Common questions

Getting started

▸Do I need to know music theory to use Karunattu?

No. Start with the tuner and the 30-second instrument quiz. Karunattu meets you wherever you are — complete beginner or concert performer.

▸Do I need a real instrument?

No. The free tools (tuner, metronome, gamaka lab, encyclopedia) work without any instrument. To practice one of the five Carnatic instruments you'll eventually want one — start with a budget veṇu (₹400–800) if you don't already have one.

▸Will Karunattu teach me from zero?

Yes. The Śiṣya (free) tier covers Śarali, Janta, Dhaṭṭu, Alankara — the four foundational exercise families every Carnatic student starts with. Sādhaka (Plus) adds voice coach and gamaka training.

▸I already have a guru. Is Karunattu a replacement?

No. Karunattu is practice between lessons — the feedback loop that turns your weekly class into measurable daily progress. Most serious students use both.

Musicology + correctness

Want the full breakdown of what's machine-verified vs. hand-authored? Read "How we verify" →

▸Why 22 śrutis and not 12 semitones?

Because Carnatic music is not 12-tone equal temperament. The two-octave scale has 22 microtonal positions, and ragas use specific śruti positions that 12-TET cannot reproduce. Karunattu models the actual 22-śruti grid with just-intonation ratios from Sangeet Parijat (Ahobala, c.1665).

▸What are gamakas?

Ornaments — the oscillating, sliding, and grace-note figures between svaras that give Carnatic music its characteristic voice. Karunattu's Gamaka Lab covers 26 ornament types: 17 are attested in Saṅgīta Ratnākara or the Saṅgīta Sampradāya Pradarśinī's daśavidha set (labeled as such), and 9 are clearly marked "Contemporary" pedagogical terms rather than classical-text names. Isolate each one, adjust its depth and speed, and practice against a reference.

▸Why does the tuner show cents and not just pitch?

Because 'in tune' for Carnatic music is raga-aware. The plain tuner uses the nearest keyboard semitone only as a familiar landmark, so you can quickly see flat or sharp drift. In rāga practice, Karunattu grades against the selected swara's 22-śruti position, including the rāga-specific shades that 12-TET cannot represent.

▸Where do the musicology citations come from?

Primary sources: Sangeet Parijat (Ahobala, c.1665), Sangita Sampradaya Pradarshini (Subbaraya Shastri, 1904), Sambamoorthy's South Indian Music, and the standard published references for exponents and instrument dates. The engine layer (mela combinatorics, tāla arithmetic, śruti cents) is machine-verified; hand-authored repertoire carries an explicit verified/unverified flag rather than a blanket claim — see "How we verify" for the full breakdown.

Account + privacy

▸Do you store my audio?

No. Audio is processed per frame on the server for pitch detection and immediately discarded. We don't have a recording feature and we don't keep your microphone stream.

▸What data do you keep?

Your email, password hash, practice progress (which exercises you've done and your accuracy stats), and subscription status. That's it.

▸Can I delete my account?

Yes. Settings → Account → Delete. This is irreversible and removes all your practice data within 30 days.

▸Is my practice data shared?

Never. Practice data is private to your account. Aggregate, fully-anonymized stats may inform future product decisions but cannot be traced to you.

Pricing + cancellation

▸Is there a free tier?

Yes — Śiṣya is free forever and includes the tuner, metronome, gamaka lab, encyclopedia, and the four foundational exercise families.

▸Can I cancel any time?

Yes. Cancel from your account page. Your access continues through the end of the billing period.

▸Refund policy?

Web subscriptions are in the waitlist phase (live-site audit 2026-07-26 / P0-3). The standard 7-day refund window will apply from launch — billing@karunattu.com.