Vadi (music)

Vadi, in both Hindustani classical music and Carnatic music, is the dominant swara (musical note) of a given raga (musical scale). "Vadi is the most sonant or most important note of a Raga." It does not refer to the most played note but it rather refers to a note of special significance. It is usually the swara which is repeated the greatest number of times, and often it is the swara on which the singer can pause for a significant time. Vadi swara in a raga is like a king in a kingdom. Specialty of any raga depends on vadi swara and because of this, the vadi swara is also called the Jeeva swara or the Ansha swara. A good artist uses vadi swara in different ways like singing vadi swara again and again, starting a raga with vadi swara, to end a raga with vadi swara, singing vadi swara many times in important places with different swaras or sometime singing vadi swara for a longer time in one breath.
Vadi swara is also helpful to identify the time of singing...