Music is the harmonious blend of swara, tala and pada. Raga is the combination of musical notes that gives delight to the mind and soul. Every raga elevates mood, emotion and feeling.
Carnatic music has been inspired by Sama Veda to a great extent. There are seven swaras or notes, also called the sapta swaras. They are: shadja, rishaba, gandhara, madhyama, panchama, dhaivatha and nishada. There is a belief that swaras are reputed to have followed the sounds of birds and animals.

For example: S - peacock, R - ox, G - goat, M - krouncha bird, P - cuckoo, D - horse, N - elephant.

Indian music is truly a spiritual aid and the vehicle for the human soul to attain the universal soul ─ the Paramatman. 

A scale is the progressive, step-wise arrangement of notes which, when invoked successively, produces melody. Shadja is the basic or adhara swara; on this note rest the other six notes. Madhyama is the middle note or it is pitch-forked. Panchama denotes the fifth place.  

Sama Veda was generally recited with the accompaniment of flute or veena. Pranavam is the root of sound from the naabhi emanating basic sounds which represent the five faces of Lord Shiva, which are: satyojatham, vaamanam, tatpurusham, eesanam and aghoram.

It is firmly believed that Lord Shiva taught music to his consort Parvathi, his prime sishya, and later on to sages Tumburu, Narada, Nandikeswara and Saraswathi. Each deity of the Hindu religion is associated with  a musical  instrument: damaru of Shiva, flute of Krishna, conch of Vishnu, drum of Nandi, veenas of Saraswathi and Narada; and thambura of Thumburu. 

Lord Buddha conveyed his teachings and messages with music on his parivadini veena, which was made of gold having 21 strings. Sama veda is well known to be rendered in a musical manner.