Bansuri Bliss Members Lessons
Bansuri Bliss Members Lessons are live sessions that take place online via Zoom every Saturday and Sunday (and occasionally on weekdays as well).
All Bansuri Bliss Members are invited and encouraged to attend these lessons, which are at least an hour long.
To view the Zoom login info, you must be a Bansuri Bliss Member and be logged in to this website through your member account.
“Kerry, I really enjoyed the group class on Saturday! I’m not usually available then, but had an off week and was glad I joined. I hope to catch another one soon.”
– Eric O., Bansuri Bliss Member, Austin, TX
About The Members Lessons
During the Bansuri Bliss Members Lessons, you will:
Learn new ragas and talas (melodies and rhythms)
From the easier (e.g. Bhoopali, Hansadhwani, Durga and Teental), to the more complex (e.g. Jhinjoti, Yaman, Darbari and Jhaptal), if you attend classes regularly, you will likely learn many ragas and talas.
Gain musical inspiration and ideas.
From listening to Bansuri Bliss Founder Dr. Kerry Kriger, guest instructors, and other students, you are certain to leave each lesson with new insights and inspiration.
Receive direct feedback on your playing
Nearly all of our sessions include opportunities for you to play your bansuri…either what you’ve been working on, or what we have been learning during the class. You will get direct feedback and guidance on your playing, which if you have never received personalized instruction previously, is almost certain to lead to rapid improvement in your playing.
Meet other flute players
Our lessons are regularly attended by bansuri players from the USA, India, Europe and beyond. You will hear bansuri players of all musical levels, from absolute beginners to highly accomplished.
Be able to ask questions about bansuri and Indian classical music;
Bansuri and the classical music of northern India is what we focus on at every class. Chat your message in or unmute your mic. You will have plenty of opportunities to get your questions answered.
Be immersed in a formal system of learning (Hindustani Sangeet) that has ancient roots and has proven effective for countless bansuri students, many of whom started as absolute beginners.
Bansuri Bliss Founder Dr. Kerry Kriger has taught hundreds of bansuri students of all levels…and most started as absolute beginners. Dr. Kriger started as an absolute beginner and learned bansuri from Pandit Vijay Raghav Rao, who learned bansuri from Pandit Ravi Shankar, who learned sitar from Baba Allaudin Khan, who learned sarod from Ustad Wazir Khan. You will be part of a ancient musical heritage that has proven to be effective in transforming the musical minds of those who immerse themselves in the music and the system of learning.
“Attending lessons will bring a lot of improvements. Both group lessons and private lessons are essential!”
– Bansuri Bliss Member Suraj Sonar, India
Members Lessons Schedule
Times are shown in Los Angeles time
Saturdays 8am
Sundays 8am
Dr. Kerry Kriger teaches raag Bhinna Shadja to a group of students via Zoom, June 21st, 2020.
About The Classes
Our goal is to offer live classes at a classes at a wide range of times, so that no matter where in the world you are, or whatever your schedule, you should be able to join in at least once every month. We find that those who attend regularly improve the fastest, so the best thing to do is attend whenever you can!
Saturdays: Beginners Classes
Beginner classes take place online every Saturday at 8am Los Angeles time. During these sessions, we focus on the fundamentals. Who should attend? Everybody! If you are advanced, you can learn by teaching. Classes are led by either Bansuri Bliss Founder Dr. Kerry Kriger or student instructors (and sometimes both, in which case we often split into smaller Zoom rooms for more personalized feedback).
Weekday Classes
Weekday classes may happen at various times and have an informal “anything goes” style but are not guaranteed. Bansuri Bliss Office Hours often take place during the week, and sometimes at times of day when bansuri players in the western Pacific (e.g. Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii) should be able to attend.
Sundays: Advanced Classes
Bansuri Bliss Founder Dr. Kerry Kriger leads an advanced class online every Sunday at 8am Los Angeles time. We are occasionally joined by Dr. Kriger’s gurubhai Pradip Khaladkar, who has decades of bansuri playing experience. During these sessions, we play whatever comes to mind. Who should attend? Everybody! If you are a beginner, you will be exposed to new concepts that will grow inside you like musical seeds.
All members are encouraged to attend as many classes as possible!
The secret is to show up. Students who attend regularly (and practice what they are taught!) see consistent improvement.
Bansuri Bliss online lesson, August 3rd, 2019, with Dr. Kerry Kriger, Ivan Koshevoy (Ukraine), Muralidhara Das (Costa Rica) and Suraj Sonar (India).
About The Beginners Classes
Lessons are led by Bansuri Bliss Founder Dr. Kerry Kriger and/or his advanced students. Student instructors are Bansuri Bliss Members who have spent significant amounts of time practicing and attending lessons, and who have demonstrated a solid understanding of the fundamentals of bansuri and north Indian classical music.
