Glossary · glossary · 1 min read
Harmonium
हारमोनियम; the reed keyboard
A harmonium is a small, hand-pumped reed organ with a keyboard. In Indian music, it accompanies singers by following their melody and providing a steady pitch reference.
By John, Music lover from Bangalore · Reviewed by BRR · Last reviewed 29 Sept 2026
Harmonium
A harmonium is a small, hand-pumped reed organ with a keyboard. Brought to India in the nineteenth century, it is used to accompany singers. The player works the bellows, the air pump, with one hand and plays the keys with the other.
The harmonium can follow the singer’s line and hold a drone, a continuous pitch reference. Its notes sit at twelve fixed, equally spaced positions. It cannot glide between pitches or reproduce fine pitch shades, but its steady pitch makes it a practical tuning reference.
Where you will hear it
In khayal, ghazal, bhajan and qawwali, the harmonium is the commonest accompanying instrument. This small, hand-pumped reed organ has a keyboard. Brought to India in the nineteenth century, it gives singers both melodic support and a steady pitch reference.
The player works the bellows with one hand and the keys with the other. Its notes sit at twelve fixed, equally spaced pitch positions. That limits the fine pitch changes it can follow, but makes it a practical reference for tuning.
Keep going
- Tuning to shruti: using a tanpura drone in a mix · Set the project’s pitch from the singer’s shruti, their chosen Sa or home note, after checking the song’s lowest and highest phrases. Tune the tanpura, a plucked instrument providing a drone or continuous pitch reference, to that Sa and keep it beneath the voice throughout.