Short story
The harmony was invented by Alexandre Debain in Paris in 1842. The instrument became popular in the West in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Harmonies were common in small churches and chapels, where a pipe organ would be too large or too expensive. With the invention of the electronic organ in the mid-1930s, harmony began to lose favor in the United States
Harmony is today a popular instrument in India. In the mid-19th century, French missionaries brought hand-pumped harmonies to India. Because harmonium is portable, reliable and easy to learn, it has become an integral instrument in many genres of Indian music.
Buy a harmonium
Buying a harmonium can be a challenge. Most local music stores in the United States regularly release them. You will be more fortunate to buy a new Harmony from an online retailer. Activemusician.com has harmoniums from about $ 250 for a base model to over $ 1000 for a deluxe version.
If you are waiting for your new harmony to emerge and want to start learning how to play one, you can use an electronic keyboard to start learning. Even if the sound is different, the keyboard layout is similar. Keep in mind that with a keyboard you can use your left hand. With most harmonies, your left hand is used when pumping the bellows to give the harmonium sound.
Learn online
You may have a hard time finding a local music teacher who is familiar with and can teach you the harmonium. If you can not find an instructor nearby, learn with online lessons. There are several websites to help you learn the basics of playing the harmonium. One of the best is SoundofIndia.com. This page will guide you through nine basic harmonium lessons, four chord lessons and four voice lessons to accompany harmonium playing. The lessons are quite short and easy to understand.
Another website is Sharda.org. This site is sponsored by a non-profit organization. There are 40 plus lessons available. Although the quality of the site is lower than that of SoundofIndia.com, there are videos available for each lesson to provide more in-depth instruction. A harmonium, which is a popular instrument in India, looks like a keyboard, but sounds like an accordion. Sound is produced by air delivered by foot or hand-driven bellows that are blown through a set of reeds. If you are interested in learning to play the harmonium, you can take advantage of free online lessons.
Source:danspela.com