Hearing before playing
Indian music is learnt by ear: a teacher sings a phrase, and the student plays it back. Ear training is that, one swara at a time. Meend plays a swara over the tanpura, and you find it on your flute; when you play it, Meend hears whether you found it, and lights the answer.
Step by step
Begin with Sa and Pa, the two every other swara is heard against. Then add Ga; then five swaras, Sa Re Ga Pa Dha; then the seven shuddh swaras; and at last all twelve, the komal and tivra ones too. Or choose a raag, and train on its own swaras. When single swaras are easy, it plays two in a row, then a short phrase. It keeps your run, how many you have found in a row, and your best.
Free on iPhone and Android, with a tanpura in your Sa to train against, and every raag's swaras to learn by ear.
