Harreson’s kirtan training was amazing! I had prior instruction with learning how to play the piano and how to sing. Harreson’s course magically integrated all that I learnt previously. And, I learned a huge amount of new useful material! All packed in a short time. It’s definitely a crash course to become a musician.
I hadn’t had such focus on timing and pitch before, even though I had been learning how to sing for the last 6 years. Probably because I didn’t need to lead in public before. Harreson emphasized accuracy with the assistance of the computer playing the music scores that he had prepared for each chant and with the use of apps for timing and pitch. I definitely uplevelled and sharpened my skills as a musician.
A student doesn’t need any prior music training or knowledge. One doesn’t need to know who to read music scores. Harreson taught in a way that the music scores were definitely an aid and not a hindrance and an essential piece of learning quickly and easily. Harreson used the computer to play out the notes in the score so that we had a exact reference on how the note was supposed to sound. Then he sang it and put the computer score to life with his voice. He physically cued us both with his voice and his hand motion, to stay on the beat. I could both both hear and see visually how a chant was supposed to be played and sung.
Harreson taught us everything that you need how to lead kirtan. And more. How to play the necessary chords, using specific fingers to make chord changes easy, how to sing on pitch and on time. And how to lead kirtan.
The combination of the music scores playing, the apps, and Harreson pointing out adjustments here and there (aka being the drill sargeant!), super charged my ability to take in the material. I didn’t think I would be such a fast learner! I had never integrated teachings so quickly before. I didn’t think that it was going to be that easy! My ability improved so much that it was only a month after completing the course that, with Harreson’s mentorship, I did my kirtan debut and led my first kirtan in public.
What a fantastic and scary that experience was! Initially I didn’t think I could do it. Being a recovering perfectionist, even though I thought I did terribly, Harreson gave me only positive feedback. His continued and further encouragement allowed me to break free from the prison of perfectionism.
Harreson wanted us to be more than just folks who mimicked playing and singing a chant. He wanted to shape us into musicians and to be able to create. And so, there was a lot of additional music theory that was taught.
And that extra music foundation has proven very useful in enabling me to create my own music. At times I would receive melodies. From what Harreson taught, I was able to put chords to those melodies. That was alchemy! In such a short time, after taking Harreson’s kirtan training, I am now a music creator. I am feeling more confident to call myself a musician.
At the beginning of the course, Harreson told us that new doors would open for us. And it’s true! After leading a kirtan, people would come up to me and say “Wow! You play well. You sing well.” I never heard such compliments before! …. Complete strangers, who hear me after leading a chant, come up to me and ask me to lead chants for their event! That is so nourishing for my soul to be seen as worthy and to be invited to perform. My heart just expanded.
I don’t think I could have gotten to where I am now, so quickly, without Harreson’s course and followup mentorship. Harreson’s training is THE fasttrack to performing and probably saved me 1-2 years of unfocussed learning. It’s highly organized, succinct, to the point, includes all the important points you need. This one course encapsulates many courses. I feel more self confident as a musician. If you have any urge or curiosity to lead kirtan, or to become a better musician, I’m pretty sure that you won’t have any regrets taking Harreson’s kirtan teaching. I don’t. Rather, I am so happy that I did. It’s a gift I have for the rest of my life. And I thank Harreson for that.