The use of Raman spectroscopy as a characterization tool for individual single wall carbon nanotubes is briefly reviewed. New physical phenomena occurring at the single nanotube level are discussed, with special emphasis given to the use of resonance Raman scattering for the structural determination of (n, m) for individual nanotubes, based on diameter and chirality dependent phenomena associated with the radial breathing mode, the G-band and the G[prime]-band features. Examples are given to show how single nanotube spectroscopy provides insight into the use of Raman spectroscopy for the characterization of nanotube bundles and for the study of new physical phenomena occurring at the single nanotube level.