Learn to Play > Lesson 4: Variations of the Basic Kirtan Beat

Soft Ge and Loud Ge

IMPORTANT!!!

There are two kinds of Ges, known as the soft ge and the loud Ge.

The soft ge is produced by striking the big end of the drum lightly.

The loud Ge is produced by striking the big end of the drum strongly.

In this course, we will write soft ge with a lower case "g" and loud Ge with an uppercase "G."

The Basic Kirtan Beat you learned before has two Ges. The first one is a soft ge, the second is a loud Ge, combined with a ta to make a Dha. When a loud Ge is combined with a ta, it is written as Dha (with an upper case "D"). When a soft ge is combined with a ta, it is written as dha (with a lower case "d").

Look again at the Basic Kirtan Beat and notice how the "D" of "Dha" is uppercase. When you are finished, return to this page by clicking the BACK button on your web browser.