The absolute best way to learn Indian classical music is through private, one-on-one lessons with a knowledgeable teacher. All the famous Indian classical musicians learned in this manner (the guru-shishya parampara).
While the internet provides a massive amount of Indian music knowledge through free videos, all that information is transmitted uni-directionally: from the teacher to the student, with virtually zero opportunity for the teacher to listen to the student play and provide critical feedback.
In a private lesson, you learn music catered to your personal needs and desires; and ​the teacher listens to your playing and corrects your errors and provides a multitude of ways for you to improve your playing. As such, private lessons are an essential component of ​reaching your musical potential.
​Dr. Kerry Kriger playing bansuri at Crater Lake, Oregon, July 2009
My Commitment & Your Commitment
I love to give private lessons. But I only have so much time to give private lessons, given that:
- I have other musical commitments and interests;
- I direct a nonprofit (SAVE THE FROGS!) and a website consultancy (Zero2Webmaster); and
- I like to exercise, spend time with family and friends, etc…
I am also not dependent on private lessons as my sole source of income, as I have other activities that are more financially productive.
I give private lessons primarily:
- As a service to dedicated students who want to learn; and
- To accomplish my dual goals of spreading the music and of creating students who play amazing bansuri.
As such, I have higher expectations of students who take private lessons that I do for those who solely attend group sessions or learn from my online materials.
So if we embark on private lessons, you do your best to practice daily (the more, the better). And I’ll do my best to ensure your bansuri playing improves as rapidly as possible.
Summary:
I don’t have time to teach you if you don’t have time to practice…but I will make time to teach you if you will make time to practice.
Private Lessons With Dr. Kerry Kriger
- Private lessons with me (Dr. Kerry Kriger) last at least one hour.
- You can decide what raga you would like to learn, or I can choose.
- I will provide you with a multitude of ways to improve your playing, and a plan for how and what you should practice.
- You will receive a video recording of the lesson (if you request it).
- You will receive written notes of the key points you learned.
- Generally speaking, I only give private lessons to Bansuri Bliss Members. If you are dedicated enough to seek private lessons, then you should also be taking advantage of the wealth of information available to Bansuri Bliss Members. There is no conceivable reason why you should not become a Bansuri Bliss Member if you are truly interested in learning bansuri. As a member, you will gain full access to Bansuri Bliss Academy, which holds an abundance of Indian classical music tutorials not available anywhere else. You will also gain access to weekly Bansuri Bliss Members Lessons each month (led by me) through which you will learn additional concepts and meet other bansuri players.
- Private lessons are:
- $60​ if you pay for a single lesson
- $55 if you pay for six lessons upfront (Total: $330)
- $50 if you pay for twelve lessons upfront (Total: $600)
- Your level of commitment is the true determinant of how skilled a bansuri player you will become, so I recommend you commit to twelve lessons and enjoy the financial savings and increased musical knowledge and skill that comes with that commitment.
- ​You can schedule a time and pay here for a single lesson here.​
- For six or twelve lessons, contact me and I will send you an invoice payable by credit card, debit card or ACH/wire.
- Once you pay I will send you a scheduling link from which you can choose a time of mutual availability; if none of the times on my calendar work for you, please email me with a few requested times and your timezone.
- All lessons are backed by the Bansuri Bliss 100% Satisfaction Guarantee, so if you aren’t satisfied with your lesson, simply request a full refund.“I did a lot of research, and for me, I thought you’d be great to learn from because you seemed very passionate about bansuri. You also have a westernized approach to teaching as you can explain things simply, succinctly and in an engaging way.”
— Bansuri Student Akshay S​., India
​Dr. Kerry Kriger playing bansuri in the jungles of Suriname, 2008.
​​More About Private Lessons With Dr. Kerry Kriger
- We will focus on learning ragas and the fundamentals of Indian classical music (e.g. alap, taans, jhala, alankars and compositions in various taals).
- You will be receiving the knowledge passed down to me from my guru Pandit Vijay Raghav Rao, combined with a touch of my own teaching style acquired from having taught numerous students from a wide variety of musical backgrounds over the past decade.
- Lessons are one hour minimum…they may go longer if we are in the mood and our schedules allow.
- You will receive an abundance of personalized feedback on your playing (likely hundreds of tips, corrections and improvements).
- We can work on whatever raga or aspect of music you want.
- You will become fully competent in reading and writing Indian classical music and will receive PDF’s of compositions and exercises that will keep you busy and provide you with enjoyable music to play for months, years and possibly decades to come.
- If you practice what I teach you, you will soon be a far better musician than you are today.
- We will meet online. I will make sure I find time in my schedule and good internet; you will need to do the same.
- You’re too busy? We are all busy and we probably always will be. It’s a matter of where your priorities are and how intelligently you make use of your waking hours. I will provide time management advice and encouragement as needed and if requested.
- Please contact me if you wish to begin.
I hope to be teaching you bansuri soon!
Dr. Kerry Kriger
Bansuri Bliss Founder, President & Bansuri Enthusiast
​Dr. Kerry Kriger playing a raga on the banks of the Ganges River in Varanasi, 1997
