A Twelve Months Mrdanga Course by Bablu Das

A Twelve Months

Mrdanga Courseby Bablu Dasa

Compiled byGaura-Siromani Dasa

Garanhati Publishers

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For further information please contact:Bãblu DãsaBhaktivedanta GurukulaKrishna-Balaram MandiraBhaktivedanta Swami MargVrindavanaMathura 281124U.P.

© 2000 Garanhati PublishersAll rights reservedPrinted in IndiaCover design: Art Box Theo Krohn HamburgCover printed in Chech RepublicIllustrations: Sybilla Huy

First MonthPractice Time

Hasta-Sãdhana—Hand PracticeHasta means “hand” and sãdhana, “that what makes perfect”. These hand practices are essential for learning proper Mrdanga playing. They enable you to master the different techniques and beats and help you to understand the basic rhythms. Practicing hasta-sãdhana is like learning the letters of the alphabet. Practice them steadily every day.

HS 1 #tere #kheta HS 2 #tere #kheta #tere #tere #kheta HS 3a #tere kheta #tere kheta #tere tere #tere

kheta HS 3b #tikhi takhi #tere kheta #kheta takhi #tere

kheta HS 3 #tere kheta #tere kheta #tere tere #tere

kheta #tikhi takhi #tere kheta #kheta takhi #tere kheta

Translation te Right 4 closed re Right thumbkhe Left closedta Right 4 opentere tere (like tere above, 2 times) kheta (as above)ti Right 4 closedkhi Left closedta Right 4 openkhi Left closedkhe Left closedta Right thumb (This ta is played like re!)ta Right 4 open khi Left closed

How to Practice Tere kheta (HS 1) is the bìja-mantra of the Mrdanga. Bìja means “seed”—from this mantra all other mantras sprout like a huge Banyan tree grows from a small seed. Therefore, practice this mantra with great care. In the first two weeks of this course, practice only tere kheta tere kheta~ This gives you a solid foundation for all mantras to come. If you find it too boring then see it as a test of your determination to learn the real art of Mëdaùga. Carefully read the next section (“How to improve the hand”) and follow the advice given therein.

In order to manifest this mantra properly, you have to accentuate the first syllable, te. Beginners tend to play the khe stronger than the te—thus it

sounds like kheta tere kheta tere. This is not proper. Listen to the CD how to play tere kheta.

To play a mantra continuously means that upon reaching the end you repeat it immediately without space. To help you find the rhythm, we have inserted the mãtrã dashes. Mãtrã means “beat”; the small dashes above the syllables thus help you to count the beat properly. Thus, in HS 1 you have to count two times, in HS 2, five times, in HS 3, four times to play one full mantra, etc. If necessary, take the help of a metronome for some time.

After two weeks, you should be ready for the next mantra (HS 2). The combination tere tere is extremely important. You will meet it in many mantras, and you will have to play it in double speed. Without learning this technique, you cannot enter into kìrtana beats. Therefore, practice this mantra for about one week until you are be able to play tere tere swiftly. Please study carefully the chapter about stroke techniques (page xxx).

Now you should be ready to go to the next two mantras. In HS 3b, a new technique is invented. kheta takhi means to invert the stroke order. Instead of playing 4 fingers—thumb, you play thumb—4 fingers. Again refer to chapter about stroke techniques. Practice both mantras for a few days.

Finally, practice HS 3. It is HS 3a and HS 3b combined, so you should be ready for it immediately. This is the basic hasta-sãdhana-mantra. It will accompany you for the next few months. At least once or twice a week you should practice this mantra for one or two hours. By this, your hand becomes very smooth and you will gain a clear, sweet and powerful stroke.

Second MonthPractice Time

Hatuti—Learning to Speak on the MëdaùgaBy hasta-sãdhana you make your hand perfect. These mantras enable you to develop the different techniques, to acquire a clear, strong and sweet stroke, and to concentrate the mind. Your feeling for rhythm and balance of both hands is also trained, and you learn how to sit with the Mëdaùga and how to hold it properly.

As we have compared hasta-sãdhana to learning the alphabet of the Mëdaùga, we introduce now the many different words. They are called hãtuti. Hãt means “hand” and tuti, “repeating again and again”. Like hasta-sãdhana, the different hãtuti-mantras are repeated again and again, for one or two hours continuously, in order to train the hand. The difference is that all hãtuti are part of the language of the Mëdaùga. All kìrtana melodies are composed of different hãtuti-mantras, either partially or in complete form. Thus, by learning hãtuti, not only will your hand become very strong but you also learn to speak on the Mëdaùga, by meeting the vast realm of different tãla and rhythms. In other words, hãtuti introduce you into the system of playing melodies on the Mëdaùga.

This system is as old as the Mëdaùga itself. It is the foundation of the Mëdaùga. The name hãtuti is mentioned in books from the time of the Gosvãmìs. Without learning these mantras you will not be able to manifest proper melodies. In this course we present the first sixteen hãtuti-mantras, out of many thousands. They give you a solid fundament. So please study them carefully and practice them with determination and patience.

Hatuti 1—The Mahã-Mantra of the MëdaùgaThis mantra is essential for learning Mëdaùga. All power in kìrtana, all feeling for rhythm and dynamic come from this mantra. Therefore we will employ the next two months to introduce it. Here is the first part. It has two different forms. When you play in single speed, you speak:

HA 1a #ghenere #ghena #jha #ghenere #ghena #jha #ghena/*#jha

Translation ghe Left opennere (same as tere—played with double speed)ghe Left openna Right openjha Left open + Right 4 open

When you play in double speed—the standard speed for this hãtuti—you will not be able to pronounce the above mantra properly because it is too fast. Therefore, while playing the same beat, you speak:

#da guru #gur da #guru gur #da gurTranslation da (like jha above, but Right 4 closed)

guru (same as ghenere)gur (same as ghena)

How to practice As you see, both mantras are identical, except that you have to play da with the right hand closed. (That high pitch adds a special touch, so carefully observe the difference.) The last one is an abbreviation, so to say. Another

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difference, of course, is that the double speed mantra bears only four mãtrã dashes instead of eight, since it is played in half of the time you need for playing in single speed.

The single speed mantra actually starts with the last jha (which becomes the first da of the double speed mantra). But since the tãla or beat begins with the first ghenere, you have to play from there. The jha at the end of the first line is actually the first jha of the second line. Therefore, we have put the “+” sign above it. This sign is called soma.1 It means that this note is played only if you repeat the same mantra or end here. If you go to another mantra, this note is skipped. You will meet with this sign later on.

Thus, when you play the single speed mantra repeatedly, it looks like that:

ghenere ghena jha ghenere ghena jha ghenajha ghenere ghena jha ghenere ghena jha ghenajha ghenere ghena jha ghenere ghena jha ghena~

Don't become too much confused of this detail. It tells you that a mantra is not necessarily played from where it starts. Sometimes the tãla begins somewhere in the middle of a mantra and then you start to play from there. The same principle is found in our Western music, in the sense that you often start to play from the middle of a beat.You will get another example when we introduce the first kìrtana beat.

The double speed mantra, however, always starts with the first da. Thus, when you change from single speed to double speed, you skip the last jha (because it is soma) and immediately start with da guru gur~. In other words, you play like this:

#ghenere #ghena #jha #ghenere#ghena #jha #ghena

#jha #ghenere #ghena #jha #ghenere#ghena #jha #ghena

#da guru #gur da #guru gur #da gur#da guru #gur da #guru gur #da

gur~ In order to manifest the mantra properly, take care that the left hand strikes

in a clear, constant rhythm. Study the mantra carefully. It has eight mãtrã dashes or beat marks. On each of these eight mãtrã you strike on the left side with open sound, by playing either ghe or jha. All these eight strokes should be exactly uniform, like a clockwork. The jha should not be louder than the ghe. Also take care that you play nere with double speed—else the following ghe will come too late and you break the rhythm.

If you carefully observe these points, the mantra will manifest its full power, especially when you play in double speed. Carefully listen to the recording on the enclosed CD.

Practice this mantra for two weeks continuously. Start very slowly, speaking jha ghenere ghena jha ghenere ghena jha ghena~. Try to get a feeling for the rhythm, under due consideration of the above points. Play loudly and concentrate on striking the left skin with constant, uniform beat. Then, as you increase the speed, speak da guru gur da guru gur da gur. Take care to play da with the right hand closed, without making the left-hand stroke louder. Then the beat becomes very dynamic. In the first two weeks of the second month you should practice only this mantra, and from time to time the hasta-sãdhana HS 3. Don't think you already know either of these mantras—to come to the level required for later kìrtana beats, it needs months of steady practice. So keep on trying.

1 Pronounced “shom”, with long, closed o, as in yoga.

Hãtuti 1—Decoration for the First PartThe mantra becomes complete only with the following decorations. First study them carefully and practice seperately. However, to play them properly, you have to be even more fast than before, Therefore from now on, we put only two mãtrã dashes on da guru gur da guru gur da gur.

HA 1b (#dad dhei ta #guru gur da gur #da guru gur da #guru gur da gur)§

HA 1c (#dad dhei ta #guru gur da gur)§ #da guru gur da #guru gur da gur

HA 1d (#dad dhei ta)§ #guru gur da gur #da guru gur da #guru gur da gur

Translation dad Left open + Right 4 closeddhei Left open + Right 4 open (strong sound)ta Right 4 openguru gur da~ (as in HA 1a)

How to Practice Here, an abbreviation is introduced in the mantra language. The scheme(aaa)§

means that you repeat the part in brackets three times (or whatever number is placed behind the brackets).

Look at the rhythm. Don't play dad dhei ta as a triplet. The ta is clearly shorter than the dad and dhei. If you divide the mãtrã into eight parts then dad occupies three parts, dhei again three parts, and ta the remaining two. This looks as follows:

#dad ' ' 'dhei ' ' 'ta 'Listen to the CD and try to get a feeling for the rhythm.

If you count the beats, you will see: One dad dhei ta

is as long as da guru gur da. That means, dad dhei ta guru gur da gur

is as long as da guru gur da guru gur da gur. Thus, HA 1b is 6 times as long,

HA 1c 4 times as long, HA 1d 3 times as long as da guru gur da guru gur da gur.

Take a metronome to recognize the rhythm. First speak the mantras loudly while counting the mãtrã on the metronome, then add the Mëdaùga.

If these explanations are too technical for you then just listen carefully to my playing on the CD and try to follow. Still, it is better to get a proper understanding of the mãtrã by studying this paragraph. Then your beat will be established on a solid basis.

Take care that the dhei is played very strongly—it bears the rhythm of this mantra. Observe that especially when playing dad dhei ta dad dhei ta dad dhei ta (in HA 1d).

After the first two weeks, include HA 1b to your practice schedule. First, play HA 1a for ten or twenty minutes until it manifests swiftly and easily, then go to HA 1b. Practice in this way for some days, then go to the next two mantras. They should be no problem by now, since they apply the same technique.

Hãtuti 1—The Complete First Part Now you should be ready to assemble the above parts and play the complete first part of hãtuti 1. Practice for the rest of the second month, by playing continuously:

HA 1-1 (#da guru gur da #guru gur da gur)&(#dad dhei ta #guru gur da gur #da guru gur da #guru gur da gur)§(#dad dhei ta #guru gur da gur)§ #da guru gur da #guru gur da gur(#dad dhei ta)§ #guru gur da gur #da guru gur da #guru gur da gur

How to practice Start slowly, by playing ja ghenere ghena~ for some minutes. Then, change to da guru gur~ and play the above mantra continuously for at least one hour, as usually.

Third MonthPractice Time

More Hasta-SãdhanaThis mantra prepares your hand for the second part of hãtuti 1.

HS 4 #ghene nere #ghena geda#khene nere #khena kheta

Translation ghe Left openne Right thumb (same as re)nere (like tere)ghe Left openna Right 4 openge Left openda Right 4 closed (strong and sharp sound)khe Left closedne nere (as above)khe Left closedna Right 4 openkhe Left closedta Right 4 open (not strong like the da above)

How to practice Here, a very important technique is introduced. On ne—ne—re, you play thumb—four fingers—thumb. To do so, you first have to move the hand up so that it can swing freely. In other words, while playing ghe or khe with the left hand, the right hand swings upwards without touching the skin and then moves down to play the first ne. Carefully study the explanation in the technical part (page xxx).

Take special care of proper balance. All eight strokes of each line have to follow each other in exact sequence one after another, like a machine. As you get faster, you might tend to play ghena/khena as one stroke. Avoid that in order to manifest the proper rhythm.

Also note that the da is played very strongly, with sharp, closed pitch. Such a note is expresed in the mantra language by being underlined. This tone bears the melody. The ta in the second line, however, is played without emphasis. Listen to the CD.

Practice this mantra for one week. You have to come to double speed level in order to apply it in the second part of hãtuti 1. Also, continue to practice HA 1-1, and also HS 3, at least on one or two days

Hãtuti 1—The Second PartLike in Part One, you first learn the basic beat and then some decorations. Again, the mantra is pronounced by da, guru and gur, but now these syllables mean something different. Carefully study the mantra before starting to play.

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HA 1e #da dere dere ghena #da dere dere ghena #jha ghena jha ghena da guru guru gur da guru guru gur

da gur dagur Translation da Left open + Right 4 closed

de Left open + Right 4 closedre Right thumbghe Left openna Right 4 openjha Left open + Right 4 openghena (as before)da (as da above)guru (like dere)gur (like ghena)

How to practice Now you can test if you have practiced tere tere properly, since this is exactly what your right hand plays on guru guru—however, in double speed, since this is a double speed mantra.

Again note that the jha changes to da when you speak da guru gur. Then you have to play with the right hand closed instead of open, as in HA 1-1.

Proper balance between both hands is very important for this mantra. That means: On the gu of guru guru (dere dere), both hands must strike

simultaneously to produce the de. Your right hand might tend to be slightly delayed. Then the mantra will not manifest properly.

On gur (ghena), avoid to play the ghe and na simultaneously. They must come in clear sequence one after the other.

Like in the first part, the left hand beats with constant, uniform stroke, here twelve times in one mantra. Study again the explanation to HA 1a (on page 6).

