Harmonium
A delightful accompaniment
The Harmonium is a keyed reed instrument that is played by pushing air through reeds. Thus, it is much like an organ, with its input of air being in the form of rhythmic movements of a mechanism behind the instrument. Its use is demo-ed here.
How the Harmonium is Played:
The harmonium is usually played with the player positioned at one corner. The air-pump is played by the non-dominant hand of the artist, and the keys are played by the other hand. The specific technique used by the artist to pump air into the harmonium is completely left to the artist, as it can be done from the left, right, center, or any other position in between.
​
The Harmonium's sound:
The harmonium has a loud, resonant, resolute sound that listeners can hear from relatively long distances. As its volume is entirely dependent on the amount of air pumped into it, the volume of the instrument itself is left entirely to the discretion of the player. The Harmonium's sound is demonstrated here:
​
The Harmonium's Use:
The harmonium is used almost exclusively as an accompaniment due to its ability to create chords(something not very prevalent in Indian Classical Music). Its versatile use means that it can be used to accompany classical, semi-classical, and many other forms of music.