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How To Play The Harmonium

The most common playing position is to place the harmonium on the floor and sit, cross-legged, in front of it. You can play the keys with your dominant hand while your other hand works the bellows, but most often the right hand plays the keys. Most exercises are written for the right hand. You can also place the harmonium on a table and sit in a chair while you play. Find a comfortable pose. Practice you scales as you would with an organ or piano.

Before you begin playing, you need to open the bellows and pull out the front stops. Press a key with your right hand, then using your left hand to operate the bellows, gently rock the bellows back and forth. Playing technique for your right hand is pretty much like playing a piano - play with your fingers curved, and don't press the keys very hard. When you've finished playing, be sure to release any built up pressure by pressing any key until there is no sound.

There are seven musical notes on the harmonium: Sa (S); Re (R); Ga (G); Ma (m); Pa (P); Dha (D); and Ni (N). All these 7 notes are the white keys. They are called shuddha (natural) swara-s (notes). In this scheme, only Ma is represented by the lower-case "m"; the rest are represented by the respective CAPITAL letters. Out of these 7 natural notes, Sa (S) and Pa (P) are invariable - they don't have any lower or higher variation. The remaining notes - Re, Ga, Ma, Dha, and Ni - each have a variation. Ma has a higher variation, called Ma teevra (sharp), and is represented by the letter "M". The remaining four - Re, Ga, Dha, and Ni - each has a lower variation, called komal (flat). They are represented respectively by the letters r, g, d, and n. Thus their are 12 notes from Sa through Ni: S, r, R, g, G, m, M, P, d, D, n, N.

On the kor convenience, the reference note, called the tonic or the key or the Sa, is assumed to be the first white key, indicated by the letter "S". The Indian Equivalents (swaras) of the Western Notations are as follows:

S = C
r = C#/Db
R = D
g = D#/Eb
G = E
m = F
M = F#/Gb
P = G
d = G#/Ab
D = A
n = A#/Bb
N = C

Detailed information on how to play the harmonium is available by ordering our Introduction to Harmonium DVD or Learn to Play On Harmonium book.

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