The Good Stuff!

The first step in learning to sing anything, be it Naats, Songs, Opera or Qawali is to match your voice with an instrument that is playing a note. The same note has to keep playing so the student can listen to how high or low the sound is and then make the same sound with his own voice.

I spent £300 to get a harmonium. I would advise you to get one as well if you're really serious about learning. But if you don't have that much money or wanna learn as a hobby then there are FREE alternatives. But I have to emphasize that there is nothing in the free alternatives option that comes even close to a harmonium. 

The problem is that our society have degraded the harmonium and label it as something that "uncivilized" members of our culture use.This is not the case.

            All Naat Khwaans own and use a harmonium on a daily basis to perform vocal practices. 

Anyways, back to the free stuff!

Download piano software from the link below and we'll go on to the next step.

Click Here 

 to get free Piano Software.

Once you have installed it, run the program. Go to the second tab on the top where is says instruments and click on it. Choose instrument number 20 which should be the Reed Organ.

Alternatively, if you have an iPhone, iPod or iPad then you can download a harmonium app from the App store.
Just click Here. The app costs 69p to buy.

If you understand the theory then you shouldn't have a problem identifying where the "Sa"s are.

The following instructions are for the piano software.

Press G on your keyboard and a sound should start. Keep it pressed. Match your voice with the sound until you feel a 3D sound around you which means that your sound and the sound of the instrument is the same. If you don't hear your voice matching properly with the sound then it is CRUCIAL that you match your voice before you move one. Concentrate on the sound nd notice the slight minor differences between your voice and the one coming from your computer. Make sure you match it exactly. If you mess it up now and rush through it, then you have no chance afterwards. This step has to be perfected.



I must also emphasize that the majority of Naats are classified as Light-Classical Music. The singer of  Light-Classical Music doesn't really stick to one Raag. He/She can nix and match Raags to make something that sounds good. It doesn't really have to stick to the notes of one Raag.
So what I am trying to say is that I will classify Naats by the overall Raag feel. Every composition made by someone is made using one Raag at the start. They make changes later but always start with one Raag in mind. My post will determine what Raag runs through the whole Naat. Even though it is not pure.