Dave Stringer is a kirtan artist, vocalist, and music teacher whose work fuses Indian classical raga forms with American gospel and Appalachian folk harmonies. Born into a musical family in the United States, he grew up singing in church choirs and absorbing the call-and-response structures of gospel and the modal melodies of American folk music, experiences that would later inform his approach to Bhakti devotional chanting.
Stringer's practice is rooted in kirtan, the South Asian tradition of call-and-response chanting of Sanskrit mantras, typically accompanied by harmonium, tablas, and other acoustic instruments. Unlike strictly traditional kirtan, which adheres closely to Indian classical structures, Stringer incorporates Western harmonic progressions, guitar, and vocal arrangements drawn from gospel quartet singing and shape-note hymnody. This hybrid approach has made his work accessible to audiences unfamiliar with Indian devotional music while maintaining the participatory, communal ethos central to kirtan practice.
His discography includes albums such as "Mala," "Jaya Bhagavan," and "Shiva Station," each featuring extended call-and-response chants set to both acoustic and electronic instrumentation. These recordings layer Sanskrit devotional texts over grooves that shift between meditative drones and rhythmically driving sections, designed to facilitate group singing rather than passive listening. His 2010 release "Bhakti Without Borders" reflects his interest in cross-cultural collaboration, weaving together voices and instruments from multiple traditions.
Stringer came to kirtan through a search for spiritual practice that centered music as a path rather than an ornament. He studied under teachers within the Bhakti yoga lineage and spent time learning about Indian classical music, Vedanta philosophy, and the mechanics of Sanskrit chant. His background in Western music gave him a framework to translate raga-based melodic structures into formats that Western vocalists and instrumentalists could navigate without years of formal training in Hindustani music.
He teaches workshops internationally, focusing on the mechanics of group chanting, the use of Sanskrit phonetics, and the role of music in contemplative practice. His teaching emphasizes participation over performance, encouraging students to treat kirtan as a communal ritual rather than a concert format. Stringer has led kirtans and taught at yoga studios, festivals, and retreat centers across North America, Europe, and Australia, and his work has been featured in outlets covering yoga, wellness, and world music.
Stringer continues to tour and record, leading kirtans that draw both long-time practitioners and newcomers to Bhakti traditions. He remains active in developing educational materials on kirtan history, Sanskrit pronunciation, and the intersection of Eastern and Western musical systems. His workshops often include discussions of the cultural origins of the chants he teaches, aiming to honor the lineages from which kirtan emerged while adapting the form for contemporary, cross-cultural contexts.
For listeners new to kirtan or Bhakti practice, Stringer's work offers an entry point that does not require prior familiarity with Indian music, instead inviting participation through familiar Western song structures and an emphasis on collective voice.