Practice this mantra for one week or more, until you can play it as fast as the first part.

Hãtuti 1—Decoration for the Second PartHere, we introduce another “abbreviation” which will be often used in kìrtana-mantras. Study the following notation—now you will see why you got the hasta-sãdhana HA 4 for preparation:

#ghene nere ghena da#gher geda

Translation ghene nere ghena (like in HA 4, but the first ghe is very strong)da Left open + Right 4 closed (right hand strong)gher (same as ghene nere)geda (same as ghena da)

How to practice Note that the first ghe is very strong. It bears the melody. The other two left hand strokes (the second ghe and the da) have to conform to the uniform rhythm of da guru guru gur—they should be neither stronger nor weaker. Also note that the da is played with sharp, strong right-hand stroke—without getting stronger on the left hand, however! This needs some practice.

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With these explanations, you will immediately understand the following mantras:

HA 1f (#gher geda #guru gur guru gur #da guru guru gur #da guru guru gur #da gur da gur)§

HA 1g (#gher geda #guru gur guru gur )§ #da guru guru gur #da guru guru gur #da gur da gur

HA 1h (#gher geda)§ #guru gur guru gur #da guru guru gur #da guru guru gur #da gur da gur

How to practice First, study the timing. The following parts have all the same length: da guru guru gur da gur da gur gher geda guru gur guru gur (which means dere ghena dere ghena).

If you have practiced nicely until now, you should be able to manifest these mantras in a few days. Practice HA 1e continually for ten or twenty minutes, starting slowly, until it manifests swiftly and easily, then go to HA 1f. Practice for some days in this way, then add the two remaining mantras (HA 1g and HA 1h).

Hãtuti 1—The Complete Second Part Now you should be ready to assemble the above parts and play the complete second part of hãtuti 1. Practice for about one week until you can play it with ease.

HA 1-2 #da guru guru gur #da guru guru gur #da gur da gur (#gher geda #guru gur guru gur #da guru guru gur #da guru guru gur #da gur da gur)§(#gher geda #guru gur guru gur )§ #da guru guru gur #da guru guru gur #da gur da gur(#gher geda)§ #guru gur guru gur #da guru guru gur #da guru guru gur #da gur da gur

How to practice Note that, as contrary to HA 1-1, the first line is not repeated.

Hãtuti 1—Ending (Tehãi)Before showing the complete hãtuti 1, we introduce a mantra which is played at the end. This kind of mantra is called tehãi. (More on tehãi you will hear later.)

HA 1-TEH (#tere kheta #gi ghi nake/#jha guru gur)§ or #tere kheta #gi ghi nake #jha guru gur

#tere kheta #gi ghi nake #jha guru gur#tere kheta #gi ghi nake

Translation tere kheta (as usual)gi Left openghi Left open (stronger than gi)na Right 1 upke Left open (not strong)jha Left open + Right 4 open (strong)guru gur (as in HA 1-1)

How to practice Look at the notation. The scheme (aaa bbb/ccc)§ stands for aaa bbb ccc

aaa bbb cccaaa bbb.

It is a standard system for dividing a beat into three parts.In other words, you repeat the mantra three times, but the third time you only play until the “/” and then continue with the next mantra. For example, if you practice HA 1-TEH continuously, you play without space:

tere kheta gi ghi nake jha gurutere kheta gi ghi nake jha gurutere kheta gi ghi nake tere kheta gi ghi nake jha gurutere kheta gi ghi nake jha gurutere kheta gi ghi nake~

If you play the tehãi at the end of the hãtuti, you go back to the beginning of the mantra after the last tere kheta gi ghi nak without interruption. This system is applied by all tehãi, so study it carefully.

Again, study the timing by counting the mãtrã dashes. The following parts have all the same length, namely one mãtrã: da guru gur da (in HA 1-1) da guru guru gur (in HA 1-2) tere kheta (in HA 1-TEH)Now you will understand why this hãtuti is a double speed mantra. In the same time you play tere kheta in the tehãi with normal speed, you have to play da guru gur and da guru guru gur—which means, in double speed.

Practice this mantra for some days, but also continue to play HA 1-1 and HA 1-2. Then, at the end of the third month, you should be ready for the complete hãtuti 1.

Hãtuti 1—The Complete MantraNow we can assemble all the above parts and play the complete hãtuti 1.

HA 1 (#da guru gur da #guru gur da gur)&(#dad dhei ta #guru gur da gur #da guru gur da #guru gur da gur)§(#dad dhei ta #guru gur da gur)§ #da guru gur da #guru gur da gur(#dad dhei ta)§ #guru gur da gur #da guru gur da #guru gur da gur#da guru guru gur #da guru guru gur #da gur da gur (#gher geda #guru gur guru gur #da guru guru gur #da guru guru gur #da gur da gur)§(#gher geda #guru gur guru gur )§ #da guru guru gur #da guru guru gur #da gur da gur(#gher geda)§ #guru gur guru gur #da guru guru gur #da guru guru gur #da gur da gur(#tere kheta #gi ghi nake/#jha guru gur)§

How to practice Play continuously. There is no space between the first and second part or between the second part and the tehãi. After having repeated tere kheta gi ghi nake for the third time, go back to da guru gur da guru gur da gur without interruption. To make it clear, at the end of the mantra, you play:

da guru guru gur da guru guru gur da gur da gurtere kheta gi ghi nake jha gurutere kheta gi ghi nake jha gurutere kheta gi ghi nake (going back to the beginning)da guru gur da guru gur da gur~

This mantra will be your main object of practice for the next month. Try to come to real double speed level. Particularlay observe the change from the first to the second part—there should be no interruption in the rhythm of the left hand and the right hand immediately has to manifest dere dere in proper stroke. Later, you will derive a lot of benefit from this training.

Fourth MonthPractice Time

More Hasta-SãdhanaAs I said, in this month you should practice mainly hãtuti 1. Here are two additional hasta-sãdhana-mantras that help to improve your hand. The first one is especially useful to make your hand loose and to increase the concentration of your mind.

HS 5 #khete tete tete kheta #khete tete kheta khete #tete kheta tete kheta #tete tete tete kheta #tete tete kheta tete #tete kheta tete kheta#khete tete tete kheta #tete tete tete kheta#khete tete kheta khete #tete kheta tete kheta #tete tete kheta tete #tete kheta tete kheta#khete tete kheta tete #kheta tete tete kheta #tete khetakhete tete #kheta tete tete kheta#tete kheta tete kheta

Translation khete (like khene in HS 4)tete (like tere)kheta (like khena in HS 4)

How to practice Look how the mantra is constructed. The first double line (khete tete tete kheta~ tete tete tete kheta~ tete kheta) is a complete sequence. It can also be played seperately. In the next lines, this sequence is reduced step by step, until in the end only the last tete kheta of each half line remains. You will have to concentrate strongly to play without mistake. Loudly pronounce the mantra; learn it nicely by heart.

Take care of proper balance. The combination kheta khete tete is very important for later kìrtana beats. Play khe—ta—khe in clear sequence. When you get faster, you will tend to play khe and ta simultaneously—then the second khe comes too early and you break the rhythm. Also note that the second khe (of khete) is played stronger than the first one. By this, you manifest the melody of this mantra. If you like, you can practice khete tete kheta separately for some time. Carefully listen to the recording on the CD.

First, practice the first double line separately, then the second double line, then the complete mantra. For some time, practice alternately one day this mantra and one day hãtuti 1, then go to the next hasta-sãdhana.

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HS 6 #tere kheta tere tere #kheta tere tere tere #khetakhete tete tete #kheta tere khetakhete #tete kheta tak tere #kheta tikhi takhi tere #kheta kheta takhi tere kheta

Translation tere kheta (as usual)khete tete kheta (like in HS 5 above)tak Right 4 closed (very strong and sharp sound)tikhi takhi~ (like in HS 3, page 3)

How to practice This is the “advanced version” of HS 3. From now on until the end of this course, practice this mantra regularly at least once or twice a week, instead of HS 3. It will make your hand very fast, strong and soft.

As in HS 5, take care of proper balance. Study again the explanation above. The tak has to be played sharp and strong, even when you get fast (means:

double speed). This is possible only if your hand becomes loose and you learn to play the closed stroke very precisely.

Hãtuti 1—DecorationsThe following five mantras are called dvãra or “gate”. They are a nice introduction to hãtuti 1. First, learn them separately, then I explain how to use them together with hãtuti 1.

HD 1 (#tete tete #kheta tak #da ghi nake #jha uru #take take #tete kheta #da ghi nak uru)§#da ghi nake #jha guru gurda ghi #nake jha guru gur#da ghi nake

Translation te Right 3 closedte Right 1 closedtete (same again)khe Left closedta Right 3 closedtak Right 1 upda Left open + Right 4 openghi Left openna Right 1 upke Left open (not strong)jha Left open + Right 4 openuru Right 4 open, then thumb, then 4 open (in swift sequence)ta Right 4 openke Left closedtake (same again)tete kheta (like tere kheta)da ghi nak (like da ghi na above)uru (as above)da ghi nake (as above)jha guru (as in HA 1-TEH)

How to practice The combination uru is frequently used in kìrtana beats. Since it is a triplet, it has to be played in triple speed!

This mantra and the following ones are not played too fast. They are in single speed—thus, the guru gur sections in them automatically have to be played in double speed.

HD 2 #dhow kheta #dheiya #guru gur dhini #dheiya#tere kheta #tak dhini #dheiya#khi khi tak #jhakhi khi #tak jha#khi khi tak

Translation dhow Left open + Right openkheta (as usual)dhei Left open + Right open ya Right 4 openguru gur (as usual)dhi Left open + Right 1 closedni Right 3 opendheiya (as before)tere kheta (as usual)tak Right 1 updhini dheiya (as before)khi khi Left closed (2 times)tak Right 1 upjha (as usual)

HD 3 {(#da guru gur dhena)§ #jha guru gur}§#takhi tata #kheta tata #kheta takhi #ta guru gur #dheiya ti #neta kheta #kheta takhi #ta

Translation da guru gur (as usual)dhe (like jha)na Right 4 openjha guru gur (as usual)ta Right 4 openkhi Left closedtata Right 4 open (2 times)kheta (as usual)takhi (as before)ta Right 4 openguru gur (as usual)dhei (like jha)ya Right 1 closedti Right 3 closedne Right 1 closedta Right 4 openkheta takhi ta (as above)

How to practice Here, two repetitions are interlocked. After having played da guru gur dhena three times, you play jha guru gur; this whole sequence has to be repeated three times.

HD 4 (#dad dhin #nak dhin #nak dhin #jha guru gur)§#dheiya #ta kheta #da ghi ne#ta kheta #kheta dh#eiya #da dhei#ya

Translation dad Left open + Right 4 closeddhin (like jha—left hand stronger than the dad before)nak Right 1 updhin (as before)jha guru gur (as usual)dhei (like jha)ya Right 4 openta Right 4 openkheta (as usual)da Left open + Right 4 closedghi Left open (stronger than the da before)ne Right 1 openta Right 4 opendheiya, da (as before)

How to practice Note the beat: dheiya ta kheta~ is a triplet rhythm; dhei is twice as long as the other notes.

HD 5 (#dad dhin #nak dhin #neda/#jha guru gur)§(#jha jha #guru gur da gur #da guru gur da #guru gur da gur #jha jha guru gur #da guru gur da #guru gur da gur)§

Translation dad dhin nak dhin (as in HD 4 before)ne Right 1 closedda Left open + Right 4 closedjha guru gur da~ (as usual)

How to practice Note in HD 5 that the first pair of jha jha is twice as long as the second one. When you can play these mantras nicely, combine them with hãtuti 1. Play

in the following way, without space between the different parts. This is the standard system of playing hãtuti 1. In the next chapter you will learn one mantra that serves as connection between other hãtuti.

(ghenere ghena jha ghenere ghena jha ghena/jha)&HD 1ghenere ghena jha ghenere ghena jha ghenaHD 2ghenere ghena jha ghenere ghena jha ghenaHD 3HD 4HD 5HA 1 (play continuously)

The first line reads as follows: You repeat the whole line six times, but the last time you don't play the last jha; instead you go immediately to HD 1.

Practice in this way for the rest of the month, but don't forget the new hasta-sãdhana-mantras.

Fifth MonthPractice Time

Common Decoration Mantra for All HãtutiIn the following, we will present more hãtuti. You can play them separately or combine them. If you combine them then you have to play the following mantra in between, leading over from one hãtuti to the next one.

HD 0 #jha guru gur #dad dhena (#da guru gur da #guru gur dhena)§#jha guru gur #dad dhena [#da guru gur da #guru gur dhena/#*jha

Translation jha guru gur (as usual)dad Left open + Right 4 closeddhe Left open (strong sound) + Right 4 openna Right 4 openda guru gur (as usual)dhena (as before)

How to practice After having played one hãtuti, if you want to continue with another one instead of repeating the same one, you have to play D0 between the two hãtuti, without space.

Here you meet again with the soma, indicated by the “+” over the last jha. This sign appeared already in the single speed mantra of hãtuti 1 (page 6). It means that the jha is played only if you repeat the mantra, as in your daily practice. If you go on to the next hãtuti, you have to skip the jha and immediately start with the new mantra after the last dhena.

For now, practice this mantra seperately for some days to become familiar with it. Later we will show how to play several hãtuti together. Also, continue with hãtuti 1 and HS 5 and 6.

More Hasta-SãdhanaThe following mantra is the “long version” of HS 4. Look there for the translation (page 9).

HS 7 #ghene nere #ghena geda #ghene nere #ghena ghene #nere ghena#khene nere #khena kheta #khene nere #khena khene #nere khena

How to practice Take care of proper balance. Read again the explanation to HS 5 (page 14). Try to manifest the rhythm in the same way as there. Then this mantra will become very powerful and help you to increase your feeling for the Mëdaùga.

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The Second HãtutiIf you can play HS 7 nicely, the following hãtuti should be no problem. It has a very nice, dynamic melody.

