The Language of Music

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The Language of Music is a foundational course to prepare you for Art of Kirtan’s harmonium, mridanga, and kartal courses. It also gives you the language to understand all of our future music course offerings.

The course is divided into three main parts: rhythm, melody, and harmony. These are the basic elements of music. Gaining this fundamental understanding makes it much easier to learn both singing and musical instruments.

Instructors: Bada Haridas & Visvambhar Sheth
Level: All levels
Videos: 29 (4h 30m)
Price: $100 USD

Rhythm

The information about rhythm is especially important, not only for playing mridanga and kartals, but also for harmonium and singing. In this course you’ll learn the underlying rhythmic structure and how all the musical parts fit together.

Melody

In the section on melody, you’ll get an understanding of pitches, intervals, scales, and how to play any melody and scale in any key. You’ll also learn about the relationship between the North Indian system of music and the Western system.

Understanding these two systems, and how they complement one another, is very helpful when playing instruments. The North Indian system gives us an easy way to understand and identify the notes we are hearing, and the Western system gives us an easy way to apply it to the harmonium or any instrument.

You’ll learn how to use the North Indian system as a tool to play by ear, transpose melodies, and more. This information will also give you a solid foundation for understanding raga.

Harmony

In the section on harmony, you’ll learn to hear the natural harmonies within melody. You’ll understand the basics of chords, chord inversions, and how to add chords to a melody.

It’s exciting to have the language of music open up the world of rhythm, melody, and harmony to you, and it will assist you on your journey with kirtan.

Frequently asked questions

Who is The Language of Music course for?

This course is especially for Kirtan singers and musicians. From it you will get a practical understanding of the essential elements of music—so you can sing, play, and lead kirtan with confidence.

Is this course suitable for beginners?

Yes. All concepts are explained simply and build progressively.

Why is this course important for kirtaniyas?

By understanding music’s fundamental principles, you’ll be able to easily play by ear, transpose melodies, stay in rhythm and recognize scales, ragas, melodies and harmonies in kirtan.

Why learn both Western and North Indian music systems?

North Indian music helps you hear relationships between notes (Sa, Re, Ga), scale types and opens the world of raga.

Western music provides structure for playing scales, melodies and chords in different keys.

Together, they allow you to play by ear and transpose easily.

What is “Sa” in North Indian music?

“Sa” is the home note or root. Finding Sa helps you identify the scale and structure of any melody.

What are vikrit notes?

Vikrit (altered) notes are notes that are sharp or flat, similar to Western accidentals.

What does it mean to find “Sa” in a melody?

It means identifying the tonal center of the melody. Once you know Sa, you can identify all other notes by their relationship to Sa.

Why is finding Sa important?

It allows you to recognize scales, understand melodies by ear, and transpose melodies to suit different vocal rages.

What is Murchana?

Murchana means shifting Sa to another note within a scale, creating a new relative scale. It is an important concept for Kirtan singers to understand and hear. Using murchana enables you to transition smoothly between different melodies and it opens up a world of expressive possibilities.

Why learn transposition?

To easily shift any melody into a key that fits your vocal range or that of other singers.

What are enharmonic spellings?

Notes that sound the same but have different names (e.g., F# and Gb). Understanding them helps you read chords and keys correctly.

Why study rhythm?

Rhythm ties all instruments and voices together. Whether singing, playing harmonium, mridanga, or kartals, understanding and feeling rhythm is essential.

Why learn multiple taals?

Different kirtans use different rhythmic cycles. Knowing taals helps you accompany any melody or kirtan leader.

Why study vocal range?

Knowing vocal range helps you choose the right key for leading kirtan, keeping the melody comfortable for both male and female voices.

How do I receive the course completion certificate?

Complete all lessons and mark each as finished.

Is there a final test?

No exam—your progress through the course is your demonstration of completion.

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Testimonials

"Hari Bol! So happy this is happening! Deep love and reverence to all involved in this initiative. I’m almost through the Language of Music course and that has been extremely helpful. The mridanga course is thorough and challenging. It’s awesome! My wife is taking the harmonium course. Best kirtan training I have come across. Congratulations to you and the team!”

NARADA, YOGAVILLE TEACHER, VIRGINIA, USA

“So happy this school is happening – we’re taking every course!”

Art of Kirtan student

"Many thanks for this work “art of kirtan!" I really enjoy the harmonium lessons and they deepen my previous kirtan experiences. The Kartal course is also very helpful! Thank you all for this commitment and the high quality."

BEA, SWITZERLAND

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meet your instructor

A lifelong musician, Bada Haridas has studied and taught Indian devotional music since 1975. He is a celebrated Kirtan singer and performs at festivals around the world.
In this unique course, he shares his knowledge and years of experience to help you enter into the world of sacred music and Kirtan.

meet your instructor

An internationally recognized Kirtan-singer, recording artist, and inspirational speaker, Visvambhar (Vish) has a lifelong connection to India and its culture. Being brought up in a Kirtan family and community, he began leading Kirtan when he was five years old. Vish has a rare capacity to invoke and transmit the essence of kirtan.

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