A harmonium is the instrument we are asked about more than any other, by students in Mumbai buying a first instrument and by singers abroad who want one shipped to them. These answers come from our own workshop, where every instrument we sell is opened, checked and tuned before it goes out. If your question is not answered here, write to us and someone who works on harmoniums will reply.
Pitch and tuning
Are your harmoniums tuned to A440?
Yes. Every harmonium we despatch is checked and tuned to A440 before it leaves us, because that is the reference almost everyone now plays and records against. Reeds move with temperature, humidity and handling, so an instrument that has travelled will always drift a little. What matters is that it arrives in tune with itself, which is the part a shop can control.
Does it actually matter whether a harmonium is at A440?
It matters the moment you play with anyone else or record. On its own, a harmonium is a self-contained world and you can sing to whatever pitch it sits at. Put it next to a tanpura app, an electronic shruti box, a keyboard or a violin and a quarter tone of drift becomes obvious and uncomfortable. If you accompany singers or record at home, insist on A440.
How is a harmonium tuned, and how often?
Each reed is tuned individually by scraping metal off it: at the tip to raise the pitch, near the base to lower it. It is slow, physical work and it has to be done with the reed board out and the reed sounding. A harmonium in regular home use needs attention every two to three years. One that travels, or that lives somewhere with hard seasons, will need it sooner. Our harmonium tuning guide shows the process in detail.
Can you tune a harmonium to A432?
Yes. It is the same work as any tuning, simply against a different reference, and we do it fairly regularly for people who practise or record at 432. Do be clear that once it is at 432 it will not sit comfortably with anything tuned to 440, so it is a choice to make deliberately rather than out of curiosity.
Can a harmonium be tuned unequally, in just intonation?
It can, and we will do it on request. A harmonium tuned just for one scale sounds extraordinarily sweet in that scale and progressively worse as you move away from it, so it is a specialist instrument for a player who works in a fixed raga or with a fixed drone. Tell us the tonic you want it built around and we will discuss what you gain and what you give up.
Is a harmonium tempered, and how does that work with Indian music?
Yes, standard harmoniums are tuned to equal temperament, the same as a piano. Indian classical music is not built on equal temperament, so purists have objected to the harmonium for a century. In practice it works because the harmonium is used as an accompanying drone and support instrument rather than as the voice carrying the fine shrutis. The singer or the sitar supplies the microtonal detail; the harmonium holds the ground under it.
Grades, types and mechanisms
What separates student, professional and concert harmoniums?
Bellows, reeds and build. A student instrument has a single set of reeds or a plain double, a simpler bellows and basic joinery, and it will do everything a beginner needs. A professional instrument has better reeds, a smoother and quieter bellows, a properly seasoned body and a coupler. A concert instrument adds the best reed sets available, three reeds, a heavier and more stable case and a much finer finish. The jump you will hear most is from student to professional.
I was told scale change harmoniums break easily. Is that true?
It is true of badly made ones. A scale change harmonium slides the whole keyboard sideways over the reed board so you can play in a different key with the same fingering, and that sliding mechanism is the part that goes wrong on a cheap instrument: the tracks wear, the keys start to catch and air leaks around the moving joint. Made properly by a workshop that has been building them for decades, it is a reliable instrument that will last. The mechanism is a reason to buy carefully, not a reason to avoid the type.
What is the difference between the Bina 23B standard and deluxe?
Both are three-reed, multi-fold instruments on the same body. The deluxe versions get better reed sets, more coupler stops, a smoother bellows action and a higher standard of finish and hardware. The standard model is the better value if you are learning; the deluxe is worth it if you are accompanying and want the instrument to be quiet and even across the whole keyboard. We will happily record both for you to compare before you choose.
Which harmonium suits kirtan and bhajan singing?
For kirtan you want volume, portability and a bellows that can keep up with long sessions, which points to a folding three-reed instrument with a coupler. Weight matters more than you expect if the instrument travels to a temple or hall every week. Our kirtan harmoniums are chosen for exactly that: loud enough to lead a room, light enough to carry.
Buying with confidence
What do you do to an instrument before you sell it?
Every harmonium is opened and gone through here in Mumbai. We check the reed board for leaks, check and free every key, check bellows cloth and valves, tune the instrument to A440, play it through its whole range listening for stuck or sluggish reeds, and then pack it for the journey it is actually going to make. Instruments going overseas are packed differently from instruments going across the city.
I have heard there are fake Paul harmoniums. How do I know mine is genuine?
Copies of the well-known Kolkata names do exist, and they are usually given away by the details rather than the badge: uneven key spacing, rough internal joinery, bellows cloth that does not match, a nameplate that sits slightly crooked, and a price that is too good. The reliable protection is to buy from a shop that has a direct relationship with the workshop. We buy from the makers we name on every listing, and we will tell you the provenance of any instrument we sell you.
Can a harmonium be shipped abroad safely?
Yes, and we do it every week. A harmonium is a wooden box full of thin metal reeds, so the risks are shock and dryness, not the journey itself. We brace the bellows, block the keyboard, double-box the instrument and insure the shipment. Expect a fresh instrument to need a small settling period and possibly a light tuning after a long flight into a dry climate, which is normal for any reed instrument that crosses climates.
Where to go next
Our guide to buying a harmonium goes through the models we carry budget by budget. Browse harmoniums, or go straight to classical, scale change and kirtan harmoniums. If you already own one that needs attention, see harmonium repair. We deliver across India in seven to ten days and ship worldwide from Mumbai, insured.