Harmoniums

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horacesqueeze
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Harmoniums

Post by horacesqueeze » Tue Nov 08, 2005 12:09 am

Ok, I have been interested in getting an intro (aka Cheap) one for a while and seeing Cerebrus Shoal this weekend put me over the Harmonium GAS edge.
What should I look for?
What makes one better than the rest (more stops, etc)
What dangers should I be aware of (like shrinkage of the wood, etc).
Any other advice, tips, etc would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Miles
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Post by jx » Tue Nov 08, 2005 3:05 am

they seem to pop up on ebaby from time time. the good ones were apparently made by Mason and Hamlin.

if you find one of the old salvation army portable models, they're great. simple as anything, two foot bellows. aren't impossible to move either, like the gigantic ornamental ones people always seem to be throwing out. some have stops, some don't. mine doesn't but does the 'harmonium' sound perfectly.

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Post by joel hamilton » Tue Nov 08, 2005 8:23 am

Depends on if you want an indian stylke one with the bellows that you pump with one hand, or something more like a keyboard that you pump with your feet or is electric...

The hand pump ones sound the most like a harmonium to me, unless you get a really big foot pump or electric one. There are some that just sound like a really steady accordion and those are not as cool. Just my opinion...

We have one that also has the "ghost octave" thingy... I dont know what it is really called, but it plays an octave up (like you actually see the key go down) from whatever you are playing. Weird and cool sounding, keeps the melody sounding farther away from accordion or melodica land.

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horacesqueeze
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Post by horacesqueeze » Tue Nov 08, 2005 8:44 am

Thanks for the advice!
I am mostly looking for a hand bellows one, most likely a "travel" one with 2 stops but I will keep an eye out for a Mason and Hamlin model. This GAS gets greater with every passing day!
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Re: Harmoniums

Post by Meriphew » Tue Nov 08, 2005 4:35 pm

horacesqueeze wrote: What dangers should I be aware of (like shrinkage of the wood, etc)
Yes, beware of shrinkage of the wood - can be quite embarrassing.

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Re: Harmoniums

Post by joel hamilton » Tue Nov 08, 2005 7:55 pm

Meriphew wrote:
horacesqueeze wrote: What dangers should I be aware of (like shrinkage of the wood, etc)
Yes, beware of shrinkage of the wood - can be quite embarrassing.
Truly a danger to be aware of.... ;)

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Post by jx » Wed Nov 09, 2005 4:34 am

they can be out of tune- i bought mine sight unseen (and unplayed), got it home, and found it was about 1/2 a semitone out of tune. it's not too bad- i just record and pitch correct it. the bellows can have leaks, or punctures. there are specialist restorers, but much like any antique instrument, it'll be a wallet blow to get stuff fixed...

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Post by Marc Alan Goodman » Wed Nov 09, 2005 8:05 am

In the last two years I've bought (and sold some of) 2 harmoniums and 2 pump organs (larger reed organs that are esentially the same design but are pumped by your feet) and 1 portable pump organ (old missionary thing, folds up into a huge case). They're a huge pain in the behind, but I think they're some of the most interesting instruments I've ever heard. They all have their own voice and character, and something about they way they "breathe" feels so human to me that I can't stop using them on every recording...

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, here's the story with Harmoniums. They were invented in France and migrated their way over to India. The French ones developed into the more european Pump Organ (which were very popular as living room instruments until the invention of the electric organ). In India they like their instruments portable (and easier to play sitting on the floor).

If you're going to buy a modern harmonium I couldn't possibly suggest any more stronly that you find a reputable dealer in the US. There's a great guy in NYC on 4th st between 2nd and 3rd aves (I can look up his number if you PM me). It's probably going to cost you upwards of $700 for a started model. I know this sounds silly (why not get one cheaper on ebay?), but they are VERY delicate instruments and are very difficult to repair if you're not a qualified technician. I bought a brand new one and had it carried back by a friend from India for about $300 thinking I was getting a steal. 2 months later due to changes in weather and just the aging of the wood and glue half of they keys didn't work, they were all out of tune, and they looked like a hillbillies teeth. After repairs, it would have cost the same thing to just buy it from the guy in NY, plus he would have continued to repair it for free for one year.

