Shruti (music)

Traditional The shruti or śruti [ɕrʊtɪ] is the smallest interval of pitch that the human ear can detect and a singer or musical instrument can produce.

[1][2] The concept is found in ancient and medieval Sanskrit texts such as the Natya Shastra, the Dattilam, the Brihaddeshi, and the Sangita Ratnakara.

[12] Some scientific evidence shows that these intermediate tones perceived in the contemporary rendition of a raga do not hint at the existence of 22 shrutis.

Lack of appreciation of this difference has led to many scientists to opine that because of the meend and the oscillating notes, it is hard to determine the exact numerical frequencies.

The "understanding" and "learning" part is the natural fact that on 22 specific points on a string, the perception of notes changes.

'"[21] There are 12 universally identifiable musical notes (pitch classes of the chromatic scale or Swara-prakara) in an octave.

In contrast, connecting nadas are played faster than this limit, which prevents the human ear from identifying them.

Many ancient Sanskrit and Tamil works refer to the 22 shrutis as the foundation of the Indian Music Scale.

[22] The system of 72 basic types of singing or playing scales (thaļas) evolved with specific mathematical combinations of the universal 12 pitch classes.

[22] Some suggest that the best way to find the exact positions of shrutis is by analyzing the frequencies players use in actual performances.