Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c11.s1.t3.9

v2.c11.s1.t3.9

Indian classical music has gradually developed into seven tones and 12 melodies based on three pitches of Vedas chant, thereby forming distinct “Raga” and “Tala” system. As early as hundreds of years ago, when the Europeans used Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La and Si as the musical scales, Indian people had already introduced the “Shadja”, “Rishabha”, “Gandhara”, “Madhyama”, “Panchama”, “Dhaivada” and “Nishada” as the names of seven tones and called them Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni, respectively, for short.