The Only Music With No Audience.
Kirtan is built on a simple structure: one voice calls, everyone answers. Nobody is watching, because everybody is singing.
That structure is why kirtan spreads so easily across languages and cultures. You do not need to know the words in advance, read music, or have any confidence in your voice — you only need to listen and repeat. Within a few rounds most people forget to be self-conscious, which is precisely the point of the practice.
Leading it, however, is a real skill. The person calling has to hold the melody steady, choose when to raise the energy and when to let it settle, manage the tempo as a group speeds up, and read the room continuously. Done well it feels effortless; done poorly the whole thing falls apart within minutes.
This course teaches both sides. You will learn a working repertoire of bhajans and chants with correct pronunciation and meaning, the accompaniment on harmonium and kartal, and the practical craft of leading a group from beginning to end.
“The leader's job is not to sing best. It is to make everyone else brave enough to sing.”
Teaching principle at Rishikesh Music Class
