Hey! Really! Can we sing through fingers? Yes! It’s true, have you heard about my guru, the legend Harmonium maestro of India, Milind Vasudev Kulkarni? His fingers can sing even. But how? Is it possible to express emotions through it? Yes, of course. Let’s talk about one of the oldest musical instruments, the harmonium.
It may seem as a string instrument to some extent as it is similar to the piano in look, but it is not. It is actually a wind instrument. It is mostly used in Hindustani classical music. There are two major parts in the Harmonium, the Keys and the Bellow. Each scale of different octaves with twelve keys, seven Sudh and five Vikrit swar. Each key used to produce a particular frequency of corresponding swara. But how will these keys produce the sound? Here, what plays the role is my loving bellow.
Bellow:
Now here comes the answer for the people who are asking, “How is Harmonium a wind instrument?” Oh, that’s because the bellow are similar to a pump, which takes in air and produces the sound. Now, some of you can think “Does pumping air can create emotions? Well, yes! It does! That’s why the bellow control is more important than the keys.
Important note: Don’t over pump the bellow without pressing a key. Once air is in, it cannot come out unless you press a key. With the air inside, it can damage the bellow. It’s like only inhaling and not exhaling. Is it comfortable? No. will it damage our lungs/ bellow? yes!
Keys:
Now everyone knows this, for does who don’t, keys are the parts which, once press can make a specific frequency of sound depending on which one you are pressing, like a key of piano.
The bellow in a Harmonium is responsible for providing the airflow that vibrates the reeds and produces sound. Wait! Is the Reeds like our vocal cords, which vibrate and produce sound when air from our lungs is pushed through it. While singing as control of air pressure articulates the voice and makes the emotion, in Harmonium control pumping of bellow can change the emotion. Playing fast Harmonium does not mean pumping the bellow faster. So it’s all about pressing the key as well as pumping the bellow. One hand is playing the keys to make the melody, at the same time another hand is pumping the bellow to pump the air to produce sound from the keys and maintaining the emotions. It means there should be proper coordination of both the hand as well as mind for a good Harmonium player.
There are finger techniques to play the Harmonium with ease and faster. Harmonium can also get tuned in two different types. One of them is the Gandhar tuning, another is the standard tuning. In Gandhar tuning, the Swaras sound more melodious. Can you imagine listening of each Swara in Harmonium again and again, store it in your muscle’s memory forever?
Harmonium can be played as a solo or accompanying in Vocal and playing Lehra for Tabla in Hindustani classical music. So, it’s in three in one role, isn’t it? In fact, this instrument can accommodate in every form of Indian music.
July, 2025
