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Jivari app iconJivari

Swara ear training over Sa.

by Vyntel, in development

Jivari teaches you to name the twelve swaras of Hindustani music by ear. A drone sets Sa, one swara plays, you name it, and it resolves to Sa. Sa changes on every question, so you learn each swara by its distance from Sa.

Platforms
iOS
Category
Music education
Price
Levels 1 to 4 free; the Full ladder is one payment
Jivari on iPhone after a wrong answer in a pair drill, with buttons for Re and Pa and the line: That was Pa. You chose Re.
A wrong answer in a pair drill, captured from the development build in the iOS simulator.

Sa changes on every question

A swara is a distance from Sa, and that distance is what a singer has to hear. Jivari moves Sa on every question, so the pitch itself never becomes the cue. A new swara is heard with its name first, then drilled against its partner, komal Ni against Ni or tivra Ma against Ma, then mixed with the rest.

Synthesized and kept on the phone

Every sound is synthesized on the device in just intonation, with equal temperament as a switch for those who practise with a harmonium. There are no recordings. Each answer is kept in a log on the phone; there is no account, no analytics and no advertising, and the app makes no network connections of its own.

What it does today

  • Listen first, then name. Each new swara is played with its name and resolves to Sa before you are asked to name it.
  • Feedback you hear. After a wrong answer the swara you chose resolves to Sa, then the one that played, then the question plays again. The text names both swaras.
  • Pair drills. Komal and tivra swaras are drilled against their partners before they join the mix, and so is any pair you keep confusing.
  • Numbers from your own answers. Accuracy and median answer time for each swara over its last 30 answers, and the rule for the next level in plain words: 85% over 30 answers, under 2.5 seconds.
  • Tuning in cents. Just intonation by default and equal temperament as an option, with both tables in cents above Sa. Sa is set by harmonium key, and each swara can sound for 0.8, 2 or 5 seconds.
  • Bhatkhande notation. Swaras are set in Tiro Devanagari Hindi with the komal line, the tivra stroke and the saptak dots.

Questions people ask

What is free?
Levels 1 to 4, through the seven Bilawal swaras, and every setting. The Full ladder, levels 5 to 12 with the komal and tivra swaras, is one payment: ₹999 in India, $14.99 in the US and Apple’s regional price elsewhere. There is no subscription, and Family Sharing is on.
Is the sound recorded?
No. Every sound, the drone included, is synthesized on the phone as it plays.
Does anything leave my phone?
No. Your answers stay on the device, and Jivari makes no network connections of its own. Purchases go through the App Store.
When can I download it?
Jivari is in development and not yet on the App Store. It comes to iPhone first; the Android version follows once Vyntel’s Google Play developer account is verified. Email hello@vyntel.com to hear when it is out.

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