Thoughts on Keertan

There are at least three components for Kirtan. One is Gurbani. Second is Sangeet and third is Kirtaniya i.e. the one singing. All three cast effect on the listener. Gurbani is Gurbani and what to say about it. It's a given.

The next component is sangeet i.e. the music aspect of it. If combination of sur, taal and sweet voice is reached then it helps the surthee to engage in Gurbani. But it should be remembered that if the sangeet aspect overshadows the Gurbani component, then it is hard to derive Hari Rass from it.

The third very important component is the kirtaniya. The jeevan of the kirtaniya and the emotion level of the kirtaniya at the time of singing kirtan definitely casts effect on the sangat. If the kirtaniya is dhilla plus at the time of kirtan his or her mind is wandering on something else, a proportionate effect will cast on the the sangat.

On the other hand imagine if the kirtaniya is an accomplished Gursikh with immense love for Guru Sahib and if such person does kirtan with focused mind, and has respectable command over sur and taal, how much rass it will give sangat.

Kulbir Singh (very old post from another site)

Wow I was thinking the exact same.. Yesterday I was listening to bhai jeevan singh jee....and was absolutely blown away...bhai jeevan singh ji was singing simple tune... and never have i ever been that much blown away by simple tune.. It was amazing....I think that keertaniyaa need to stop making life so complicated... and just need to go back to the simple tunes.. I think i should learn to do the same.... as well..( i am no better)
Like main concentration should be following guru's baani....
I just came back from keertan competition.. and i hated that experience more than anything... It was terrible.. I saw people that wore white suits to competition and when we were touring they were completely different people.. Their voices seemed so empty when they sung keertan... It was like you could make it a song competition.... It was terrible.. Guru sahib's raag is beautiful and all and we should try our best to learn it but we shouldn't make it the main focus.. I completely agree with you......
I just wish people didn't become so sensitive when it came to doing keertan..
One person was telling me that akj should allow everybody to do keertan and .. that bibiyaa without dastaar should be allowed to do keertan.. But now I think that rehat and jeevan is more than important......
Being a keertaniyaa is such an amazing seva.....if keertaniyaa with enough avastha is doing it.. than sangat can effected in most amazing way...
like I remember the one of the few reasons why I ever started listening to keertan was because of one keertaniyaa whose keertan whom i got really attached to......