HARMONIUM

MANUAL:
SRILA
PRABHUPADA
A Quick Guide to Learn
Prabhupada Melodies
and Pranam Mantras
on Harmonium
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Harmonium
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 Content 4
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How This Manual Came About
Add to Your Harmonium
How it Works
How to Read the Sheet
8 Nama Om Visnu Padaya
10 Namaste Saraswate Deve
12 Jaya Sri Krsna Caitanya
14 Prabhupada Melody
16 Quotes on Kirtan from Srila Prabhupada
17 Please Chant Hare Krsna
18 Contact for Questions

Follow along with YouTube videos

Channel name: School of Kirtan

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 HOW THIS MANUAL
CAME ABOUT
WHY THIS BOOKLET?
Many devotees have the desire to learn Harmonium but they do not know where to begin. In
addition, sometimes it is not possible to learn from the leading Kirtaniyas due to their busy
schedules. For this reason, we have decided to compile this small Harmonium Manual to give
an insight into the basics of playing Harmonium in a simple and easy way. This is not the most
ideal way to learn Harmonium by any means! The best way is to learn from a teacher, starting
from finger and voice practice and then moving onto Kirtan melodies. But for those who
dont have the money or the time and wish to pick up a basic melody or two of their favourite
Kirtaniyas, we hope this helps you.

This manual is actually based on a Harmonium booklet which already exists titled Vaishnava
Songs on the Harmonium - Easy to Learn. All of the techniques used in this booklet has
been taken from that source and just expanded upon. So we wish to offer great thanks to the
devotees who made this Vaishnava Songs on the Harmonium booklet, because without it we
would have no basis to make our own booklet.

y.s. School of Kirtan Team

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 ADD TO YOUR
HARMONIUM
First print out or photocopy this page and add the notes
to your Harmonium as seen in the diagram on the How it
Works page. Alternatively you can add the notes yourself
with some pieces of paper and a pen. Once printed stick the
notes onto the approipriate keys on your Harmonium with
some blue-tac so that it doesnt damage the keys in anyway.
Note: You will not need to stick all of these
notes onto the Harmonium. The main ones to
put in are the Mid Scale notes, and then some
of the notes either side of the Mid Scale (such
as Ni and Dha on the Low side and Sa and Re
on the high side).

Low Scale Mid Scale High Scale

P D N R G P D N R G P D N

M P D N S R G M P D N S R G M P D N

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 HOW IT WORKS
The order of the scale goes Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni. The main scale is the Mid Scale. This starts from
Sa and goes until Ni. You can actually start the scale from any key on the Harmonium, but I have chosen this
key to begin on because it is within the common vocal range. There are two way of playing a note, either
you play it on the white key or the black key. To differentiate between these two keys, all black keys have a
line underneath the note and the white keys do not. Also any key that is not within the Mid Scale has been
indicated with a dot above it wether it is in the Low Scale or in the High Scale.

Low Scale Mid Scale High Scale

P D N R G P D N R G P D N
M P D N S R G M P D N S R G M P D N
Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni

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 HOW TO READ
The system is fairly straight forward. Lets take the Nama Om
Visnu Padaya prayers as an example. Each syllable sung is

THE SHEET
assigned a note and the specific note is pressed at the time
you sing the syllable. E.g. sing na as you hit P, then as you
sing ma hit M. The songs have been written in their most
simple form for ease of learning. As you advance at harmonium
you can add your own musical decorations to them.

Sometimes
you need to
hold a note for Sometimes
more than one you need to hit
syllable. multiple notes
within the space
of one syllable.

Note

Syllable

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 NAMA OM Follow along with

VISNU PADAYA YouTube videos

Channel name:
School of Kirtan

Nama - Om - Visnu - Padaya

Krsna - Prestaya - Bhu - tale
Srimate - Bhaktivedanta - Svamin
Iti - Namine

Keys Needed

N
S R G M P

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 Nama Om Visnu Padaya

P M G R R G R S
Na ma Om Vis nu Pa da ya

R R G R S RGM
G R
Krs na Pre sta ya Bhu ta le

P P M G G R S G R S
Sri ma te Bhak ti ve dan ta Sva min

N SR G R S
I ti Na mi ne