Beginner Harmonium & Mantra Course
Welcome to my Beginner Harmonium & Mantra course! This course is designed to provide foundational knowledge for playing the harmonium and chanting mantras. You’ll be introduced to the harmonium, learn basic music theory like fingerings and chord structure, practice vocal warmups and breathing techniques for singers, learn simple chants and incorporate the spiritual element of Bhakti. This course is open to all practitioners!
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Welcome!
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Section 1: Breathing for singers & vocalizing
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Section 2: Get to know the harmonium
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Learning the parts of your instrument
Learn how to take care of your instrument, how to identify the different parts of the instrument; the bellows, keyboard and the stops and the different sounds they make.
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Posture when playing
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Learn how to fix common harmonium problems
This video was filmed while I was at the music store in Mumbai where the man who makes the Paloma harmoniums taught me how to fix a stuck key and to fix a reed with a twinge.
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Section 3: Basic Music Theory
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Keyboard 101
Learn the white and black keys and their notation, find middle C on the keyboard, learn octaves, and the difference between sharps and flats.
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Learning the hand fingerings
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Major scales, half steps & whole steps
Major scale pattern: W W ½ W W W ½
half step: smallest distance between two notes (on keyboard moves one key over e.g. C- C#)
whole step: equal to two half steps (on keyboard it skips a key e.g. C-D)
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Major Chords
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Minor scales
minor scale pattern: W ½ W W ½ W W
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Minor chords
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Chord inversions
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Section 4: Mantras
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Chanting om
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Om mani padme hum
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Context of Om mani padre hum
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Om gam ganapataye namaha
Om gam ganapataye namaha
Ganesha sharanam
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Myth of Ganesha- context of om gam ganapataye namaha
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Shiva Shambo
Shiva Shambo
Maha deva shambo
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Myth of Shiva- context of Shiva Shambo
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Radhe Govinda
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Myth of Krishna - context of Radhe Govinda
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Arunachala
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Context of Arunachala
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Sita Ram
Sita Ram Jaya Sita Ram
Sita Ram Jaya Hanuman
Sita Ram Jai Jai Ram
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Myth of Sita & Ram
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Ma Durga
Jaya Jagatambe
Hey ma Durga
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Vocalizing Ma Durga
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Myth of Durga and Navaratri
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Hey Govinda!
Hey Govinda Hey Govinda
Gopala Hari
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Context behind Hey Govinda
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Om namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya
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Context behind om namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya
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Jaya Mata Kali
Jaya mata Kali
Jaya mata Durge (2x)
Kali Durge namo namah (2x)
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Myth of Kali & Durga from the Devi Mahatmyam
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Maha Mantra
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare
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Context behind Maha mantra
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Section 5: Adding flourish to your chanting
Meet your instructor
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Meet your instructor ✳
REBECCA
Music has always been an integral part of my life from when I was a child singing into my hairbrush and putting on concerts for my family to taking piano lessons through grade school to eventually pursuing a masters degree in opera studies. When I decided the opera world wasn’t my path I moved into yoga and have been teaching for over 15 years and leading kirtans for over four. This course is a product of my two loves: yoga and music and I humbly hope it serves you on your own journey into mantra.
What you’ll learn
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I tap into my background as an opera singer to offer tips and tricks to sustain your vocal phrase with breath and learn simple vocal exercises to warm up your voice.
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From learning how to navigate the instrument of the harmonium, to playing octaves, scales, chords and fingerings.
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Learn simple mantras - how to play them on harmonium, learn the melody to sing and the transcendental knowledge that accompanies them.