Harmonium Buyers Guide (2 of 4): What are drones?

This series is intended to help you understand all the options you may (or may not) find on a harmonium. Check out the other videos in this series via this KZbin channel, and be sure to shop our selection of harmoniums and other Indian instruments at olddelhimusic.com.

[@waede116]

Thank you so much for these videos, they're incredibly helpful! Finding easy-to-follow information on harmoniums can be difficult, so your demonstrations are saving me a lot of research!

[@tmead07]

This video series is super helpful, thanks for making it!

[@zenjon7892]

I just got a Majaraji Musicals with 6 knobs. What do you think the configuration is? Also, could I put graphite powder on the hinges to improve the action of the keys?

[@OldDelhiMusic]

Jon, I wouldn't be able to tell you, but you should be able to figure it out just pulling things here and there, or by contacting the seller. In terms of the action of the keys -- You can follow different tutorials to try to file and such if there is friction, but realistically, they're still going to feel clunky. You really only get away from the clunky feel when you significantly upgrade in terms of price / build quality...this is a fairly universal truth of acoustic instruments. It all comes down to the craftsman (and also materials), and if they are any good, you're paying a lot for that assurance of precise alignment and such. Good luck getting started!!

[@KrisRedusJazz]

Question! I’m trying to tune my harmonium for the first time (the whole thing was very sharp)… I’m getting the fundamentals in tune fine but when I push harder on the bellows and the higher octaves start sounding, they are still very sharp. I only have the one chamber closest to the keys open. I can’t figure out where those upper octaves are sounding from and how to tune them.

[@OldDelhiMusic]

Hi Kris - There are a lot of simple adjustments we encourage people to DIY, but full retuning is not something we recommend. While the basic concept is simple, it takes a lot of practice before you're any good at tuning. There are a lot of ways in which you can mess up the reeds and/or make things worse rather than better. For best results, you'll need to find someone around you who can give you some one-on-one instruction. You'll also want to have spare reeds on hand to replace the ones you accidentally ruin. Most harmoniums are mega-sharp. Your best bet, and the advice of the Harmonium Handbook, is to keep it in tune to itself - not adjust the whole thing to A=440. Not unless if you really know what you're doing... If you want something that is A=440, your smartest move is to buy something that is tuned to Concert Pitch by a pro at the time of purchase. We and a few other retailers offer this service. If the service is not offered, expect it will be pretty sharp on a meter set to A=440 - just like what you are looking at right now. Hope this helps! - ODM

[@deliajebeleanu4064]

Wow! Congrats and we really thank you for sharing your knowledge. By the way, do you ship to Europe as well? Thanks

[@OldDelhiMusic]

Delia - Yes. We ship to Europe regularly.

[@ampism]

These are very helpful vids, thanks! So, it's safe to drone without playing the keys, so long as a stop is open?

[@OldDelhiMusic]

Yes! You can pump and play a drone without playing any keys. The main idea is that air just has to be able to flow through "something." That something can be an open key or an open drone. In either case, you'll need to have a stop open...

[@ampism]

Ok great, thanks for getting back to me. Without wanting to start a Harmonium War, I thought I'd mention that another harmonium-focused KZbinr seems to think otherwise - he says that the drones aren't really meant to be used with the bellow on their own (?) But your reply makes sense to me - if the drone stoppers are open then the air is going somewhere... @@OldDelhiMusic

[@ampism]

Quote: The drone stoppers on harmoniums are not really meant to be played with just the bellows

[@OldDelhiMusic]

​@@ampism I don't think anyone puts drones in a harmonium with the expectation that you'd play only the drone and not play any notes over top of it. That's probably what they are trying to say... With regards to your question, air just needs to be able to go somewhere. I don't think anyone will disagree with that basic principle.

[@ampism]

Sure I understand. For me personally, I love to just play the drones; they sound beautiful on their own. Thanks for replying :)@@OldDelhiMusic

[@nancyknutson9125]

Could you tell me what kind of harmonium you're playing here?

[@OldDelhiMusic]

The Bhava Classic - olddelhimusic.com/collections/harmonium/products/bhava-classic-3-5-octave-folding-harmonium

[@OldDelhiMusic]

Also, this is a special Teak version that used to be produced with the 9-knob set up. The current versions have only 6-knobs - the duplicate functions have been eliminated.

[@magneticexpansionradio4100]

I have the same one, how do I clean this area because it is sticking

[@OldDelhiMusic]

You may need to get inside the instrument and either loosen the screws a bit and/or add some lubrication (we use WD40 Specialist Dry Lubricant).

[@magneticexpansionradio4100]

@@OldDelhiMusic thank you, I live in a very humid environment. I would also like to ask about general cleaning of the interior and exterior, I am concerned about mold getting into the air pump .and I just got some wd 40 for the drone rods

[@1234fazermann]

Hi what is bass/male,male/female,etc. in harmonium vocab?

[@OldDelhiMusic]

This references pitches of reeds that are available in the instrument - Bass (B) = lowest, Male (M) = midrange, Female (F) = highest. Different harmoniums will have different reed pitch options. Common combinations are B/M, M/M, B/M/F, M/M/F, and B/M/M/F.

[@1234fazermann]

Thanks for such a prompt answer.

[@1234fazermann]

@@OldDelhiMusic one more query sir,which is more suitable for Indian classical-m/m or b/m?

[@OldDelhiMusic]

@@1234fazermann any of them can be great. it really depends what matches your voice, and you only figure that out through experimentation. listen to samples and start with what sounds best to you and learn from there...

[@Suavounette]

How to reduce the sound, please ? I live in a small apartment

[@OldDelhiMusic]

Hi Aurelie, one way to reduce the volume of your harmonium is to place a towel or other cloth across the area behind the keys, which is where the sound emanates from. The thicker the cloth, the greater the effect will be on the volume.

[@Suavounette]

@@OldDelhiMusic Thanks for your help !

[@anurag.dwivedy]

Thank you so much 🙏🙏🙏😍

[@slyslaughter5115]

thank you

[@OldDelhiMusic]

You're welcome!

[@damoaguilar4947]

Please help me repair mine 🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@crajendran1]

Why all the drones are sharp I mean why not C,D,G,A

[@OldDelhiMusic]

It follows Classical Indian musical standards where C# is the most common "Sa" in Indian composition.

[@crajendran1]

@@OldDelhiMusic Thank you