HA 2 #dere gere #dere gere#ghene nere #ghena now #tere kheta#ghene nere #ghena now #tere kheta#ghene nere #ghena ghene #nere ghena #ghene nere #ghena now #tere kheta#tikhi takhi #tere kheta

Translation dere gere (like dere ghena in HA 1e, page 10)ghene nere ghena (as in HS 7 above)now Right 4 open (strong)tere kheta (as usual)tikhi takhi tere kheta (as in HS 3, page 3)

How to practice Now you can apply to hãtuti what you have practiced in the hasta-sãdhana-mantra before. Listen to the CD and try to make the Mëdaùga speak in the same way as you hear me playing there.

This month you don't get more mantras. Practice alternately HA 1 with decorations, HA 2, HS 5, 6, and 7. Find out which mantras give you most difficulties and practice accordingly. You also can take a part of a mantra and practice it separately if it is particularly difficult for you.

In the next month we will start with the first kìrtana beats. Until then, your hand should be ready to play everything nicely what you have learnt so far. If not, better invest some more weeks before you go on.

Sixth MonthPractice Time

More Hasta-SãdhanaHere is another mantra for training your mind and making your hand fast. It is played like HS 5. Look there for the translation (page 14).

HS 8 #khete tete #kheta khete #tete kheta #tete kheta #khete tete #tete kheta #tete kheta#tete tete #kheta tete #tete kheta #tete kheta #tete tete #tete kheta #tete kheta

Hãtuti Number ThreeThis hãtuti shows you how to apply tere tere. It also trains you to change from single to double speed and back. The combination tere tere kheta ta khi tere kheta is very important for kìrtana. Practice with great care.

HA 3 #dhereti dhe#reti dhere #da ghi tere tere #kheta takhi tere kheta#tereti te#reti tere #takhi tere tere #kheta takhi tere kheta#dad dhin tere tere #kheta takhi tere kheta#dad dhin dere geda #jhadad dhin #dere geda jha#dad dhin dere geda

Translation dhe Left open + Right 4 closedre Right thumbti Right 4 openda Left open + Right 4 closedghi Left open (stronger than da)tere tere kheta (as usual)ta Right 4 openkhi Left closedtere (as usual)ti Right 4 opendad dhin (as in HD 4, page 17)dere geda (like dere gere in HA 2, page 19)jha (as usual)

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How to practice Take care of proper balance. The first half line (dhereti dhereti dhere da ghi) is in single speed, followed by the double speed sequence tere tere kheta takhi tere kheta. This is a very important practice. Take the help of a metronome if you have difficulties to change from single to double speed.

Practice this mantra for some days exclusively, then add it to your regular practice.

Ãrati Beat—Entrance into KìrtanaThis mantra is the basic beat for kìrtana. It can be played with maùgala ãrati, nësiõha ãrati, tulasì ãrati, guru-pújã, sandhyã ãrati and many different kinds of Hare Këòøa melodies. It is very popular in the Gauîìya Vaiòøava society because with this mantra, you play in daspahira tãla (8-mãtrã), the most common tãla for Vaiòøava songs.

K 1 #khik _khi #neda #gida #gida #dhei #ta uru #tete #ta

Translation khik Left closedkhi Left closed (note that there is a short space before)ne Right 1 upda (like jha)gi Left openda (like jha)dhei Left open + Right 4 open (strong)ta Right 4 openuru (as in HD 1, page 15)tete (like tere)ta Right 4 open

How to practice Note the timing of the second half: ta, uru, te, and te take half mãtrã each. Thus, you have to play uru accordingly fast. It is a triplet. Take care that all three strokes are clearly audible. In the beginning, you might tend to play uru too slowly, thus delaying the following tete. Then the rhythm will not manifest.

In this month, practice while speaking the mantra. In the next month we will explain how to sing to this mantra, while introducing the first tehãi (endings). Your main practice should still be hasta-sãdhana and hãtuti. Later, when we come to the more demanding kìrtana beats, you will be thankful for this endeavor.

Seventh MonthPractice Time

More Hasta-Sãdhana and HãtutiPractice the following two mantras for about one week exclusively, then add them to your daily repertoire.

HS 9 #dere geda #ghene nere #ghena ghene #nere ghena #nere ghena#tere kheta #khene nere #khena khene #nere khena #nere khena

Translation dere geda (as in HA 3, page 20. The da is played very strongly.)ghene nere ghena,khene nere khena (as in HS 4, page 9)tere kheta (as usual)

How to practice Meanwhile you should have understood the system: ne after ghe/khe is played with thumb (like re). na after ghe/khe is played with 4 fingers open (like ta).

HA 4 #ghene tere #ghene tak #tere kheta #ghene tere #kheta ghene#tere ghena ##tak tere #tere ghena #tere ghena #tere ghena

Translation ghene tere ghene (like genere nere ghena)tak Right 4 closed (strong)tere kheta, ghene, ghena (as usual)

How to practice This mantra has a very special, attractive melody which is also used in kìrtana. Listen to the CD and try to manifest it. In order to do so, you have to come to double speed level.

Tehãi—Endings for Kìrtana BeatsNow we introduce the first tehãi for kìrtana. When you sing Hare Këòøa while playing ãrati beat, you have to play tehãi at the end of each Hare Këòøa mantra. How this is done, we explain afterwards. The word tehãi comes from the Bengali word tina, “three”, because basically it is a system of dividing a beat into three parts.

Why playing tehãi? You can compare the kìrtana to a nice prasãdam feast. The ãrati beat and the other speeds are like rice. Rice is very tasty, but the real taste comes from the various sabjì preparations. The different tehãi are thus compared to the sabjì of the feast. They make the kìrtana tasty and variegated. There are thousands of different tehãi, many of them are on a very high level. In this course you will learn twenty basic tehãi by which you add a lot of taste to the kìrtana.

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TEH 1 (kheta kheta/jha)§ or #kheta kheta #jha kheta #kheta jha #kheta kheta

TEH 2 (tere kheta/jha)§ or #tere kheta #jha tere #kheta jha #tere kheta

TEH 3 (kheta guru gur/dhei)§ or #kheta guru gur #dhei kheta #guru gur dhei #kheta guru gur

Translation kheta, tere, guru gur, jha (as usual)dhei (like jha)

How to practice Look at the rhythm. Since these tehãi take four mãtrã each, we can apply no mãtrã dashes to the abbreviated form, because they are shifted in each repetition..

Now, in TEH 3, you can see why guru gur is a double speed beat. You will find this beat in many tehãi and other kìrtana-mantras, and it is always in double speed. So continue to practice hãtuti 1 with great enthusiasm.

The note after the slash (here jha or dhei) bears the melody of the tehãi. You have to play it strongly (like the dhei in the ãrati beat K 1).

Practice these beats separately for about one week until you can play them swiftly, without having to concentrate on how to play—your mind should be free for the kìrtana. Look at the explanation to the tehãi of hãtuti 1 (page 12) how to play these beats continuously.

Then, by following the explanation below, try to sing Hare Këòøa or some ãrati songs while playing the ãrati beat together with these tehãi. However, don't forget your daily practice of hasta-sãdhana and hãtuti!

How to Play the Basic Kìrtana BeatNow we can play the ãrati beat together with tehãi. Let us examine the rhythm in detail: On counting the mãtrã you see that each of the above tehãi takes one half of the ãrati

beat (namely, four of eight mãtrã). Later, we will introduce longer tehãi, but now let us look at the basic system.

In order to sing one complete Hare Këòøa mahã-mantra, you have to play the ãrati beat four times: One on Hare Këòøa, one on Këòøa Këòøa, one on Hare Rãma, and one on Rãma Rãma. However, rather than starting with khik khi neda gida gida, you start at the middle of the mantra—on dhei—and continue from there. As we have already mentioned, the tãla does not necessarily start with the beginning of the mantra. In this case, the tãla starts in the middle of the ãrati beat, on dhei.

Thus, on Hare Këòøa you start with dhei da uru tete ta—i.e. one half ãrati beat—then you play three complete ãrati beats and then—on the last Hare Hare—you add one of the above tehãi. Thus, you have completed four full ãrati beats, because the tehãi occupies the remaining half beat.

Continue with the next mahã-mantra without space, by playing dhei da uru tete ta immediately after the tehãi. This is the basic system of all kìrtana. In terms of the

notation of the tehãi, (kheta kheta/jha)§means you play three times kheta kheta jha, but instead of the last jha you go back to the dhei of the next ãrati beat.

As an example, let us take the first tehãi, sung in the standard melody of the maùgala-ãrati:

#dhei ' #ta 'uru #te 'te #ta'

Ha- re Kë- òøa

#khik '_khi #ne 'da #gi 'da #gi 'da #dhei ' #ta 'uru #te'te #ta '

Ha- re Kë- òøa Kë- òøa Kë- òøa


Ha- re Ha- re Ha- re Rã- ma


Ha- re Rã- ma Rã- ma Rã- ma

#kheta 'kheta #jha 'kheta #kheta 'jha #kheta 'kheta#dhei ' #ta 'uru #te 'te #ta '

Ha- re Ha- re Ha- re Kë- òøa . . .

The Second SpeedAs explained in the section about playing kìrtana (page xxx), there are twenty different speeds which gradually increase tempo and dynamic of the kìrtana. The ãrati beat is the first speed. (Therefore we numbered it with K 1.) It is played rather slowly. When the kìrtana gets faster, you have to switch to the next speed, namely:

K 2 #da ghi #tete #take #dhena Translation da (like jha)

ghi Left open (stronger than da)te Right 1 opente Left closed + Right 3 closedta Right 4 openke Left open (not strong)dhe (like jha) (left hand strong sound)na Right 4 open

How to practice The dhe bears the melody of this beat. It has to be played stronger than the other open sounds (like dhei in the ãrati beat). Listen to the CD.

The system how to apply this beat in kìrtana is the same as above, but note that this beat is only half as long as the ãrati beat. That means, you have to play seven times second speed and one tehãi in order to complete one Hare Këòøa mahã-mantra.

Practice first seperately, while speaking the mantra, then apply in kìrtana together with the tehãi you have learnt.

Eighth MonthPractice Time

More HãtutiHãtuti 5 trains you to change from single to double speed. This is very important for combining the second and third speed. Hãtuti 6 reveals a very beautiful melody as soon as you come to double speed. Listen to the CD and try to make the Mëdaùga speak.

HA 5 (Single speed) {#khi guru gur #dad dhin (#tete tete #kheta tak)§}§(Double speed) (#dere dere ghena nak #tere tere kheta tak)§(Tehãi) (#dere dere ghena nak #tere tere kheta tak/#jha)§

Translation khi Left closedguru gur (as usual)dad dhin (as in HA 3, page 20)tete tete (like tere tere)khe Left closedta Right 3 opentak Right 1 up (strong sound)dere (as in HA 3)ghe Left open (stronger than both de in dere)na Right 3 opennak (like tak above)tere tere kheta tak (like tete tete kheta tak above, but double speed)jha (as usual)

How to practice As in HD 3 (page 16), two repetitions are interlocked. Look there for an explanation.

Try to play the tak/nak very strong, with clear stroke and high pitch. Later, when starting with bhajana-mantras, you will derive great benefit from this hãtuti. Also, play the jha strongly, since it is the last note of the tehãi.

Start to practice very slowly, in order to manifest the double speed properly. Then increase gradually. In the end, you should be able to play the first part in normal kìrtana speed. Then the second part will be in real double speed. Listen to the CD.

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HA 6 #dad dhin #dere geda #dad dhin #dere geda#dad dhin #tere tere #kheta takhi #tere kheta#dere geda #dere geda#jhete nete #geda jhete #nete geda #jha_#tete nete #nete kheta #khete nete #nete kheta#dere geda #dere geda

Translation dad dhin dere geda, tere tere kheta takhi tere kheta (as in HA 3, page 20)jhe te nete geda (like ghene nere ghena)jha (as usual—note the space thereafter)tete nete nete kheta (like tete tete tete kheta)khete nete nete kheta (like khete tete tete kheta)

The next mantra introduces the technique of playing with one and three fingers continuously. Carefully study the explanation in the technical section (page xxx) before you start. This hãtuti prepares your hand for the third speed and for later tehãi.

HA 7 #dhere tete #dhere tete #dhat dhat #dhere tete#dhere tete #dhere tete #dhat dhat #dhere tete#dhat dhere #tete dhat #dhere tete #dhere tete(#kheta kheta #gade ghine #tere kheta #gade ghine/#jha)§

Translation dhe Left open + Right 1 closedre Right 3 closedte Right 1 closedte Right 3 closeddhat Left open + Right 4 closed (the second dhat is slightly stronger)kheta kheta gade ghine~ (like in TEH 5, page 27)

How to practice Look at the rhythm of the tehãi of this hãtuti: The jha takes only one fourth of the part before, instead of one half as by usual tehãi. Thus, this tehãi takes 14 mãtrã instead of 16. It is a different tãla.

Take care that you play the closed beats clearly closed. Listen to the CD and try to manifest the same high and distinct sound. Practice very slowly in the beginning. You should invest a lot of time in this hãtuti since it gives you the basic technique required for many kìrtana and bhajana beats.

More TehãiTehãi 4, being as long as the first three, is applied in the same way. The sequence ta klanta is a very powerful instrument in kìrtana. Listen to the CD how it sounds properly.

TEH 4 (ta klanta/jha)§ or #ta klanta #jhata #klanta jha#ta klanta

Translation ta Right 4 openklan Both hands 4 open on the small head—strong sound (See page xxx for a detailed explanation of this stroke.)ta Right 4 openjha (as usual)

The next two tehãi are twice as long as those above, or as long as one ãrati beat. They are played from Rãma Rãma, as shown thereafter.

TEH 5 (#tere kheta #gade ghine/#dheiya)§ TEH 6 (#da da #gade ghine/#jha guru gur)§Translation tere kheta (as usual)

ga Left opende Right 4 closed (very strong sound—this note bears the melody)ghi Left openne Right 4 open dhei (like jha)ya Right 4 openda da Left open + Right 4 closed (2 times)gade ghine (as above)jha guru gur (as usual)

How to practice Count the rhythm. The first two repetitions take three mãtrã each and the last one two mãtrã, thus eight mãtrã altogether.

