Swarlipi

A practice app that speaks Hindustani

Swarlipi is a free iPhone app for Hindustani classical music students, made by Montreal tabla player and developer Emon Dhar. It is a notebook for writing sargam notation, keeping the notes and voice recordings from every lesson, and hearing a composition played back on harmonium samples.

Download on the App Store

Free · Requires iOS 26.2

A composition titled Albela Sajan Aayo Ree in a grid of sargam swars with bols written beneath each beat, above a notation keyboard offering S, R, G, M, P, D, N, rest, meend and splitA circular time dial reading 8:00 PM, night, six ragas, with Yaman marked evening at eight swars and Puriya marked night at seven swars listed below itA class entry headed Monday with the note welcome, your first session, explore Bhairav, and one composition below it called Bhairav Palta 1 tagged Teentaal and BhairavAn ear-training round labelled level 7, Nishad, three of eight, asking which swar was that, with a replay button reading three left and swar buttons for Sa through taar Sa

What Swarlipi does

  • A keyboard that knows sargam

    Tap for shuddha swars, hold for komal and tivra and for all three octaves. The app knows which notes belong to the raga you are writing in, and shows you only those.

  • Hear what you wrote

    Compositions play back on real harmonium samples at whatever tempo you set. Notation you cannot hear is notation you cannot check.

  • A notebook per class

    Every session gets a date, your written notes and voice recordings, so what your guru actually said is still there next week.

  • Ragas by the hour

    A time wheel showing which ragas belong to which hours, the way the tradition intends. Drag the dial to explore, or open it and see what fits right now.

  • Ear training on your own Sa

    A pitch game plays a swar and asks you to name it, with your Sa and your difficulty. Twenty ragas ship with full aroha, avaroha, vadi and samvadi.

  • Syncs, and stays yours

    Notes sync across your devices over iCloud. Nothing is stored on anyone else's server, and every feature is free with no limits and no ads.

Specifications

App Store name
Swarlipi: Sargam Diary
Price
Free
Platform
iPhone, iOS 26.2 or later
Size
41.2 MB
Category
Music, Education
Released
1 September 2026
Ragas
20, with aroha, avaroha, vadi and samvadi
Taals
Teentaal, Ektaal, Jhaptaal, Rupak, Dadra, Keherwa
Sync
iCloud, private to your devices
Language
English
Age rating
4+
Developer
Emon Dhar, Montreal

Frequently asked questions

What is Swarlipi?

Swarlipi is a free iPhone app for Hindustani classical music students, built by Montreal tabla player and developer Emon Dhar. It is a notebook for writing sargam notation, keeping class notes and voice recordings, and playing compositions back on harmonium samples.

Is Swarlipi free?

Yes. Swarlipi is free on the App Store, with every feature included, no limits, no ads and no subscription.

Which ragas and taals does Swarlipi include?

Swarlipi ships twenty ragas, each with its aroha, avaroha, vadi, samvadi and time of day, and six taals — Teentaal, Ektaal, Jhaptaal, Rupak, Dadra and Keherwa.

Can Swarlipi play back what I write?

Yes. Swarlipi plays a written composition on real harmonium samples at a tempo you choose, so you can hear whether the notation matches what you were taught.

Where does Swarlipi store my notes?

Swarlipi syncs your notes, recordings and compositions across your own devices through iCloud. Nothing is stored on anyone else's server.

Does Swarlipi work on Android?

Not yet. Swarlipi is an iPhone app today; the Android build is next, and the testers on the beta list get it first.

What does Swarlipi require to run?

Swarlipi runs on iPhone with iOS 26.2 or later and is a 41.2 MB download.

Who made Swarlipi?

Swarlipi was made by Emon Dhar, a tabla player and software developer in Montreal, who built it as the notebook he wanted while learning in class.