Harmoniums
The harmonium is the most misunderstood instrument we sell, because the decisions that matter are invisible in a photograph. Two boxes can look identical and be four hundred dollars and one entire class of instrument apart. What follows is the short version. The long version is in our guide, How to Choose a Harmonium.
Four things move the price, and only one of them is cosmetic.
Reeds. Every key sounds a bank of reeds, and how many banks you have decides how full the instrument sounds. Two reeds is the standard, and it is enough for a room. Three reeds adds depth and carry, which is why it is the working performer's choice. Four is the ceiling, the closest a harmonium gets to an organ, and it is heavy and expensive for the privilege. Stops let you shut banks off, so a bigger instrument can always play quieter, but a smaller one can never play bigger. See Triple Reed and Quadruple Reed.
The scale changer. A scale changer slides the entire keyboard sideways so one fingering plays in any key. If you accompany singers who each sing in a different scale, it is the difference between one instrument and five. If you play in one or two keys, it is weight and money you do not need. This is the single most common thing people buy without needing, and the single most common thing accompanists wish they had bought sooner. See Scale Changer.
The body. A standing harmonium sits in one place and projects. A folding harmonium collapses into its own case with a handle, which is what you want if the instrument travels to programs, classes or another country. The folding mechanism costs you almost nothing in tone. What it costs is a little weight in the case structure. A kirtan harmonium is smaller again, built to be carried and played on the floor in front of a sangat.
Who made it. We carry four harmonium makers and they occupy genuinely different places. Maharaja Musicals is our own workshop and covers student through professional at direct-from-maker prices. Bina of Delhi is the most widely trusted student and standard instrument in the world, and for most people asking us "which harmonium should I buy" the honest answer is a Bina. MKS, Monoj Kumar Sardar of Kolkata, sit above that with scale changers and multi-reed instruments known for key action and reed voicing. Paul & Co are the top of the market and we stock two of them.
What most people should actually buy
If you are learning, singing at home, or accompanying yourself: a two-reed standard instrument with a coupler, from Bina or from our own workshop. It will still be the right instrument in ten years.
If you travel with it: folding, same specification.
If you lead kirtan: a kirtan model, or a folding instrument if you also need the full range.
If you accompany other singers professionally: scale changer, three reeds, and buy the best one you can, because you will use it every week for twenty years.
If you are recording or performing solo and you want the biggest sound a harmonium makes: four reeds, and accept the weight.
What we do before it ships
Every harmonium is tuned to A440 and checked again on the day it leaves, and every bellows is tested for air leaks. We film your actual instrument playing before it is packed. If you are between two, message us on WhatsApp and tell us what you sing and where you are. We will give you a straight answer, including when the cheaper one is the better buy.
