Here are a couple of kirtans from Sunday night.

These are two of the kirtans from the beginning of the program.

Vamsidhari’s Varshan melody (Sita-pati das)
Kirtan (Maha-mantra das)

The cartals feature quite prominently in these recordings, but otherwise they’re okay.

Cristian suggested that the tune that Vamsi sang at the Taupo retreat should be a standard at Sunday Feasts, and I agree with that assessment.

With our new stage setup at the Sunday Feast (check out pictures here) there are some issues. Previously we used the small 15W Ashton amplifier that we use on harinam as a fold back monitor. There is nothing worse than not being able to hear the harmonium when you are leading. With the new stage setup there is no room for this, and besides that, in order to turn it up loud enough to be useful, it becomes loud enough for the audience to hear, interfering with the sound levels.

The solution is to get in-ear monitors - something that we’ve known for some time, but have to face up to soon.

You can hear when Mantra changes key in his kirtan that he has trouble locating the note. While the harmonium is audible in the front-of-house mix that the recording comes from, on stage next to the mrdangas and cartals is a different story. Compounding the problem is that he is over-pressurizing the harmonium in an attempt to increase the volume onstage, with the result that he is deforming the reeds, pushing them off-key. This is the reason why so many harmoniums, played by enthusiastic amateurs all over the world, are horribly out-of-tune. Over-pressurization.

Indulge me in a brief digression before I return to the subject of in-ear monitors.

I went to buy a harmonium from an Indian gentleman who imported them a number of years ago. (If you’ve heard the story before, bear with me). I sat down in front of one and began to play one of the Vaiyasaki tunes that I had spent so long mastering, eager to display my mastery of the instrument.

I was shut down immediately by the irate gentleman who scolded me: “That’s the problem with you ISKCON devotees - you pump the harmonium with no thought and over pressurize it!”

It was a particularly biting reprimand, and one which I have never forgotten. “Aggressive Grace”, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati would term it.

I read a book on driving, and it explained many things, among which was this: if you are driving up a hill, you may be using too much gas. You can tell by easing up on the pedal until you actually notice the engine revs begin to drop. It is possibly to flood the engine with more petrol than it can use.

After reading this, I practiced it and found that yes, you have to be conscious about the amount of petrol that you feed the engine at a given rev range in a given load situation. The same goes for the harmonium. Overpressurizing the bellows compartment results in long-term pressure loss through leaks, and also puts the harmonium out of tune by deforming the reeds. Overpressurizing will also cause the harmonium to play out of tune as the reeds deform immediately.

And worst of all - it cuts a really, really dumb profile. I never noticed it before, but I can see why that gentleman became irate seeing it.

Anyway, now you know the science - pay more attention. When you practice develop the feel needed for the art of harmonium playing. Back off on the pressure, notice when it needs to be pumped. Feel the pressure in the harmonium. Don’t just pump away mechanically with no real idea of what you are doing or why. Don’t overpressurize.

When I studied with Dr Talochan Singh he taught me to hold the heel of the hand that is pumping the harmonium on the top of the harmonium itself. Don’t have that hand “free swinging” - that’s a recipe for over-pressurization, and besides that it’s incredibly amateurish. We’re not about being “professional kirtaniyas”, but there is nothing wrong with doing things properly.

Anyway, end digression and return to the nectar of in-ear monitors:

The ABC’s of Configuring a Personal Monitor System
Can I use more than one Shure PSM receiver with one PSM transmitter? Yes
Shure Guide to Personal Monitors