Natesh's Bliss of Kirtan Music Book

INTRODUCTION

Bliss of Kirtan Music Book - 2022 edition(Download link is found below.)

After a 7 year span and working on it as time allows for many months, I've finally managed to complete a major update of my Bliss of Kirtan Music Book, as of September, 2022.  I'm once again pleased to make this extensive collection of my chant compositions available as a free downloadable PDF to kirtan lovers around the world, for whatever support it may provide in making the profound spiritual practice that is kirtan more accessible to more people.  There are many chants to Ganesh, to the various forms of Devi, to Rama (and Sita and Hanuman) and Krishna (and Radha), to Shiva and some other chants along with an entirely new section at the end devoted to chants to Mohanji and the Guru Mandala (lineage) of his tradition.   

The book now contains over 180 chants I've composed since 2004 (with a couple of chants composed in the 1980's), including close to 50 new chants.  I also removed (i.e., ‘retired’) a number of chants from the previous edition that I felt were not up to par with the other chants in the book.  And a few are revised from the prior edition, either from the addition of a new section or a change in musical key, and they are all noted in the index.  The column in the index that formerly indicated key signature now indicates the number of sharps (#) or flats (b), as I think that is less confusing relative to the indicated drone note.  There are also some minor corrections and reformatting of some of the chants in the previous version.

If you'd like to give something in return, you are most welcome to make a donation through Paypal by clicking on the button below.  (This donation button will not step you through the download process.  See more below.)  

The book begins with a few introductory pages, including a guitar chord diagram, and then an index to the chant music, organized into categories: Ganesh, Devi, Krishna and Rama (and Their Beloveds), Shiva, Other and, finally, the new section of Mohanji and Guru Mandala chants/songs.  The bulk of the book is the actual sheet music for the chants, including lyrics and chords and separate guitar chords using a capo, when appropriate.

I've also substantially changed the links section in the index, with at least one link to mostly video, but in some cases audio, where the chant can be heard.  Most of the links are to online Facebook Live videos and are just me chanting along with guitar, but other links are to videos with the full 'band' leading the chants at live programs or to videos on YouTube or audio tracks on Soundcloud, etc.

As noted above, I've also provided a button so that you can make a donation through Paypal if you wish.  However, the Donate button will not step you through a download process.  That is done by clicking on the  link below, which will either automatically download the PDF or else open it in your browser for viewing, in which latter case your browser should provide a means to download the PDF.

Here is the link to access the PDF for this updated edition: 

Bliss of Kirtan Music Book by Natesh - Revised 2022 Edition (PDF)

Please note, the link above now downloads the latest version, dated October, 2022.  (The filename is the same but the revised date is in the upper right-hand corner of the title page.)  Unfortunately, I had not proofread all the new chants and so some of the changes are pretty significant (incorrect melodies, chords, etc.).  Please see Errata below for details.

If you haven’t done so already, may you soon discover the bliss of kirtan! If you don't have the opportunity to chant on a regular basis in your area, I hope you'll consider creating one. This book can help get you started. Please be sure to check out the links for the different chants in the index to hear them 'in action'.

Everyone is welcome to use these chants for live kirtan and you may even record them if you like without compensating me.  However, if you do record any of the chants from this book with the intention that those recordings be heard by others, I do request that you please acknowledge me as the source of the composition.

Happy chanting!
Natesh

Errata

Following is a summary of the corrections in the October, 2022, revision.

Major Corrections:

  • Chords and chord timing corrected in Jay Nataraja Jay Sadashiva
  • Chords fixed for measure 12 and sections 3-5 modified to reflect proper timing in Brahmarishi Mohanji
  • Melody corrected for both iterations of section 2 in Guru Mohana
  • Fixed a few notes in Mohanji Aarati that had somehow shifted from correct position
  • Fixed lyrics for Mohanji Gayatri and corrected melody in section 2 (and corrected number of flats listed in Index section from 2b to 3b)
  • Corrected melody at end of section 3 of Om Shri Sai Sharanam Mama

Minor Corrections:

  • Guru Mantra listing in Index italicized to indicate it is a new chant in 2022 update
  • Changed Bhagavan to chant straight through without "D.C. or cont." and "D.C." markings, to be consistent with how I chant it now and the online sample listed in the lndex
  • Chords reversed in 1st and 2nd sections of Om Namo Narayana
  • Corrected number of repeats from 4x to 2x in 1b1 section of Shri Rama Jay Rama Jay Jay Ram
  • Added portamento indication in measure 39 of Sarvam Datta Mayam

 

SAMPLE PAGES FROM THE BOOK