First, practice these mantras separately until you are familiar with them. Then try to play them together with ãrati beat, while singing Hare Këòøa. Follow the advice below and listen to the CD.

How to Play Tehãi with the Same Length as the Ãrati BeatSince the Hare Këòøa mahã-mantra takes four ãrati beats altogether, you have to start with such tehãi after having played three ãrati beats—more exactly, after having played one half beat plus two and a half, since you begin in the middle of the beat. Therefore, you start with tehãi after the third khik khi neda gida gida. Look at the following example (using again the standard melody of maùgala-ãrati):


Ha- re Kë- òøa

#khik '_khi #ne 'da #gi 'da #gi 'da #dhei ' #ta 'uru #te'te Ä#ta '




#khik '_khi #ne 'da #gi 'da #gi 'da #tere 'kheta #gade'ghine #dhei 'ya #tere 'kheta


#gade 'ghine #dhei 'ya #tere 'kheta #gade 'ghine#dhei ' #ta 'uru #te 'te #ta '

Ha- re Ha- re Ha- re Kë- òøa . . .

The Third SpeedWhen the kìrtana gets more fired-up, you have to play double speed. This is the third speed. The mantra sounds like that of the second speed, but it is played in a different way. And, being twice as fast, it takes only two mãtrã dashes instead of four.

K 3 #da ghi tete #take dhena Translation da Left open + Right 1 open

ghi Left open (stronger)te Right 3 closedte Left closed + Right 1 openta Right 1 openke Left open (not strong)dhe Left open + Right 3 closed (left hand strong)na Right 1 open

How to practice Like in the second speed, the dhe bears the rhythm. It is the strongest stroke in the mantra. Also, the ghi has to be stronger than the da. Many devotees don't play the ghi at all and thus garble the beautiful melody of this beat.

Your right hand plays continuously 3–1–1–(space), with three fingers closed and 1 finger open sound. You have to manifest this sequence clearly. Then the beat becomes very dynamic. Look in the technical part (page xxx) and listen to the CD to get the special “drive” of this beat.

Count the mãtrã: The third speed fits four times in one ãrati beat. Thus, in order to complete one Hare Këòøa mahã-mantra, you have to play 14 times third speed and one short tehãi.

The third speed is one of the most demanding kìrtana beats. You will need long time to manifest it properly. In this month, practice it seperately by playing continuously. Start slowly (in the tempo of the second speed), then gradually increase. Again: Don't forget your daily practice of hasta-sãdhana and hãtuti! Especially hãtuti 1 will give you the power to manifest the third speed.

Ninth MonthPractice Time

More Hãtuti and TehãiIn this month, you should mainly concentrate on learning the third speed and practicing the new tehãi—some of them are twice as long as the ãrati beat. The following two hãtuti prepare you for these tehãi. Hãtuti 7 is a longer version of HA 3 (page 20). See there for the translation.

HA 8 #dhereti dhe#reti dhere#ti dhereti #dhere dhere#da ghi tere tere #kheta takhi tere kheta#tereti te#reti tere#ti tereti #tere tere#ta khi tere tere #kheta takhi tere kheta#dad dhin tere tere #kheta takhi tere kheta#dad dhin dere geda #jhadad dhin #dere geda jha#dad dhin dere geda

The next hãtuti prepares your hand for tehãi number 10.

HA 9 #kot tete geghe tete #kota kota geghe tete#kot tete geghe tete #kota kota geghe tete#kota geghe tete kota #geghe tetegeghe tete #geghe tete geghe tete(#dha klan ta #tete kota gade ghine/#jha)§

Translation kot Left closedte Right 3 closedte Right 1 closedge Left open (not strong)ghe Left open (strong)ko Left closedta Right 4 opendha (like jha)klan ta (as in TEH 4, page 27)tete kota gade ghine (like tere kheta gade ghine in TEH 5, page 27)jha (as usual)

How to practice Take care of proper balance, especially that kota kota appears in proper sequence.

Practice these two mantras for about one week. Try to come to double speed level.

Tehãi 7 and 8 have the length of one full ãrati beat. Thus, play them like TEH 5 and 6, 29

starting from Rãma Rãma.

TEH 7 (#kheta tak #gade ghine/#dheiya)§ TEH 8 (#jhete tete #geghe tete/#jha kot)§Translation kheta (as usual)

tak Right 4 closed (strong)gade ghine dheiya (as in TEH 5, page 27)jhe Left open + Right 3 closedte Right 1 closedte Right 3 closedte Right 1 closedgeghe (as in HA 8 above)tete (as before)jha (as usual)kot Left closed (strong sound)

How to practice The last kot has to be played very boldly. Take care that the hand rests on the drumhead for one moment to properly deafen the sound.

As before, practice these tehãi separately first, while speaking the mantra. When you have become familiar with them, try to apply them by singing Hare Këòøa and playing ãrati beat. Also, practice hãtuti 1 and HS 5 and 6.

The next two tehãi have double length of the ãrati beat. Practice them separately first, while speaking the mantra. Afterwards you will learn how to apply them in kìrtana.

TEH 9 #tete tete #kheta ta #ti now na #kheta ta#dhow kheta #dhara kheta #dharta dh#arta dhar(#da guru gur dh#in ta dhin/#jha)§

Translation tete tete (as in TEH 8 above)kheta (as usual)ta Right 4 openti Right 3 closednow Right 1 open (double length of ti)na Right 1 openkheta ta (as before)dhow (like jha)kheta (as usual)dha (like jha)ra Right 4 opendhar (like jha)ta Right 4 openda guru gur (as usual)dhin (like jha—strong)ta Right 4 openjha (as usual)

How to practice This mantra has a special rhythm. If you divide one mãtrã into four parts, it appears as follows:

#dhar ' 'ta 'dhar # 'ta 'dhar '#da 'guru 'gur 'dhin # 'ta 'dhin '#jha

The sequence da guru gur dhin ta din jha is very important. It appears in numerous tehãi. Carefully listen to the CD to grasp the beat. Before playing, speak the mantra while clapping the mãtrã with the hands. This helps you to get a feeling for the beat.

The next tehãi needs no translation. The first double line you just learnt in hãtuti 7 and the end is identical with TEH 5. It is a very important beat. Later, you will learn how to play it in double speed.

TEH 10 #kot tete #geghe tete #kota kota #geghe tete#kot tete #geghe tete #kota kota #geghe tete(#tere kheta #gade ghine/#dheiya)§

How to Play Tehãi with Double Length of Ãrati BeatHere, you have to start with the tehãi from Hare Rãma, after having played one half beat plus one and a half—in other words, after the second khik khi neda gida gida. Look at the following example (again the standard melody of maùgala-ãrati):


Ha- re Kë- òøa



#khik '_khi #ne 'da #gi 'da #gi 'da #kot 'tete #geghe'tete #kota 'kota #geghe 'tete


##kot 'tete #geghe 'tete #kota 'kota #geghe 'tete#tere 'kheta #gade 'ghine #dhei 'ya #tere 'kheta


#gade 'ghine #dhei 'ya #tere 'kheta #gade 'ghine#dhei ' #ta 'uru #te 'te #ta '

Ha- re Ha- re Ha- re . . .

Decoration Mantras for Second and Third SpeedUsually, the second and third speed are played together. You can play, for example, Hare Këòøa in second speed and Hare Rãma in third speed, or you play second speed on the singer's part (one full mahã-mantra) and enter the third speed when the audience replies. As with the ãrati beat, you have to play tehãi at the end of each Hare Këòøa mahã-mantra or at the end of each line of the song if you sing ãrati. How this is done will be described in detail in the next month's lesson.

However, between second and third speed you cannot play tehãi. Else you would break the dynamic of the rhythm, because tehãi means “end of one line”. Here, we need other mantras which are called dvãra, the Bengali word for “gate”. These mantras are the gate from single to souble speed. The most common dvãra are:

D 1 #take ta#ke tak

D 2 #tak tak #tak tak #take ta#ke tak D 3 #tak tak #tak tak #tak tak ta#k ta tak D 4 #take ta#ke tak #tak tak ta#k ta tak D 5 #dhin ta#ke dhin #take ta#ke tak D 6 #dhin tak#_ tak#_ tak#_ tak

#take ta#ke #tak #tak tak ta#k ta takTranslation ta, tak Left closed + Right 4 open

ke Right 4 opendhin (like jha)

How to practice These mantras have their special “drive”. They are composed of five differemt elements. Look at the following scheme (again dividing each mãtrã into 4 parts): First half of D 2: #tak ' 'tak ' #tak ' 'tak

' Second half of D 2: #ta ' 'ke 'ta # 'ke 'tak ' Second half of D 3: #tak 'tak ' 'tak # 'ta 'tak

'Dhin take dhin is a triplet beat. Since dhin is twice as long as ta and ke, you have to play as follows (by dividing each mãtrã into 3 parts): First half of D 5: #dhin ' 'ta #ke 'dhin 'For showing the last dvãra, we divide each mãtrã into 2 parts: First half of D 6: #dhin 'tak #_ 'tak #_ 'tak #_

'takYou will have to listen to the CD to get the proper beat. Again, if you don't like these technical explanations, then just try to get the beat from listening. Still it is better to understand the mãtrã properly.

Speak these mantras frequently while listening to the CD, until you grasp the rhythm. Then play them separately and continuously, until you are familiar with them. Now read the explanation below and try to apply these mantras in kìrtana, first while speaking them, then while singing Hare Këòøa.

How to Enter Third Speed from Second SpeedHere is one example (again using the standard melody of maùgala-ãrati), with second speed on Hare Këòøa and third Speed on Hare Rãma. Between both, we play D 2. At the end we use a short tehãi and go back to the second speed:

#da'ghi #te 'te #ta 'ke #dhe'na

Ha- re Kë- òøa

##da 'ghi #te 'te #ta 'ke #dhe 'na ##da 'ghi #te 'te #ta'ke #dhe 'na


#tak 'tak #tak 'tak #ta 'ke ta # ke 'tak #daghi 'tete#take 'dhena #daghi 'tete #take 'dhena


#daghi 'tete #take 'dhena #daghi 'tete #take 'dhena##daghi 'tete #take 'dhena #daghi 'tete #take'dhena


#tere 'kheta #jha 'tere #kheta 'jha #tere 'kheta#da 'ghi #te 'te #ta 'ke #dhe 'na

Ha- re Ha- re Ha- re . . .

The other dvãra are played as follows: D 3, D 4 and D 5 follow the above scheme (like D 2). D1 is the last half of D2. Thus, you have to play the first half of second speed and then

D 1. In other words, instead of tak tak tak tak take take tak, you play da ghi tete take take tak.

Since D6 is twice as long as the other mantras, you have to start one beat before, on Këòøa Këòøa—instead of the third da ghi tete take dhena, you start with dhin tak~.

Some Special Kìrtana BeatsWhen the kìrtana comes to the end—when you sing, “Jaya Gaura-Nitãi”, “Jaya Prabhupãda”, and so on—you need some special mantras. The most common ones are as follows:

X 1 #dhei da dhei #ta kheta kheta Translation dhei Left open + Right 4 open (strong sound)

da (like dhei, but less strong)dhei (as above)ta Right 4 openkheta (as usual)

How to practice Note that the two kheta are played differently: As illustrated below, ta kheta has three beats on one half mãtrã, played as triplet, whereas in the last kheta there are only two beats on one half mãtrã. Thus, it is slower than the first one. Listen to the CD to get the rhythm.

#dhei 'da dhei #ta kheta 'kheta

X 2 #dheiya ta kheta #tak dhena kheta Translation dheiya (as in TEH 5, page 27)

ta kheta (as in X 1 above)tak Right 4 closed (strong sound—this note bears the melody)dhe (like jha)na Right 4 openkheta (as usual)

How to practice This is a triplet beat, as illustrated below:#dhei ' 'ya 'ta 'khe 'ta#tak ' 'dhe 'na 'khe 'ta

You have to play this beat with very constant rhythm in order to manifest it properly. Play the tak very strongly and clearly closed, with high pitch.

Practice these two beats separately first until you become familiar with them, then try to sing while playing them. Listen to the CD to get the beat.

Tenth MonthPractice Time

More Hasta-SãdhanaThis mantra prepares your hand for an important technique which will later find its way in many hãtuti and tehãi.

HS 10 #ghene ne ghene ne #ghene nere ghena #nere ghena ghena #tak tere kheta#khene ne khene ne #khene nere khena #nere khena khena #tak tere kheta

Translation ghene ne, ghene nere ghena,khene ne, khene nere knena (as in HS 4, page 9)tak Right 4 closed (strong)tere kheta (as usual)

How to practice The combinations ghene ne ghene ne and khene ne khene ne are important. They will appear in many different hãtuti and kìrtana beats. You might need some time to learn this technique in the beginning. Carefully practice by consciously applying the “swinging technique”. Study the explanation in the chapter about the basic beats (page xxx).

More HãtutiHere are three additional hãtuti for your daily practice. Especially HA 10 is very beneficial for your hand. It applies the new technique you have just learnt.

HA 10 (#ghene nere ghena)§ #tak tere kheta(#khene nere khena)§ #tak tere kheta#ghene nere ghena #ghene nere ghena #ghene ne ghene ne #tete te ghene ne #tete ghene tete #ghene tete ghene #ghene nere ghena #tak tere kheta#khene nere khena #khene nere khena #khene ne khene ne #tete te khene ne #tete khene tete #khene tete khene #khene nere khena #tak tere kheta

Translation ghene nere ghena,khene nere khena,tak, tere kheta (as in HS 10 above)tete te (like tereti in HA 3, page 20)

How to practice Now you will see the value of the above hasta-sãdhana HS 10. As in other mantras, you can practice the difficult parts separately. Play, for instance,

35

for one hour:ghene ne ghene ne tete te ghene netete ghene tete ghene tete ghenekhene ne khene ne tete te khene ne tete khene tete khene tete khene

Then, for the second hour, play the complete hãtuti.

