An uncluttered online tanpura for daily riyaz. Set your tonic and listen to a repeating four-string drone—without installing an app.
Tap Start to hear the drone. Choose a comfortable Sa before singing.
Your choices are remembered in this browser. Nothing needs to be uploaded.
Tap a string to hear its reference note.
By default the first string uses Pa, followed by middle Sa, middle Sa and low Sa. Select Ma or Ni when your practice calls for a different first string.
Real recorded string samples: The drone uses real CC0 recorded tanpura-string plucks from a Swar Sangam instrument, retuned to your selected Sa. It is not yet musician-verified concert-tanpura audio. Extreme pitch shifts change the timbre. On some phones, audio may pause when the screen locks. Recording credits.
Sa is your chosen tonic. You can set it to any of the twelve Western pitch classes and select an octave that suits your vocal register.
Traditional tanpuras usually use a fifth (Pa) below the main Sa on their first string. Some ragas use Ma or Ni instead. The other strings continue sounding Sa.
No. A tanpura is a plucked-string drone instrument. A shruti box sustains reed tones. This preview plays scheduled acoustic string recordings; a separate shruti-box sound needs separate implementation.
Background audio varies by browser and phone operating system. Keep the page open and your device awake during practice for more reliable playback.