Poonam Patil — Sanskrit, music and spiritual learning
Course

Basic Vocal

मूलभूत गायन

The foundations of devotional singing — voice placement, breath, svaras and staying in tune — taught by a professional vocalist and music director.

Enrolment open Live online class Adults and children starting to sing, and learners who sing already but were never taught how
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An Indian miniature painting of a lady playing the tanpura
मूलभूत गायन

Course Overview

Most people who sing Stotras and bhajans have never been taught to sing. This course is for exactly that: the voice, from the beginning, so the singing has somewhere steady to sit.

Work starts with breath and voice placement, then moves to the svaras, then to holding a note, an interval and a simple phrase in tune. Nothing is rushed, and nobody is asked to perform.

It pairs naturally with the recitation classes. A learner who can hold a note and control their breath finds a long Stotra a great deal easier to carry.

What You Will Learn

  • Breathe from the diaphragm and support a note to the end of a phrase
  • Sing the seven svaras in tune, ascending and descending
  • Hold a steady note without wavering
  • Pitch a simple bhajan or Stotra tune accurately
  • Recognise when you are off-pitch, and correct it yourself
  • Warm up the voice properly before singing

Who Can Join

  • Adults who would like to sing but have never been taught
  • Children beginning music, with a parent present
  • Learners who sing bhajans and Stotras and want their tuning steadied
  • Learners of the recitation classes wanting the breath and voice work behind them

How It Is Taught

  1. 1 Breath first. Voice placement and support come before any singing.
  2. 2 The svaras are established slowly, one at a time, and checked individually.
  3. 3 Each learner sings alone and is corrected personally — this cannot be done in unison.
  4. 4 Tuning is worked at by ear, against a drone, rather than by theory.
  5. 5 Phrases are built up in small units before they are joined.
  6. 6 Practice between sessions is short, specific and set each week.

Structure of a Class

01 Warm-up: breath and voice
02 Swara practice against a drone
03 Revision of the previous week, with corrections
04 New material: interval, phrase or tune
05 Individual singing and personal correction
06 Practice guidance for the week ahead

Questions People Ask

No. This course exists for people who have not been taught. If you can speak, there is a voice to work with, and the first sessions are about breath and placement rather than singing at all.

It is a foundation. The breath work, svaras and tuning are the same foundation classical training rests on, but the course is aimed at singing devotional music well rather than at preparing for a classical examination.

No instrument is needed. A tanpura or drone app is useful for practising against between sessions, and a free one is perfectly adequate.

You will be heard individually, because tuning cannot be corrected in unison — but groups are small, everyone is there for the same reason, and nobody is put on the spot before they are ready.

Classes are conducted live online so that pronunciation can be corrected personally. Practice material is shared to support regular revision between sessions.

Timings and fees are shared directly on enquiry, as they depend on the batch, the learner group and time zones. Please use the enquiry form and you will receive the current details.

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