HA 11 (#nin ta khi #tere kheta)§#khene nere #khena now #tak tere #kheta khene #nere khena(#nin da ghi #dere ghena)§#ghene nere #ghena now #dag dere #ghena ghene #nere ghena

Translation nin Right 1 upta Right 4 openkhi Left closedtere kheta (as usual)khene nere khena (as usual)now Right 4 opentak Right 4 closed (strong sound, as usual)nin (as above)da ghi (as usual)dere ghena (like dere gere in HA 2, page 19)ghene nere ghena (as usual)now (as above)dag Left open + Right 4 closed (strong, like tak above)

The following mantra has a very nice, rhythmic melody:

HA 12 #gheneta ghe#neta khete#ta gheneta#teteta te#teta khete#ta teteta#kheta ghena #kheta ta guru #gur da ghina(#teteta ta #kheta tak #dhena kheta/#jha _guru gur)§

Translation gheneta (like ghene ne in HA 9 above)kheteta (like khene ne in HA 9)teteta (like tete te in HA 9)kheta (as usual)ghe Left openta Right 4 openta Right 4 openguru gur da (as usual)ghina (like ghena)te Right 3 closedte Right 1 closedta ta Right 4 open (2 times)kheta (as usual)tak Right 4 closed (strong)dhe Left open + Right 4 openna Right 4 openkheta (as usual)jha guru gur (as usual)

How to practice As long as you play slowly, leave a long space after the jha and play the guru gur thereafter as fast as possible. Listen to the CD to hear the proper rhythm.

How to Play Different Hãtuti TogetherUntil now, you practiced each hãtuti seperately for (hopefully) one hour at least. Now you can start to play several hãtuti together. Precondition is that you know the mantras sufficiently—which means, you have to play them nicely in double speed. The system is easy: Usually you start with tehãi 1, including all the decorations as you have learnt before. After you have played tehãi 1 three or four times, thereby gradually increasing the

speed, play the common mantra D 0 in single speed. That means, after the hãtuti you get slow again. Then go to any other hãtuti without space.

As before, play that hãtuti several times, as you like, gradually increasing the speed until double speed (if you are really good, you play once in single speed and two times in double speed), then return to D 0 and after that take the next hãtuti. In this way continue for one hour without interruption.

More TehãiTehãi 12 is a variation of tehãi 11. Practice them together. Since both have double length of the ãrati beat, they start at Hare Rãma, like TEH 10.

TEH 11 #kot tete #geghe tete #kota geghe #neta kheta#ta_ #klanta #tete kota #gade ghine(#khi guru gur #da da/#jha)§

TEH 12 #kot tete #geghe tete #kota geghe #neta kheta#ta_ #klanta #tete kota #gade ghine#khi guru gur #da da #jha_ #tete tete#trikhi tak #jhatrikhi #tak jha#trikhi tak

Translation kot tete geghe tete,kota geghe (as in TEH 10, page 31)ne Right 1 openta Right 3 openkheta (as usual)ta klanta (as in TEH 4, page 27—but note the space after ta)tete kota gade ghine (like tere kheta gade ghine in TEH 5, page 27)khi Left closed (strong)guru gur (as usual)da da (like jha—2 times)jha (as usual—stronger than da da)tete (as above)

tri (like tere, but fast, on one beat)khi Left closed + Right 4 open (different than usual khi!)tak Right 4 closed (very strong)jha (as usual)

How to practice The combination tri—which is played as one beat—is a new technique. It is very important for bhajana, so practice trikhi tak jha separately if you have problems with it. You also can play (trikhi tak/jha)§as seperate tehãi from Hare Hare.

As before, practice these tehãi separately first, then add them to your kìrtana repertoire, by singing with them.

Mantras for Ending the KìrtanaAfter singing “Jaya Prabhupãda” and “Jaya Gaura-Nitãi” etc., the kìrtana normally ends or comes to a break. Then you change from dheiya ta kheta tak dhena kheta to the following mantra:

X 3 #dhei tat da #ta khi tat da #ta khi tat da #gida gida

Translation dhei (like jha)tat Right 4 closedda Left hand with palm + Right 4 openta Right 4 openkhi Left closedgi Left openda Left open + Right 4 open

How to practice The da is a new stroke. Look at the explanation in the technical part (page xxx). Play it quite strongly since it bears the melody.

Take care that you play the four left-hand strokes of gida gida with constant rhythm and strength. Listen to the CD.

First, practice this mantra and the next one separately. Afterwards, you will learn how to apply them in kìrtana.

The next mantra is for the final end:

X 4 #jha_ #dheita dh#eita dhei guru gur #da da da/*#khi

Translation jha (as usual)dhei (like jha, but strong)ta Right 4 openguru gur (as usual)da da da (like jha 3 times—not strong)khi Left closed

How to practice Note that the khi is soma (see page 6). Thus, if you stop the kìrtana completely, you play khi. Sometimes, however, you might start again, according to the mood of the singer. Then you have to skip the khi and play the next mantra (like dhei ta uru tete ta) immediately after the da da da. Hence, one mãtrã is omitted. You will see an example hereafter.

After the jha, you should slow down gradually. This is the standard way how to end a kìrtana.

How to End the KìrtanaWhen the singer starts with “Jaya Prabhupãda”, “Jaya Gaura-Nitãi”, or whatsoever, you play X 1 and X 2 as you have learnt before. Then change to dhei tat da ta khi tat da ta khi tat da gida gida. Normally, the kìrtana will stop soon. However, sometimes the leader gets the inspiration to sing “Jaya Prabhupãda” etc. for longer time. Then, you can go back to dheiya ta kheta tak dhena kheta and change between the last two beats. If the singer goes even back to Hare Këòøa, play again second and third speed, as usually. But you have to know when the kìrtana leader wants to end. Arrange some signs. Then you should play dhei tat da ta khi tat da~. When the audience sings the last line of the kìrtana, instead of playing gida gida, go immediately to jha dheita dheita dhei guru gur da da da khi. This looks as follows:

Ja- ya

###dhei ' 'da 'dhei #ta 'khe'ta 'khe'ta ##dhei ' 'da'dhei #ta 'khe 'ta ''khe 'ta

Pra- bhu- pã- da Ja- ya Pra- bhu- pã- da Ja- ya

##dhei ' 'da 'dhei #ta 'khe'ta 'khe'ta ##dhei ' 'da'dhei #ta 'khe 'ta ''khe 'ta

Pra- bhu- pã- da Ja- ya Pra- bhu- pã- da Pra- bhu-

#dhei' 'ya'ta 'khe 'ta #tak ' 'dhe 'na 'khe 'ta#dhei' 'ya'ta'khe 'ta #tak ' 'dhe 'na 'khe 'ta

pã- da Pra- bhu pã- da Pra- bhu-

##dhei' 'ya'ta 'khe 'ta #tak ' 'dhe 'na 'khe 'ta#dhei' 'ya'ta'khe 'ta #tak ' 'dhe 'na 'khe 'ta

pã- da Ja- ya Ja- ya Pra- bhu pã- da Ja- ya Ja- ya Pra- bhu-

#dhei ' 'tat 'da #ta 'khi 'tat 'da #ta 'khi 'tat 'da #gi 'da 'gi'da



pã- da Ja- ya Ja- ya Pra- bhu pã- da Ja- ya Ja- ya Pra- bhu-

#dhei ' 'tat 'da #ta 'khi 'tat 'da #ta 'khi 'tat 'da #jha '' '


#dhei ' 'ta 'dhei # 'ta 'dhei 'guru gur #da 'da 'da#khi

pã- da Ja- ya Ja- ya Pra- bhu pã- da.

As said before, in the last line you should gradually slow down the kìrtana because you come to the end.

If, however, the kìrtana continues after the last “Prabhupãda”, for example by singing again “Hare Këòøa” slowly, playing ãrati beat, you have to continue without space. In that case, the last jha is skipped, becaue it is soma, and instead you have to play dhei immediately, the first note of the ãrati beat. Consequently, the beat starts one mãtrã earlier—instead of the last “da” of “Prabhupãda” the singer has to start already with “Hare Këòøa”. Else, there would be one mãtrã space and the drive would be lost. Look at the following scheme:

Pra- bhu-



#dhei ' 'ta 'dhei # 'ta 'dhei 'guru gur #da 'da'da

pã- da Ja- ya Ja- ya Pra- bhu pã- da.

#dhei ' #ta 'uru #te 'te #ta ' #khik '_khi #ne 'da #gi'da #gi 'da

Ha- re Kë- òøa Ha- re Kë- òøaThe same happens if you continue with the third speed, as will be shown later in the Tulasì-pújã.

The Fourth SpeedThis beat makes the kìrtana very fired up and intense. It is played together with the second and third speed. Together, they form a unit. Practice separately until you can play it as fast as the third speed, then see how it is applied.

K 4 #dhena gighi #tat dhei ta #thena gighi #tat dhei ta

Translation dhe Left open + Right 3 closedna Right 1 opengighi (like geghe in TEH 10, page 31)tat Right 3 closeddhei Left open + Right 1 openta Right 1 openthe Left closed + Right 3 closed

(Rest as before)How to practice Look at the rhythm. As you see, this beat is twice as long as the third speed.

The dhei is twice as long as the tat and the ta. Thus, the sequence “3 closed—1 open—1 open” on the right hand is played differently than in the third speed. There is a space between the first “1 open” and the second one. By this, the beat becomes syncopic and obtains its special “swinging” character.

Also note that the ghi is stronger than the gi, but that the first note (dhe) is the strongest in the mantra—it bears the melody. You have to play very exactly and boldly in order to manifest this rhythm properly.

How to Play the Different Speeds TogetherThere are many varieties how to combine the first four speeds. How often you change between them depends on your inspiration and on the mood of the kìrtana. However, there is a standard system you have to follow in order to provide the proper flow of the melody:1. The Basic Principle

If you sing a song—like gaura-ãrati—the system is as follows: When the singer sings the first line (kibã jaya jaya gaura-candera ãratika-åobhã), you play first speed and tehãi when the audience responds. You can use tehãi which have half, single or double length of the ãrati beat. If the first line is repeated, you play in the same way, but you should use another tehãi.

When the singer sings the second line (jãhnavì-taóa-vane jaga-mano-lobha), you play second speed. On the audience's part, you enter third speed. If the line is

repeated, you play the same again or you stay in third speed, depending on the mood of the kìrtana. With the next stanza, you go back to the first speed, and so on.

When the song gets more fired-up, you can add the fourth speed. For example, when the singer repeats the second line, you stay in third speed and go to fourth speed with the audience. When it becomes very intense, you can skip the second speed and immediately enter third speed when the singer starts with the second line. Thus, you have the following possible combinations:First Line – Singer: 1. Speed

– Audience: 1. Speed with Tehãi– Singer: 1. Speed– Audience: 1. Speed with Tehãi

Second Line – Singer: 2. Speed

– Audience: 3. Speed

– Singer: 2. Speed

– Audience: 3. Speed

2. Speed3. Speed3. Speed3. Speed




How to use tehãi and dvãra (decoration) with second, third and fourth speed will be explained further below.

If you sing the Hare Këòøa mahã-mantra, you play first speed continuously as long as the kìrtana is soft and slow. Apply all the tehãi you have learnt, according to the mood of the kìrtana.

Once you have entered the second speed you should not go back to the first speed. Rather, change between second, third and fourth speed—as explained below—until the kìrtana comes to a break. Then only, as you start slowly again, can you go back to the first speed.

There are tehãi in four different kinds of length. You can use those which are: half as long as the ãrati beat (starting on Hare Hare) with 1., 2., 3., and 4 Speed, one time as long as the ãrati beat (starting on Rãma Rãma) with 1., 2., and 3. Speed, twice as long as the ãrati beat (starting on Hare Rãma) with 1. and 2. Speed, and four times as long as the ãrati beat (starting on Hare Këòøa) with 1. Speed only.The last kind of tehãi we did not introduce yet. They cover the whole Hare Këòøa mahã-mantra.

2. Entering a Higher Speed From first speed (ãrati beat) you go to the second speed after having finished one

full Hare Këòøa mahã-mantra with tehãi. However, you can enter third speed from second speed or fourth speed from third speed either at the beginning of the mahã-mantra (on Hare Këòøa) or in the middle (on Hare Rãma).

From second speed you enter third speed by playing dvãra (decoration), as shown in the last section.

In some cases you jump directly from first speed to third speed. One example is the Tulasì pújã, as shown in the next month's chapter. In this case you first have to finish the first speed with tehãi and then play dvãra immediately after the tehãi, in the same way as when you come from the second speed. Dvãra is the “gate” to the third speed—whenever you change to third speed you have to play dvãra before. In other words, after having played tehãi at the end of one mahã-mantra, you begin the next mahã-mantra with dvãra and then play third speed. For example:(on Hare Rãma) dhei ta uru tete ta

khik khi neda gida gida

(on Rãma Rãma) dhei ta uru tete ta(on Hare Hare) tere kheta jha tere kheta jha tere kheta (on Hare Këòøa) tak tak tak tak take take tak

daghi tete take dhena daghi tete take dhena~ You cannot jump from second speed to fourth speed. Rather, you have to go through

the third speed. Between third and fourth speed, you play neither tehãi nor dvãra. Rather, you shift

from third speed to fourth speed without space: (on Hare Rãma) daghi tete take dhena daghi tete take dhena

daghi tete take dhena daghi tete take dhena(on Rãma Rãma) daghi tete take dhena daghi tete take dhena (on Hare Hare) daghi tete take dhena daghi tete take dhena(on Hare Këòøa) dhene gighi tat dhei ta thene gighi tat dhei ta~

3. Playing One Speed Continuously As long as you stay in the first speed (ãrati beat), play tehãi at the end of each

mahã-mantra. The same applies to the second speed, with the only difference that you cannot use long tehãi starting on Hare Këòøa, as shown in the list above.

