A free, continuous tanpura drone you can practise with in the browser. Choose your Sa, octave and scale, then dial the jivari slider down for a steady shruti-box tone or up for the shimmering buzz of a real tanpura.
Continuous tanpura
C#3
Pa — Sa Sa Sa̱ · Sa = 138.6 Hz
Pa
Sa
Sa
Sa̱
All four strings sound together as one unbroken drone — change scale or pitch anytime.
Sa (pitch)
Octave
Scale
How to use the tanpura
- Pick your Sa — vocalists often use C# or D, bansuri players often C or E.
- Choose an octave: Low for male vocalists and bass instruments, Mid for most use.
- Choose the scale: Pa for most ragas, Ma for ragas without Pa such as Malkauns, Ni for ragas with a strong Ni, or pure Sa for a neutral bed.
- Start the drone and tune to it before you begin your riyaz.
Questions about the tanpura
- What is a tanpura?
- A tanpura is a long-necked Indian string instrument with four (sometimes five) strings that are plucked continuously to create a sustained harmonic drone. It does not play melody — it establishes the tonic (Sa) and the harmonic bed that a raga is sung or played over.
- What is the difference between a tanpura and a shruti box?
- Both provide a reference drone. A shruti box is a bellows-driven reed instrument with a steady, organ-like tone, while a tanpura's plucked strings produce a shimmering overtone-rich sound called jivari. This online tool can do both: lower the jivari slider for a shruti-box-like steady drone, raise it for a tanpura's buzzing shimmer.
- Which tanpura scale should I choose?
- Pa tuning (Pa Sa Sa Sa̱) suits most ragas. Ma tuning is used for ragas that omit Pa, such as Malkauns. Ni tuning suits ragas with a strong Ni. Pure Sa tuning gives a neutral tonic bed for any instrument.
- Is this online tanpura free?
- Yes. The tanpura, shruti box drone and metronome on GrooveLab are free, need no sign-up, and run entirely in your browser using Web Audio — no samples to download.
Practising rhythm too? Use the GrooveLab metronome alongside the drone, or explore the learning paths.