Hello,
here is a link i found:
http://gauranga.simplenet.com/harmonium.htm
I'm not sure whether i would try this system myself, but it is interesting none the less.
They have many great songs you can download as well. Does anyone else know of some other good info on playing the Harmonium? There seems to be so little and it would great if we could have some good discussion here. Is anyone listening out there? Let's talk Harmonium!
Yes, they are the same but the language is different and he has you actually cut little
squares and tape them on each individual key. And also you must know the songs by ear already for this system to work. that's the weak link of it. I have taught myself to play
just by feeling around the keyboard and listening to how one note blends and harmonizes with the notes around it. . I do fortunately have knowledge of musical notation which helps to learn new songs when the notes are written out. . . .hope this helps. .
That is interesting, I have never encountered a Harmonium in real life. I do have recordings and enjoy the sounds. On this modern orchestra diagram I have it lists the Harmonium as one of the instruments, do you know if its used in American orchestras? What different kinds of music do you play on yours?
I wonder if the Harmonium referred to in that orchestra is the same one we are talking about here. If i recall correctly there is an instrument in the Brass family called Harmonium which is somewhere in between a trumpet and a trombone, kind of a midtone dweller. Our Harmonium is a small box-shaped hand pumped keyboard organ. These days they come from India although originally they came from Europe i think sometime in the 19th century. They are used now mostly for devotional chanting in small and larger groups, and that is also the kind of music that i use it for. I mostly use it for my own personal spiritual inspiration though in the future i may get involved with some groups. It is a beautiful instrument that is easy to play and very uplifting and rewarding. thank you for your interest and best regards.
Most Harmoniums have either two or three sets of reeds and a varying amount of drones. On my harmonium there are 2 sets of reeds and 2 drones. My instrument is the only one i've played so far so i'm not familiar with others except by looking at photos. But it has 4 stops which open and close the air flow thru the various reeds (if i am wrong or has a more technical view, please correct me because i really don't know that much). Usually i play with all the stops open cause it sounds the best. There are also 2 drones, one is Dflat and the other is an obnoxious and super nasal Aflat. I rarely use these drones because they are slightly out of tune and not pleasant to the ear. Probably on the more expensive intruments the drones have a higher quality and there are more of them. When i get one of those i'll letcha know :0)