If you stay in the third speed continuously, play dvãra at the end of the mahã-mantra and again third speed. For example: (on Hare Rãma) daghi tete take dhena daghi tete take dhena

daghi tete take dhena daghi tete take dhena (on Rãma Rãma) daghi tete take dhena daghi tete take dhena (on Hare Hare) tak tak tak tak take take tak(on Hare Këòøa) daghi tete take dhena daghi tete take dhena~

If the kìrtana gets very dynamic, you can play both tehãi (at the end of one mahã-mantra) and dvãra immediately afterwards (starting with the next mahã-mantra). As explained before, you can use the first two kinds of tehãi (starting on Rãma Rãma or on Hare Hare). For example: (on Hare Rãma) daghi tete take dhena daghi tete take dhena

daghi tete take dhena daghi tete take dhena (on Rãma Rãma) tere kheta gade ghine dheiya tere kheta(on Hare Hare) gade ghine dheiya tere kheta gade ghine (on Hare Këòøa) tak tak tak tak take take tak

daghi tete take dhena daghi tete take dhena~ Normally, you don't play fourth speed longer than one mahã-mantra—it is too

intense. The standard is that you play third speed on the singer's part and fourth speed when the audience is responding. Then you return to a lower speed. Only if the kìrtana is very fired up and continues for long time on the level of third and fourth speed, you can play fourth speed for more than one mahã-mantra. In that case, you play neither dvãra nor tehãi, just continue with fourth speed. As soon as you play tehãi after fourth speed, you have to go back to a lower speed. This is a hard rule.

Consequently, you cannot play fourth speed continuously when singing a song. (like in the above example of the gaura-ãrati). Here, you can play fourth speed only on the audience's part, because you have to end each line of the song with tehãi.

4. Going Back to a Lower Speed You can go back to a lower speed only at the end of the Hare Këòøa mahã-mantra,

not in the middle. Also, you never should play the singer's part in a higher speed than the audience's response. That would greatly disrupt the natural flow of the kìrtana. Go back after the audience's part If you sing a song, you can go back to a lower speed only at the end of a line, and only with the beginning of a new stanza can you go back to the first speed, as shown under (1).

From third speed you go back as shown in the last section, by playing tehãi. As said

before, you can play tehãi starting on Rãma Rãma or on Hare Hare. After fourth speed, you have to play short tehãi, starting on Hare Hare. If you are

singing the mahã-mantra, you can return either to the second speed (this is the standard way), or if the kìrtana is very fired-up, go immediately to the third speed. Then, in order to properly enter the third speed, you have to play dvãra immediately after tehãi. An example for the last choice is: (on Hare Rãma) dhene gighi tat dhei ta thene gighi tat dhei ta

dhene gighi tat dhei ta thene gighi tat dhei ta(on Rãma Rãma) dhene gighi tat dhei ta thene gighi tat dhei ta(on Hare Hare) tere kheta jha tere kheta jha tere kheta(on Hare Këòøa) tak tak tak tak take take tak

da gi tete take dhena da gi tete take dhena~5. Summary

The following pattern summarizes the different possibilities while singing the Hare Këòøa mahã-mantra:

1. Speed = Tehãi 1. Speed . . .1. Speed = Tehãi 2. Speed = Tehãi 2. Speed. . .1. Speed = Tehãi 2. Speed = Dvãra 3. Speed = Tehãi 2. Speed. . .1. Speed = Tehãi 2. Speed = Dvãra 3. Speed = Dvãra 3. Speed . . .1. Speed = Tehãi 2. Speed = Dvãra 3. Speed = Tehãi = Dvãra 3. Speed . . .1. Speed = Tehãi 2. Speed = Dvãra 3. Speed = 4. Speed = Tehãi 2. Speed . . .1. Speed = Tehãi 2. Speed = Dvãra 3. Speed = 4. Speed = Tehãi = Dvãra 3. Speed . . .1. Speed = Tehãi = Dvãra 3. Speed . . . 2. Speed = Tehãi 2. Speed. . .2. Speed = Dvãra 3. Speed = Tehãi 2. Speed. . .2. Speed = Dvãra 3. Speed = Dvãra 3. Speed . . .2. Speed = Dvãra 3. Speed = Tehãi = Dvãra 3. Speed . . .2. Speed = Dvãra 3. Speed = 4. Speed = Tehãi 2. Speed . . .2. Speed = Dvãra 3. Speed = 4. Speed = Tehãi = Dvãra 3. Speed . . .3. Speed = Dvãra 3. Speed . . .3. Speed = Tehãi = Dvãra 3. Speed . . .3. Speed = 4. Speed = Tehãi 2. Speed . . .3. Speed = 4. Speed = Tehãi = Dvãra 3. Speed . . .3. Speed = 4. Speed = 4. Speed = Tehãi 2. Speed . . .3. Speed = 4. Speed = 4. Speed = Tehãi = Dvãra 3. Speed . . .This is the basic system. If it looks confusing, just go through it while singing in the mind. You will quickly get the idea. Now you can play any kìrtana in dynamic, diversified manner. If you sing a song, follow the scheme set up under (1). When you sing the mahã-mantra, start by playing the ãrati beat with the different short and long tehãi you have learnt so far. Then enter the second speed and play according to the above scheme. If the kìrtana comes to a break or to the end, play the special beats. If the singer starts again, go back to ãrati beat. And so on—you can continue for hours, without getting bored, because you always will find new combinations and variations.

You don't need to speculate, everything is included in this system. Please study the chapter about how to play in kìrtana (page xxx), in order to get a better understanding and feeling for communicating amongst each other.

Eleventh MonthPractice Time

More HãtutiThe following mantra trains the change between single and double speed and the important sequence tere tere kheta takhi tere kheta.

HA 13 #dha dhene #nake dhene #dhene nake #dhene dhene#dad dhin tere tere #kheta takhi tere kheta#tere kheta tere tere #kheta takhi tere kheta

Translation dha (like jha)dhe Left open + Right 1 closedne Right 3 closedna Right 1 upke Left open (not strong)dad dhin tere tere~ (as usual)

The next hãtuti you will improve your feeling for rhythm, since it is syncopic. It is also very beneficial for the concentration of the mind.

HA 14 #kot ta #ghenere #kotak #ghenere#kot te#te tete #kotak #ghenere#grighi te#te tete #kotak #ghenere#kota thu#n thun #trithun #na#khi khi te#te khi khi #tete khi #khi tete(#khi guru gur #da ghine/#jha)§

Translation kot Left closedta Right 4 openghe Left openne Right 3 openre Right 1 openko Left closed tak Right 4 closed (strong)kot (as before)te Right 3 closedte Right 1 closedtete (same again)gri Left open + (Right like tri in TEH 12, page 37)ghi Left open (stronger than gri)tete tete kotak~ (as before)

kota (as before)thun thun Left closed + Right 4 open (2 times)trithun (as trikhi in TEH 12)na Right 4 openkhi khi Left closed (2 times)tete (as above)khi Left closedguru gur (as usual)da ghi (as usual)ne Right 4 openjha (as usual)

How to practice Look at the rhythm. It is a triplet beat, and the following notes have double length, as their name indicates: kot (but not ko!), tak, and thun. With this information you should be able to find out the beat yourself. Listen to the CD, speak the mantra without playing and thus learn the rhythm. You have to concentrate strongly in order to play without mistakes.

More TehãiHere are three more long tehãi, starting from Hare Rãma. Tehãi 13 is extremely important for harinãma-saùkìrtana. It is very powerful and also useful for training your hand. Tehãi 14 is a variation of that, so you can learn them together.

TEH 13 #dhere tete #dhere tete #da ghi tete #dhere ta khi #tere kheta #gade ghine #ta ki ti jha#uti jha(#tere kheta #gade ghine/#dheiya)§

TEH 14 #dhere tete #da ghi tete #dhere ta khi #tere kheta#gade ghine #ta ki ti jha#uti jha #tere kheta(#tere kheta #gade ghine/#dheiya)§

Translation dhere tete (like in HA 7, page 26)da (like jha)ghi Left open (stronger than da)tete dhere (as above)ta Right 4 openkhi Left closedtere kheta gade ghine (as usual)ta Right 4 openkhi Left closedti Right 4 openjha Left open + Right 3 closedu Right 1 closedti Right 3 closedjha (as usual)tere kheta gade ghine~ (as usual)

How to practice Play with very strict, precise rhythm, like a machine, and take care that the closed strokes with 1 - 3 fingers are clearly closed, with high pitch. Then the mantra will manifest.

Practice these mantras intensely, like hasta-sãdhana or hãtuti, for one hour

continuously. In the next chapter you will learn how to play them in double speed to make the kìrtana fired-up. So try to come to that level, but without losing your clear stroke.

TEH 15 (#da da #gade ghine #da da #gade ghine/#jha #_trekhet)§

Translation da da (like jha 2 times)gade ghine jha (as usual)tre (like tri)khet Left closed (very strong)

How to practice The sequence tre and khet is played very closely together, but they are still two seperate strokes. Note the space before, which indicates that trekhet takes only one quarter mãtrã, like ga or de—it has to be played fast. Also take care that you play khet very strong and flat, leaving the hand on the skin thereafter.

This mantra is actually a double speed mantra starting from Rãma Rãma. As with the two mantras above, try to come to that level.

Another Special MantraThis mantra is played in Gaura-ãrati when you interrupt the melody and sing jaga jana mano lobha or åaùkha bãje gaøóha bãje. Listen to the tape how to accompany the singer with this beat.

X 5 #dhei ta thei #tak ta thei #tak ta thei #tak da da da

Translation dhei Left open + Right 4 openta Right 4 openthei Left closed + Right 4 opentak Right 4 closed (strong)da da da (like jha—3 times)

How to practice Note the rhythm: dhei and tak are as long as ta thei together. The triplet da da da has the same length, so you have to play it faster.

As long as the singer sings jaga jana mano lobha, you play this beat. As soon as he continues with gaurãùgera ãratika åobha, you play dheiya ta kheta tak dhena kheta and so on. When he returns to the normal melody, continue with the ãrati beat.

Playing Tehãi in Double SpeedWe have compared the basic speeds to rice and the different tehãi to the various sabjì preperations that make the kìrtana tasty. However, the actual “spice” is added if you can play tehãi in double speed. That makes the kìrtana really fired-up. The system to play a mantra in single speed one time and then two times in double speed is a standard element in playing Mëdaùga. By this, you enter the advanced level, and you have to approach it gradually. Maybe you are not yet ready for it, but at least you should be familiar with the system. Then the goal is before your eye and you can see how much more you have to practice in order to enter the real world of playing Mëdaùga. Moreover, in the next chapter you will meet with tehãi to be played in double speed only. So be prepared for that.

Now you will learn how to play a tehãi first in single and then in double speed. Practice this method with TEH 10 and TEH 13, since they are most important. The system is easy: When the singer sings Hare Rãma, you play tehãi in single speed, as usually. When

the audience sings Hare Rãma, you play the same tehãi in double speed, two times in succession without space. Two times double speed equals one time single speed—thus, you are at the end of the mahã-mantra, like before. This looks as follows:

(First kot tete geghe tete~ in single speed as usual, then:)#dhei ' #ta 'uru #te 'te #ta 'Ha- re Kë- òøa

#khik '_khi #ne 'da #gi 'da #gi 'daHa- re Kë- òøa

#dhei ' #ta 'uru #te 'te #ta 'Kë- òøa Kë- òøa

#khik '_khi #ne 'da #gi 'da #gi 'daHa- re Ha- re

#kot tete 'geghe tete #kota kota 'geghe tete kot tete 'geghe tete #kota kota 'geghe tete

Ha- re Rã- ma

##tere kheta 'gade ghine #dheiya 'tere kheta #gade ghine 'dheiya #tere kheta 'gade ghineHa- re Rã- ma

##kot tete 'geghe tete #kota kota 'geghe tete kot tete 'geghe tete #kota kota 'geghe tete

Rã- ma Rã- ma

###tere kheta 'gade ghine #dheiya 'tere kheta #gade ghine 'dheiya #tere kheta 'gade ghineHa- re Ha- re

#dhei ' #ta 'uru #te 'te #ta 'Ha- re Kë- òøa . . .

(Now dhere tete dhere tete daghi tete~ in single speed, then:)

#dhei ' #ta 'uru #te 'te #ta 'Ha- re Kë- òøa

#khik '_khi #ne 'da #gi 'da #gi 'daHa- re Kë- òøa

#dhei ' #ta 'uru #te 'te #ta 'Kë- òøa Kë- òøa

#khik '_khi #ne 'da #gi 'da #gi 'daHa- re Ha- re

#dhere tete 'dhere tete #daghi tete dhere daghitere kheta 'gade ghine #taki ti jha 'uti jha

Ha- re Rã- ma

##tere kheta 'gade ghine #dheiya 'tere kheta #gade ghine 'dheiya #tere kheta 'gade ghineHa- re Rã- ma

#dhere tete 'dhere tete #daghi tete dhere daghitere kheta 'gade ghine #taki ti jha 'uti jha

Rã- ma Rã- ma

###tere kheta 'gade ghine #dheiya 'tere kheta #gade ghine 'dheiya #tere kheta 'gade ghineHa- re Ha- re


Start slowly by using a metronome, first while speaking the tehãi, later while trying to sing the mahã-mantra. You can apply this system with any tehãi—also the short ones—provided your hand is ready. For example: #dhei ' #ta 'uru #te 'te #ta '

Ha- re Rã- ma

#khik '_khi #ne 'da #gi 'da #gi 'daHa- re Rã- ma

#dhei ' #ta 'uru #te 'te #ta 'Rã- ma Rã- ma

#kheta kheta 'jha kheta #kheta jha 'kheta kheta #kheta kheta 'jha kheta #kheta jha 'kheta

khetaHa- re Ha- re


Practice by playing continuously only the tehãi, once in single speed and twice in double speed:

#kheta 'kheta #jha 'kheta #kheta 'jha #kheta 'kheta#kheta kheta 'jha kheta #kheta jha 'kheta kheta

#kheta kheta 'jha kheta #kheta jha 'kheta kheta

Or with any other tehãi:#tere 'kheta #jha 'tere #kheta 'jha #tere 'kheta#tere kheta 'jha tere #kheta jha 'tere kheta #tere kheta 'jha tere #kheta jha 'tere kheta

More demanding is the following one:#kheta 'guru gur #jha 'kheta #guru gur 'jha

#kheta 'guru gur#kheta guru gur 'jha kheta #guru gur jha 'kheta guru gur

#kheta guru gur 'jha kheta #guru gur jha 'kheta guru gur

The same system can be used with longer tehãi:#da 'da #gade 'ghine #jha 'guru gur #da 'da#gade 'ghine #jha 'guru gur #da 'da #gade

'ghine#da da 'gade ghine #jha guru gur 'da da #gade ghine 'jha guru gur#da da 'gade ghine#da da 'gade ghine #jha guru gur 'da da #gade ghine 'jha guru gur#da da 'gade ghine

Gradually enhance this practice by playing the first line two, four, or eight times and then the second line in the same number. Start very slowly and progressively increase the speed, like with hasta-sãdhana.

