The Melodious Musical Instrument - Harmonium

What Exactly Is A Harmonium?

Harmonium is a stringed instrument developed in West Bengal. Harmonium is also extensively used to accompany folk, classical, Sufi, and ghazal compositions for both music and dance. The harmonium has a keyboard for playing, and a hand-operated bellow pumps air inside the bellows. When the bellows are filled with air, the reed vibrates, producing sound. The reed acts as an amplifier while the bellows produce natural sounds. As a result, the volume can be controlled artificially. This instrument enjoys a history dating back to the middle of the 19th century. Harmoniums are the most common type of keyboard accordion used in kirtan. It is used to accompany dance performances, folk ceremonies, and commercial songs in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

Factors To Remember While Buying Harmonium:

Harmonium is an accordion-like musical instrument having buttons, leather pads, bellows, and a keyboard. Harmonica is played using air from the foot pedals operating bellows to inflate and deflate the air. It produces sound with hand-operated bellows, allowing the wind to pass through a pressure-equalizing air reservoir, allowing the metal reeds (fixed at one end and free at the other) to vibrate. While purchasing a harmonium, one should remember the following three factors to get the best quality:

Quality Of Reeds: The harmonium’s sound is affected by the number of reed banks. There are harmoniums with 1, 2, 3, or 4 banks of reeds. Usually, each bank has a different sounding set of reeds, most commonly called male, female bass, or tenor. These reeds can be switched out inside the instrument to create various sounds for playing popular Indian classical music.

Quality Of Bellows: The harmonium is a musical instrument that functions much like an accordion. Air is pumped into the harmonium with the bellows while holes in the reed plates control the flow of air to each note. The pitch you get by pumping is determined by how far you push in the bellows and how much you pull out on the key. This creates a songful and unique sound not found in many other instruments. Thus good bellows make a good harmonium.

Affordability: Using old-world craftsmanship, harmoniums built primarily by hand are generally very expensive. Today, you can find hardwood frame harmoniums and more affordable models made of synthetic materials (plastic) at affordable prices. One can easily find a good harmonium shop uk like Gurusoundz to purchase a quality harmonium. Or, they can also opt to buy harmonium online at cheaper prices. However, one needs to be careful while buying a harmonium online. Proper research into the product is required before buying it.

The Art Of Playing The Harmonium

The harmonium is a musical instrument that requires much practice and dedication. One should hire a good teacher, watch online tutorials, and practice regularly to excel at playing this instrument. One should bind with this Indian musical instrument spiritually to unleash their true artistic talent. Harmoniums can make a player have a prominent career if they are willing to dedicate their hearts and souls to the art of learning this instrument.

Author’s Bio: The author is a master at playing the harmonium. He believes that the masses should know more about this miraculous instrument to get the recognition it deserves.