Now, if for some reason you want to ignore this advice and figure you'll dive in on your own (that's what I did), here are some tips. There are two major types of Harmoniums. Some have a set scale, but some are Scale Changers. Avoid these like the plague (I actually own one and love it, but it's a huge pain). On Scale Changers a lever causes the keys to actually pick up and move around on top of the reeds. In theory it's so you can play any song in C and have it come out in any key you like. In reality it's toally useless if you have any idea how to play a keyboard instrument. Plus the changing mechanism breaks all the time.

As far as stops, most harmoniums have either 2 or 3 sets of reeds. The more sets the more there is to go out of tune, however you also get more tonal options. Personally I get a lot of use out of all three sets. The aditional stops control either the drones or the pseudo-vibrato. The drones are pretty useless unless you're playing indian music, seeing how they're set notes. The pseudo-vibrato is a silly little effect that works better on some harmoniums than others. It's very easy to repair so there's no real reason to avoid it.

The most dificult thing about a harmonium is keeping it in tune. However, as opposed to many pump organs, the reeds in harmoniums are traditionally very easy to get at. You simply move too latches and lift the lid up. Since they're vibrating reeds the only way to tune them is to change their mass. If a note is too flat you have to go into the daring operation of shaving some of the reed off with a VERY SMALL metal file. If it's too sharp it's a bit easier. What I do is take a small piece of masking tape and put it on the reed, then keep adjusting its size until it's in tune. Some people use dabs of elmers glue for a more permenant effect, but you have to wait for the glue to dry before you can check the tuning. The tape lasts plenty long for me.

So my final advice: They're amazing instruments, and they're worth the money. Save up and buy a nice one from someone who knows what they're doing and can fix it for you. If you're on your own, good luck! You're in for some extremely frustrating work, but the sound of a harmonium is a fantastic reward.

-marc

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Post by helmuth » Wed Nov 09, 2005 8:11 am

Image

The left one is a friends but I keep it for him, it becomes a pretty handy box when folded. I guess it has been used by some kind of church on their outside summer meetings in the fifties or something. They keys are actually real keys, wooden with ivory, nice klonky feel to it. It seems to be something wrong with it though, it's too silent but got a more annoying than charming pumping sound.

The right one is indian, my dad bought it directly from the dude who made it for like 20$. As all indian harmoniums, it's not tuned in A-440, so it sets the tuning for the song if used. It sounds way more rough than the other, it has more sound combinations, mostly octave differences, but still.

Let me see if I can make some recordings of them for you.

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Post by TeReKeTe » Thu Nov 10, 2005 7:10 am

marc pretty much hit the nail on the head as regards indian harmoniums (or "vaja" in most north indian languages). the guy on 4th street is keshav das; check out his website, www.keshav-music.com. He has lots of good vaja in his shop, some scale changers, some not, none cheap-- but then again, none that you'll be totally embarrased to actually play.

scale changers are great if you're doing indian music and need to transpose on-the-fly; if not, the last thing you need to deal with is the extrodinarily tempermental mechanism mentioned before. just get a regular one.

yes, vaje norotiously go out of tune. take care of it like you would a small piano-- consistent humidity, etc.

then again part of the charm of a recorded harmonium is the horrendous out-of-tuneness. if you want it to sound particularly hip, like some acoustic version of a dual-oscillator synth, double it with a sample from swarshala (which is actually not bad at all) or roland.

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Post by horacesqueeze » Thu Nov 10, 2005 9:36 am

Thanks for all the replies guys!

I will check the site but right now $700 is really not to doable for me; but with Christmas coming hopefully some cash will be as well. Regardless of my current finances that link will be bookmarked and saved for a rainy day.
Thanks everybody!
3 Things to remember : Bones Heal, chicks dig scars and America has the best doctor to daredevil ratio in the world!

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