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In Brief Of All Subjects

Home > Study Notes > In Brief Of All Subjects
Published in: Art & Craft Designing | Bollywood Dance | Drums | Guitar | Harmonium | Singing | Tabla
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A basic detail about what each subject at Ishaan entails

Ishaan M / Noida

year of teaching experience

Qualification:

Teaches: Mathematics, Bharat Natyam, Bollywood, Kathak, Western Dance, Art & Craft Designing, Drawing / Painting, Guitar, Indian Classical Music, Tabla

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  1. Harmonium Ishaan Music College A harmonium, also called a "melodeon", "reed organ" or "pump organ", is a keyboard instrument. It makes sound by blowing air through reeds, which are tuned to different pitches to make musical notes. In a hand-pumped harmonium, the player pushes and pulls a handle back and forth with one hand, which is joined to the bellows that blows the air. Because of this, he or she can only use one hand to play the keys as the other has to keep pumping the bellows. Air is pumped into an enclosed space by means of bellows. With a keyboard it is possible to open specially defined holes, through which the pumped air is then pressed. The reeds attached to the openings (double, triple or quadruple reeds) are set vibrating and so produce the desired note. Some players can pump enough air with one hand, and then play the keys with both hands, when necessary. The hand-pumped harmonium was created by Dwakranath Ghose so that the instrument could be played while the player was sitting down on the floor. The Harmonium is an instrument that is indispensable in India and that is used in the religious field, in classical music, in folklore and for playing within the family. It owes its popularity mainly to its easy handling. This instrument is not a native Indian instrument. It is a European instrument which was imported in the 19th century. Parts of Harmonium Body- The body is the box that houses the various parts of the harmonium. Bellows- The bellows are the pumps which force the air through the instrument. There are really two sets of bellows, one internal and one external. The external bellows are pumped by hand; these are familiar to the average player. The external bellows then forces the air into the internal bellows. The internal bellows act as a reservoir for the air. These bellows lay deep inside the
  2. instrument and are visible only by disassembling the instrument. The internal bellows push against a spring; it is this spring which forces the air over the reeds. Keys - The keys are the small wooden controls that the performer fingers to play the music. There are black keys and white keys. Cover - The cover is a small piece of wood, sometimes with cloth or glass, which covers the workings of the harmonium. It serves two functions. The most important is to protect the workings against damage. It also changes the sound by muting the higher frequencies while allowing the lower frequencies to pass. Sometimes the cover has a sliding panel which makes this muting action adjustable. Stops (main)- The main stops are a series of valves which control the way that air flows in the instrument. The main stops control the air flowing into the various reed chambers. There are usually a minimum of one stop per reed chamber, however it is not unusual to find more than one per chamber. Stops (drone)- The drone strops are the most distinguishing feature of Indian harmoniums. These stops control the flow of air over un-keyed reeds. They simply drone their particular pitch. There may be any number of drones set to any pitch, however they tend toward, A sharp, C sharp, D sharp, F sharp, and G sharp. Handles- The handles allow for easy transport of the harmonium. In a box type, there are two handles on the sides. Reeds- The reeds a series of brass reeds set into a heavier brass base. Each base is roughly 1/4 inch by 2 inches. There must be a minimum of one reed per key while two or three are the most common. These small brass reeds vibrate whenever air passes over them. Coupler- A coupler is a mechanical arrangement whereby another key is played along with the one being fingered. Normally it is the key located an octave below the selected key. This arrangement produces a much richer sound than an uncoupled keyboard. This coupling may be enabled or defeated by the user. Scale Changer- Scale changer is an elaborate mechanical arrangement whereby the entire keyboard may be shifted up or down. This allows a musician to transpose the performance into any key without having to learn new fingerings. Reed Board- The reed board is a flat piece of wood with a series of long holes cut in them. There are a series of brass reeds covering these holes. These reeds are arranged in banks. If there are two banks of reeds, it is said to be a double-reed harmonium. If there are three banks of reeds, it is said to be a triple-reed harmonium. The triple-reed harmonium is generally
  3. considered to be superior to the double-reed variety. Sometimes this board is not flat, but instead has the reeds set into perpendicular baffles. This style is said to produce a better sound.

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