Once your hand gets ready to play real double speed, you can apply the same principle to your daily practice of hasta-sãdhana and hãtuti. Play any mantra continuously one time in single speed and then twice in double speed. Or play two times in single speed and four times in double speed, and so forth. This is a good training to obtain a feeling for the change of speed. You will greatly benefit from such practice in kìrtana—and your sãdhana becomes more variegated. However, your hand must be ready. If not, continue as before, by gradually increasing the speed during your one-hour practice time.

Twelveth MonthPractice Time

More HãtutiThis mantra has a nice melody. It helps you to concentrate on the rhythm and to learn to produce a sweet sound on the Mëdaùga.

HA 15 #dhini ta #dhini #da dhini #dhini #tini ti#ni tini #da dhini #dhini#ghene ta #ghene ta #khete ta #ghene ta#kheta ghe#na kheta #da ghi ne#ta kheta(#tak ta#k tak #takta #da ghine/#jha #_guru gur)§

Translation dhi Left open + Right 3 closedni Right 1 closedta Right 3 closeddhi Left open + Right 1 closedni Right 3 closedda Left open + Right 4 opendhi Left open + Right 1 closedni Right 3 closeddhini (same again)ti Right 3 closedni Right 1 closedtini tini (same again)da dhini dhini (as above)ghene ta ghene ta khete ta ghene ta,kheta ghena kheta (as in HA 12, page 36)da (like jha)ghi Left openne Right 1 upta Right 4 openkheta (as usual)tak tak tak Right 4 closed (3 times)takta (like klanta in TEH 4, page 27) da ghi (as before)ne Right 4 openjha guru gur (as usual)

How to practice Note the triplet rhythm. The second, fourth and sixth dhini have a space after the ni. The sequence tak tak tak takta daghi ne is played as follows:

#tak ' 'tak # 'tak ' #tak ' 'ta #da 'ghi'ne

The next mantra makes your right hand very fast. It is a double speed mantra—look at the mãtrã dashes. Practice intensely for some time; you soon will see the benefit.

HA 16 #jha jha jha #tere tere tere tere #kheta takhi tere kheta #tere kheta tere tere #kheta takhi tere kheta#ta ta ta #tere tere tere tere #kheta takhi tere kheta #tere kheta tere tere #kheta takhi tere kheta#dad dhin tere tere #kheta takhi tere kheta #tere kheta tere tere #kheta takhi tere kheta#dad dhin dere geda #jhadad dhin #dere geda jha#dad dhin dere geda

Translation jha jha jha (as usual)tere kheta (as usual)tere tere kheta takhi tere kheta (as in HA 3, page 20)ta ta ta Right 4 open (3 times)dad dhin dere geda jha (as in HA 3)

How to practice Look at the rhythm: jha jha jha and ta ta ta are played inthe same way as dad dhei ta in hãtuti 1. That means, if you divide the mãtrã into eight parts, the first two notes bear three parts respectively and the third note takes the last two parts.

This is a double speed mantra. You should come to such a level that you can play the ending (dad dhin dere geda/jha) as fast as a short tehãi in kìrtana (like tere kheta/jha). Look at the mãtrã dashes. If you are not on that level, you know how much more you have to practice. But be patient! If you just continue you surely will come to that level.

More TehãiThe next tehãi is very dynamic. Use it for fired-up kìrtana like gaura-ãrati. It starts at Hare Rãma.

TEH 16 #tata tata #kata kata #ghu ghu #rata rata#dhapata dha#pata dhani #dhakagra #bajata(#da guru gur dh#in_ ta dhin/#jha)§

Translation ta Right 3 closedta Right 1 closedtata (same again)kata kata (like kheta kheta)ghu ghu Left open (2 times)ra Right 1 closedta Right 3 closedrata (same again)

dha Left open + Right 3 closedpa Right 1 closedta Right 3 opendhapata (same again)dha Left open + Right 1 closedni Right 3 opendha Left open + Right 4 closedka Left closed (strong)gra Right 4 openba (like jha)ja Left openta Right 4 openda guru gur dhin ta dhin jha (as in TEH 9, page 30)

How to practice Look at the rhythm: In dhapata dhapata dhani, each note takes one fourth of the mãtrã. Play it in strict beat. The sequence dhakagra bajata is played as follows:

#dha'ka ' 'gra #ba ' 'ja 'taPlay the ka very strongly. It adds a tasteful “spice” to this mantra.

The last four tehãi are quite demanding. Most probably, you will not be ready to apply them in kìrtana immediately. But since they are very important and beautiful—they actually introduce you to the realm of advanced Mëdaùga beats—you should practice them steadily, like hasta-sãdhana, until your hand gets ready.

At least in slow kìrtana you will be able to apply tehãi 17. It starts at Hare Rãma. The combination drege is very important for bhajana beats, so practice nicely.

TEH 17 #dha ta dhi #drege dhene #da dhi na dhi #drege dhene#ta ta thi #trekhe thene #ta thi na thi #trekhe thene(#da dhin da #drege dhene/#jha kot)§

Translation dha (like jha—strong, but not too strong)ta Right 1 updhi Left open + Right 1 closeddre Left open + (Right like tri in TEH 12, page 37)ge (like jha)dhe Left open + Right 1 closedne Right 3 openda Left open + Right 1 updhi (as before)na Right 3 opendhi drege dhene (as before)ta Right 4 open (strong, but not too strong)ta Right 1 upthi Left closed + Right 1 closedtrekhe (like trikhi)the (like thi before)ne Right 3 openta Right 1 upthi (as before)na Right 3 openthi trekhe thene (as before)

da Left open + Right 1 updhin Left open + Right 1 closed da (like jha—strong, but not too strong)drege dhene (as before)jha kot (as in TEH 8, page 30)

How to practice The first note in both the first and second line take each half of the mãtrã; thus they are twice as long as the other notes. The same applies to the dhin in the last line—it makes the beat syncopic. Listen to the CD.

You have to make your hand strong and smooth simultanesously in order to manifest the sweet sound of this mantra. It is a good exercise for practicing the change between 1—3 fingers and 4 fingers—thumb (in drege). Practice the first four lines seperately for long time, like hasta-sãdhana. Later, when you enter the realm of bhajana beats, you will greatly benefit from this effort.

The next two tehãi are real double speed beats. Look at the mãtrã dashes: tere kheta gade ghine dheiya is as long as a short tehãi, which means half as long as TEH 5. Also, tere kheta jha has to be played twice as fast as in the original tehãi (TEH 2).

Tehãi 18 (starting on Rãma Rãma) is the shorter version of tehãi 19 which starts on Hare Rãma. Practice them together.

TEH 18 #dhauti nit#ya kheta #ta tere tere #kheta takhi tere kheta#tere kheta gade ghine #dheiyatere kheta #gade ghine dheiya#tere kheta gade ghine

TEH 19 #dhauti nit#ya kheta #ta tere tere #kheta takhi tere kheta#tauti nit#ya kheta #ta tere tere #kheta takhi tere kheta#tere kheta jha tere #kheta jha tere kheta #ta tere tere #kheta takhi tere kheta#tere kheta gade ghine #dheiyatere kheta #gade ghine dheiya#tere kheta gade ghine

Translation dhauti (like jhauti in TEH 13, page 46)ni Right 1 uptya Right 4 openkheta (as usual)ta Right 4 open (strong)tere tere kheta takhi tere kheta (as in HA 3, page 20)tauti (like dhauti, but only right hand plays)tere kheta jha (as TEH 2, page 23, but double speed)tere kheta gade ghine dheiya (as TEH 5, page 27, but double speed)

How to practice The first line is played as follows:#dha'u 'ti 'ni # 'tya 'khe 'ta~

The third line of TEH 19 (tauti nitya kheta) follows this rhythm.

Now you will see the value of practicing tere tere kheta takhi tere kheta so intensly. You have to play it in double speed, else you cannot apply it in kìrtana.

The last tehãi of this course book is again a pure double speed mantra. It is yet very sweet and beautiful. The sequence dhene ne tete te is also very substantial for bhajana. Moreover, this tehãi introduces a new important combination, namely ta kuru khur Practice with metronome in order to get a feeling for the rhythm.

TEH 20 #dhene ne dhene ne #tete te dhene ne#dhene dhene dhene #ta khuru khur ta thene#ta khuru khur ta thene #dhin ta dhina#dhin ta dhina #dhin ta dhina#jha tere tere kheta tak #tere tere kheta tak tere kheta#dhin ta dhina #dhin ta dhina#jha tere tere kheta tak #tere tere kheta tak tere kheta#dhin ta dhina #dhin ta dhina

Translation dhe Left open + Right 1 upne Right 1 closedne Right 3 opente te te (like dhene ne before, but only the right hand plays)dhene (as before)ta Right 1 upkhuru khur (khenere khena—like guru gur, but left hand closed instead of open)ta Right 1 upthe Left closed + Right 1 closedne Right 3 opendhin Left open + Right 3 open ta Right 1 opendhi (like dhin above, but half of its length)na (like ta above, but double length)jha (as usual)tere tere kheta (as usual)tak Right 4 closed (strong)

How to practice Look at the rhythm. Each mãtrã takes six notes. That means, khuru and khur are as short as ta, similar to da guru gur. The sequence dhin ta dhina is played as follows:

#din ' 'ta 'dhi'na '_The sequence jha tere tere~ is actually in triple speed. Therefore this mantra is so demanding. Look at the scheme:

#jha ' 'tere 'tere 'kheta 'tak#tere'tere 'kheta 'tak'tere 'kheta

Practice this sequence seperately for some time until you gain the proper speed.

More Special MantrasFinally, here are two mantras which you need when singing “Jaya Prabhupãda” etc. When the kìrtana is really fast, the singer usually makes a break and continues slowly: “Ja - - - ya — Pra-pu-pã-da . . .”. In that case, you play the two following mantras:

X 6 #ja ja jhe#na jhena #ja jhena #jhenow_#ta ta the#na thena #ta thena #thenow_

X 7 #ja jhena #jhenow_#ta thena #thenow_

Translation ja (like jha)jhe (like ja, but strong)na Right 4 opennow (same, but double length)ta Right 4 openthe Left closed + Right 4 open (strong)na, now (as before)

How to Play “Jaya Prabhupãda” SlowlyWhen the singer interrupts the rhythm by singing a long “Ja - - - ya”, you stop playing. On “Pra-bhu-pã-da” you continue with X 6 and then X 7 as follows:

Ja - — ya —

#ja 'ja 'jhe #na 'jhe 'na #ja 'jhe 'na #jhe 'now 'Pra- bhu- pã- da — Ja- ya

#ta 'ta 'the #na 'the 'na #ta 'the 'na #the 'now 'Pra- bhu- pã- da —

#ja 'ja 'jhe #na 'jhe 'na #ja 'jhe 'na #jhe 'now 'Pra- bhu- pã- da — Ja- ya

#ta 'ta 'the #na 'the 'na #ta 'the 'na #the 'now 'Pra- bhu- pã- da — Pra- bhu-

#ja 'jhe 'na #jhe 'now ' #ta 'the 'na #the'now '

pã- da Pra- bhu-


pã- da Pra- bhu-


pã- da Ja- ya Ja- ya Pra- bhu-


pã- da Ja- ya Ja- ya Pra- bhu-

#ja 'jhe 'na ~pã- da ~

When the kìrtana gets too fast to play jha jhena jhenow ta thena thenow, change to dheiya ta kheta tak dhena kheta and continue as usual. If you can play the above mantras nicely, you will add a very dynamic mood to the kìrtana.

How to Play the Standard Kìrtana MelodiesWe want to end this twelve-month course with an overview how to play the standard kìrtana in an ISKCON temple program. Of course, we can give no strict rules how to play (and do not want so), because your contribution as Mëdaùga player depends mainly on the mood of the kìrtana singer—you have to follow him, not the other way! Still, there are some general rules which will help you to play nicely in kìrtana.

The gaura-ãrati has already been explained on page 40, also how to play to the Hare Këòøa mahã-mantra. So here are some hints regarding the songs of the morning program:1. Maùgala Ãrati

Basically, you play like in gaura-ãrati. But since the mood during the brahma-muhúrta is much more peaceful, you have to play more softly than in the evening. Therefore, use short tehãi rather than fired-up long ones. (However, TEH 17 and TEH 20 sound wonderful in the morning if you can play them nicely.)

You should start with second and third speed not before coming to the fifth stanza (årì rãdhikã-mãdhavayor apãra), except if the singer demands them before.

The fourth speed should not be played in this song. Only if you have a very dynamic singer, you can play it shortly at the end of the mahã-mantra part.

2. Nësiõha-Stotram Play the first part (until nësiõham ãdiõ åaraøaõ prapadye) in ãrati beat, with different

short and middle long tehãi at the end of each second line. From tava-kara-kamala-vare until tanu-bhëùgam, play second speed, with dvãra at

the end so that you can enter the third speed on keåava-dhëta. Play third speed from keåava-dhëta until the end of the line and finish with a short

tehãi. Repeat the same sequence on the audience's part, but use different dvãra and tehãi.

It sounds nice if you play take take tak on the singer's part and tak tak tak tak take take tak when the audience responds. If this part is repeated, you can use for example D 3 and D 4.

If the kìrtana gets more fired-up—especially in the evening, after gaura-ãrati—you can enter fourth speed on jaya jagadìåa hare. Return to second speed at the end of the line, as before.

