How can I learn to play harmonium, chant, or learn Sanskrit?

Learning harmonium isn’t very difficult. It has a piano-like keyboard and bellows behind it to pump air through reeds. The left hand (usually) is pumping the air through the harmonium while the right hand plays. Many times a harmonium is playing only the melody, a drone, or a series of notes to bring out the mood of a rāga.

Chanting is open to anyone. You don’t need a beautiful voice, it is a devotional practice that is using the sound of our voice to express the sounds of seeking the divine, seeking union, balance, bliss, joy, groundedness.

Learning Sanskrit can be difficult only because the characters of Sanskrit are very different than English. There is a shortcut, though. Transliteration, using the Roman letters we use in English and having a series of marks above and below the letters to suggest whether the letter is “aspirated” or long/short or made with a certain specific sound.

Feel free to reach out to Marla for lessons or questions about where to purchase a harmonium, why style to get, and beginning lessons. If you want training in the art of playing, Sanskrit and chanting, I highly recommend the Heart of Sound Yoga School with Anandra George.