting it.
Try three or four different pitches for sa and settle on the one your voice keeps.
Your sa is a decision you will live with for months, because every exercise you learn will be learned at it. Pick the pitch where both your lowest and your highest comfortable notes still exist.
Write down which pitch you chose, so tomorrow's sitting starts at the same place.
A sa that moves between sittings makes every exercise feel new, and the muscle memory the varisais are building never accumulates. One line in a notebook prevents that entirely.
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Links last checked 30 Aug 2026.
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