3. Tulasì-Pújã Here is a nice system for this song:

1. Line – Singer (namo namo tulasi këòøa-preyasi namo namaæ) 1. Speed – Audience Full-length Tehãi12. Line – Singer (rãdhã-këòøa-sevã-pãvo ei abilãsì) 2. Speed, ending with Dvãra – Audience 3. Speed, ending with TehãiRefrain– Singer (namo namo tulasi këòøa-preyasi namo namaæ) 3. Speed, starting with Dvãra – Audience 4. Speed, ending with TehãiRepeat this sequence until you come to the last stanza— usually it is sung in a

1 That means, tehãi starting on Hare Rãma

different melody:1. Line – Singer (dìna këòøa-dãse koya ei yena more hoya) X 1 (dhei ta dhei ta kheta~) – Audience X 12. Line – Singer (årì-rãdhã-govinda-preme sadã yena bhãòi) X 2 (dheiya ta kheta~) – Audience X 22. Line – Singer (årì-rãdhã-govinda-preme sadã yena bhãòi) X 3 (dhei tat da ta khi~) – Audience X 3, ending with X 4Refrain– Singer (namo namo tulasi këòøa-preyasi namo namaæ) 3. Speed, starting with Dvãra – Audience 4. Speed, ending with TehãiHere you end with X 4 and immediately continue with third speed. Remember, you have to skip the last khi, since it is soma, and instead enter dvãra immediately (compare to the standard way to end the kìrtana, page 39). In other words, you play:


årì- rã- dhã- go- vi- nda- pre- me


sa- dã yena bhã- òi


årì- rã- dhã- go- vi- nda- pre- me

#dhei ' 'ta 'dhei # 'ta 'dhei 'guru gur #da 'da'da

sa- dã yena bhã- òi.

#tak 'tak #tak 'tak #ta ke ' ta # ke 'tak #da ghi'tete #take dhena #da ghi 'tete #take dhena

namo namo tu-

##da ghi 'tete #take dhena #da ghi 'tete #takedhena #da ghi 'tete #take dhena #da ghi 'tete#take dhena

la- si kë- òøa- pre- ya si

Another system is to sing each line two times, instead of repeating the refrain after each line. Then you can play as follows: 1. Line – Singer (ye tomãra åaraøa laya, tãra vãñca púrøa haya) 1. Speed – Audience 1. Speed with Short Tehãi1. Line – Singer 1. Speed – Audience Full-length Tehãi2. Line – Singer (këpã kari' kara tãre vëndãvana-vãsì) 2. Speed, ending with Dvãra – Audience 3. Speed, ending with Tehãi2. Line – Singer 3. Speed, starting with Dvãra

– Audience 4. Speed, ending with Tehãi

4. Guru-Pújã This song has two melodies. Usually, the second melody starts with cakòudhana-dila

yei, but sometimes later, on årì-guru karuøã-sindhu. It depends on the mood of the singer, since the second melody is more dynamic. You have to find out when the singer changes because you will have to change the beat accordingly.

The first melody is accompanied with first, second and third speed, according to the mood. Follow the principle of maùgala-ãrati (first line ãrati beat with tehãi, second line just so when the kìrtana is slow, and with second and third speed if it gets faster).

For the second melody you have to play X 1 and X 2, as above in the tulasì-pújã. The rule is that you play X 2 in the second line whenever you have played X 1 in the first line. These two mantras belong together.

The last line (hã hã prabhu kara dayã deho more pãda-chãyã) is often sung in half speed. Then you play X 6 (ja ja jhena jhena ja jhena jhenow) on the first line and X 7 (ja jhena jhenow) on the second line. These two mantras also have to be played together: Whenever you play X 6 in the first line, you have to play X 7 in the second line.

5. Finishing the KìrtanaAll songs are finished in the standard way, as you have learnt in Chapter 10. In a later course book you will learn many more mantras and decorations for this and other cases. Until then, play the standard system—it is very nice and pleases Këòøa, because it follows the paramparã. Try to become a better Mëdaùga player by improving your hand and developing your feeling for rhythm and speed, rather than trying to add more “varieties” by cribbing some speculation beats from other players. Këòøa and the devotees will be very thankful for this endeavor and you soon will derive the fruit of your sincerity.

AppendixGlossary

List of Verses QuotedList of Mantras Taught in This Book

Abbreviations:[ttkttk] = tere tere kheta takhi tere kheta[gng] = ghene nere ghena[knk] = khene nere khena

1. Hasta-SãdhanaNumber Chapter Page Mantra HS 1 1 3 tere khetaHS 2 1 3 tere kheta tere tere khetaHS 3 1 3 tere kheta tere kheta tere tere tere kheta tikhi takhi tere kheta kheta takhi tere

khetaHS 4 3 9 [gng] geda [knk] khetaHS 5 4 14 khete tete tete kheta khete tete kheta khete tete kheta tete kheta

tete tete tete kheta tete tete kheta tete tete kheta tete khetakhete tete tete kheta tete tete tete khetakhete tete kheta khete tete kheta tete kheta tete tete kheta tete tete kheta tete khetakhete tete kheta tete kheta tete tete kheta tete khetakhete tete kheta tete tete kheta tete kheta tete kheta

HS 6 4 15 tere kheta tere tere kheta tere tere tere kheta khete tete tete kheta tere khetakhete tete kheta tak tere kheta tikhi takhi tere kheta kheta takhi tere kheta

HS 7 5 18 [gng] geda [gng] [gng] [knk] kheta [knk] [knk]HS 8 6 20 khete tete kheta khete tete kheta tete kheta khete tete tete kheta tete kheta

tete tete kheta tete tete kheta tete kheta tete tete tete kheta tete khetaHS 9 7 22 dere geda [gng] [gng] nere ghena tere kheta [knk] [knk] nere khenaHS 10 10 35 ghene ne ghene ne [gng] nere ghena ghena tak tere kheta

khene ne khene ne [knk] nere khena khena tak tere kheta

2. HãtutiNumber Chapter Page Mantra HA 1 3 13 (da guru gur da guru gur da gur)&

(dad dhei ta guru gur da gur da guru gur da guru gur da gur)§(dad dhei ta guru gur da gur)§da guru gur da guru gur da gur(dad dhei ta)§guru gur da gur da guru gur da guru gur da gurda guru guru gur da guru guru gur da gur da gur (gher geda guru gur guru gur da guru guru gur da guru guru gur da gur da gur)§(gher geda guru gur guru gur )§da guru guru gur da guru guru gur da gur da gur(gher geda)§guru gur guru gur da guru guru gur da guru guru gur da gur da gur(tere kheta gi ghi nake/jha guru gur)§

HA 2 5 19 dere gere dere gere ([gng] now tere kheta)"([gng])§now tere kheta tikhi takhi tere kheta

HA 3 6 20 dhereti dhereti dhere da ghi [ttkttk] tereti tereti tere takhi [ttkttk]dad dhin [ttkttk] (dad dhin dere geda/jha)§

HA 4 7 22 ghene tere ghene tak (tere kheta ghene)"tere ghena tak tere (tere ghena)§HA 5 8 25 {khi guru gur dad dhin (tete tete kheta tak)§}§

(dere dere ghena nak tere tere kheta tak)§(dere dere ghena nak tere tere kheta tak/jha)§

HA 6 8 26 (dad dhin dere geda)"dad dhin [ttkttk] (dere geda)"(jhete nete geda)"jha_tete nete nete kheta khete nete nete kheta (dere geda)"

HA 7 8 26 (dhere tete dhere tete dhat dhat dhere tete)"(dhat dhere tete)"dhere tete(kheta kheta gade ghine tere kheta gade ghine/jha)§

HA 8 9 29 (dhereti)$dhere dhere da ghi [ttkttk] (tereti)$ tere tere ta khi [ttkttk]dad dhin [ttkttk] (dad dhin dere geda/jha)§

HA 9 9 29 (kot tete geghe tete kota kota geghe tete)"(kota geghe tete)"(geghe tete)§(dha klan ta tete kota gade ghine/jha)§

HA 10 10 35 ([gng])§tak tere kheta ([knk])§tak tere kheta([gng])"ghene ne ghene ne tete te ghene ne (tete ghene)§[gng] tak tere kheta([knk])"khene ne khene ne tete te khene ne (tete khene)§[knk] tak tere kheta

HA 11 10 36 (nin ta khi tere kheta)§[knk] now tak tere kheta [knk](nin da ghi dere ghena)§[gng] now dag dere ghena [gng]

HA 12 10 36 gheneta gheneta kheteta gheneta teteta teteta kheteta tetetakheta ghena kheta ta guru gur da ghina(teteta ta kheta tak dhena kheta/jha _guru gur)§

HA 13 11 45 dha dhene nake dhene dhene nake dhene dhene dad dhin [ttkttk] tere kheta [ttkttk]

HA 14 11 45 kot ta ghenere kotak ghenere kot tete tete kotak gheneregrighi tete tete kotak ghenere kota thun thun trithun na(khi khi tete)§(khi guru gur da ghine/jha)§

HA 15 12 51 dhini ta dhini da dhini dhini tini tini tini da dhini dhinighene ta ghene ta khete ta ghene ta kheta ghena kheta da ghi neta kheta(tak tak tak takta da ghine/jha _guru gur)§

HA 16 12 52 jha jha jha tere tere [ttkttk] tere kheta [ttkttk] ta ta ta tere tere [ttkttk] tere kheta [ttkttk]dad dhin [ttkttk] tere kheta [ttkttk] (dad dhin dere geda/jha)§

3. Hãtuti Decoration BeatsNumber Chapter Page Mantra HD 0 5 18 jha guru gur dad dhena (da guru gur da guru gur dhena)§

jha guru gur dad dhena da guru gur da guru gur dhena/jha HD 1 4 15 (tete tete kheta tak da ghi nake jha uru take take tete kheta da ghi nak uru)§

(da ghi nake/jha guru gur)§HD 2 4 16 dhow kheta dheiya guru gur dhini dheiya tere kheta tak dhini dheiya (khi khi

tak/jha)§HD 3 4 16 {(da guru gur dhena)§jha guru gur}§

takhi tata kheta tata kheta takhi ta guru gur dheiya ti neta kheta kheta takhi taHD 4 4 17 (dad dhin nak dhin nak dhin jha guru gur)§

dheiya ta kheta da ghi neta kheta kheta dheiya da dheiyaHD 5 4 17 (dad dhin nak dhin neda/jha guru gur)§

(jha jha guru gur da gur da guru gur da guru gur da gur jha jha guru gur da guru gur da guru gur da gur)§

4. Kìrtana BeatsNumber Chapter Page Mantra K 1 6 21 khik _khi neda gida gida dhei ta uru tete ta K 2 7 24 da ghi tete take dhena K 3 8 28 da ghi tete take dhena

K 4 10 40 dhena gighi tat dhei ta thena gighi tat dhei ta

5. TehãiNumber Chapter Page Mantra TEH 1 7 23 (kheta kheta/jha)§TEH 2 7 23 (tere kheta/jha)§TEH 3 7 23 (kheta guru gur/dhei)§TEH 4 8 27 (ta klanta/jha)§TEH 5 8 27 (tere kheta gade ghine/dheiya)§TEH 6 8 27 (da da gade ghine/jha guru gur)§TEH 7 9 30 (kheta tak gade ghine/dheiya)§TEH 8 9 30 (jhete tete geghe tete/jha kot)§TEH 9 9 30 tete tete kheta ta ti now na kheta ta dhow kheta dhara kheta dharta dharta dhar

(da guru gur dhin ta dhin/jha)§TEH 10 9 31 (kot tete geghe tete kota kota geghe tete)"(tere kheta gade ghine/dheiya)§TEH 11 10 37 kot tete geghe tete kota geghe neta kheta ta_ klanta tete kota gade ghine

(khi guru gur da da/jha)§TEH 12 10 37 kot tete geghe tete kota geghe neta kheta ta_ klanta tete kota gade ghine

khi guru gur da da jha_ tete tete (trikhi tak/jha)§TEH 13 11 46 dhere tete dhere tete da ghi tete dhere ta khi tere kheta gade ghine ta ki ti

jhauti jha(tere kheta gade ghine/dheiya)§

TEH 14 11 46 dhere tete da ghi tete dhere ta khi tere kheta gade ghine ta ki ti jhauti jha tere kheta(tere kheta gade ghine/dheiya)§

TEH 15 11 47 (da da gade ghine da da gade ghine/jha _trekhet)§TEH 16 12 52 tata tata kata kata ghu ghu rata rata dhapata dhapata dhani dhakagra bajata

(da guru gur dhin_ ta dhin/jha)§TEH 17 12 53 dha ta dhi drege dhene da dhi na dhi drege dhene

ta ta thi trekhe thene ta thi na thi trekhe thene(da dhin da drege dhene/jha kot)§

TEH 18 12 54 dhauti nitya kheta ta [ttkttk] (tere kheta gade ghine/dheiya)§TEH 19 12 54 dhauti nitya kheta ta [ttkttk] tauti nitya kheta ta [ttkttk]

(tere kheta/jha)§ta [ttkttk] (tere kheta gade ghine/dheiya)§TEH 20 12 55 dhene ne dhene ne tete te dhene ne dhene dhene dhene (ta khuru khur ta

thene)"(dhin ta dhina)§{jha (tere tere kheta tak)"tere kheta (dhin ta dhina)"}"

6. DvãraNumber Chapter Page Mantra D 1 9 31 take take takD 2 9 32 tak tak tak tak take take takD 3 9 32 tak tak tak tak tak tak tak ta tak D 4 9 32 take take tak tak tak tak ta tak D 5 9 32 dhin take dhin take take takD 6 9 32 dhin tak_ tak_ tak_ tak take take tak tak tak tak ta tak

7. Special BeatsNumber Chapter Page Mantra X 1 9 33 dhei da dhei ta kheta kheta X 2 9 33 dheiya ta kheta tak dhena kheta X 3 10 38 dhei tat da ta khi tat da ta khi tat da gida gidaX 4 10 38 jha_ dheita dheita dhei guru gur da da da/khiX 5 11 47 dhei ta thei tak ta thei tak ta thei tak da da daX 6 12 56 ja ja jhena jhena ja jhena jhenow_ ta ta thena thena ta thena thenow_X 7 12 56 ja jhena jhenow_ ta thena thenow_

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A Twelve Months Mrdanga Course by Bablu Das