Kirtan in its Hindu bhakti sense treats communal singing itself as a direct path to devotional experience, distinct from ritual offering, temple liturgy or philosophical study, though it can accompany any of those. A leader typically calls out a line, a name of a deity, a verse of praise or a short devotional phrase, and the gathered group responds by repeating or answering it, a call and response structure that can be sustained for extended periods, building in tempo and volume as the session continues. Clapping, hand cymbals, harmonium and drums usually accompany the singing, and the emphasis throughout is on shared, embodied participation rather than on trained musical performance for an audience; a kirtan session commonly draws in listeners as active singers within minutes regardless of their prior musical training.
Kirtan sessions can take place in temples, at home shrines, in dedicated devotional gatherings known as satsang, or in public festival settings, with no single required venue or occasion, which has made the practice unusually portable and adaptable to circumstances well outside a formal temple setting. This distinguishes the practice from more formal devotional or classical vocal genres, and it is part of why kirtan proved especially well suited to spreading widely, including into communities and countries with no prior background in Hindu devotional practice.