Lessons focus on the essential knowledge that beginner bansuri players should acquire, including:
– Breath control and how to hold a bansuri;
– Becoming acquainted with important scales that have relatively easy fingering;
– Learning scale exercises and how to incorporate them into your daily practice;
– Understanding the basic structure of a composition in north Indian classical music;
– Playing compositions in well-known, traditional ragas;
– Holding a steady beat;
– Understanding teental, the most important rhythm worldwide;
– Playing with tanpura and tabla accompaniment
Students have the opportunity to play and get feedback on their playing. Dr. Kriger and the other instructors provide tips, answer questions and play and teach ragas.
Dr. Kriger teaching during the Bansuri Bliss Rhythm Fest December 25th, 2022.
“Earlier this year (2022) I sourced a bansuri and started searching YouTube videos to practice what I knew in western flute. I came across Dr. Kerry Kriger’s videos and decided to give the academy a try! I have been enjoying learning in structured manner and appreciate the effort in this detailed setup at a nominal fee ???? Took my first zoom class last week and enjoyed it. Hope to meet the rest of the community in the upcoming zoom classes soon ????”
– Bansuri Bliss Member Amar Gandigudi, Texas
Bansuri For Absolute Beginners class with Dr. Kerry Kriger and students, June 16th, 2020.
About The Advanced Classes
Attendees are assumed to have a basic understanding of bansuri fundamentals (which can be easily acquired through the multitude of archived lessons available in Bansuri Bliss Academy, and through the Saturday and Wednesday beginners classes described above).
The format of the advanced classes varies week to week, and often consists of Dr. Kriger:
– Teaching a raga, composition or exercise he has not previously taught;
– Exploring various forms of improvisations, such as taans, jhala, alap, and ornamentation;
– Reviewing and expanding upon important lessons he has taught in the past;
– Answering questions and taking requests from students;
– Asking students to play what they just learned or something they have been working on, and providing direct feedback on their playing;
– Inviting special guests to attend and share their knowledge. These are often musicians that Dr. Kriger has learned from, or with whom he has performed or collaborated.
As with nearly all Bansuri Bliss lessons, students have the opportunity to play and get feedback on their playing. Dr. Kriger provide tips, answers questions and plays and teaches ragas.
Tabla wizard Hindole Majumdar makes a guest appearance to teach Bansuri Bliss students the fundamentals of rhythm.
Guest instructor Pradip Khaladkar (who studied bansuri with Pandits Vijay Raghav Rao and Raghunath Seth) teaches during the November 27, 2022 Bansuri Bliss Members Advanced Lesson.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bansuri art by Bansuri Bliss Member Monica Valer of Italy.
How Non-Members Can Attend The Bansuri Bliss Members Lessons
If you are interested in attending these lessons but are not yet a Bansuri Bliss Member, you can either:
– Become a Bansuri Bliss Member to gain immediate, ongoing access; or
– Complete the Bansuri Bliss Expression Of Interest Form. Once we receive your expression of interest, we will send you an invite to attend an upcoming lesson, during which you will learn some music and can determine if the lessons are right for you.
Bansuri art by Bansuri Bliss Member Monica Valer of Italy.
Watch A Recording Of A Bansuri Bliss Members Lesson
Many of the Bansuri Bliss videos on YouTube are excerpts from Bansuri Bliss Members Lessons. The video below differs from most of those in that rather than showing Dr. Kerry Kriger teaching something specific, it features Bansuri Bliss Members (i.e. students) playing ragas and getting feedback. On top of featuring some fabulous music, you will get to hear and learn from different bansuri players, from the absolute beginner level up through highly skilled artists. Enjoy!
Recorded May 8th, 2022, featuring Dr. Kerry Kriger and bansuri players from California, Delaware, Portugal, India and Ukraine!
Bansuri Bliss Member Ralph Schaedler plays a melody during the August 14th, 2022 Bansuri Bliss Members Advanced Lesson.
“As a former college professor and, for some portion of a long career, the Director of a Teaching Learning Center, I have spent a great deal of time thinking about, practicing, and researching what makes great teaching and great teachers. Kerry Kriger is a great teacher!
– Bansuri Bliss Member William Sheldon, New York
Additional Thoughts
What you will never get from a YouTube video is feedback, because the video creator does not hear you play and cannot correct your mistakes (which likely are abundant, pervasive, consistent and easily recognizable to the trained ear). Without feedback, improvement is slow or non-existent. With feedback, improvement is rapid.
During Bansuri Bliss Members Lessons, you have the opportunity to play and receive feedback on your playing. You will also get to hear other bansuri players and learn from what they do (or don’t do) well. Even if you choose to not play, you will gain a deeper understanding of classical music. We invite you to join us!
