INTRODUCTION TO HARMONIUM

Introduction
Harmonium is a keyboard, and so these lessons apply equally to the harmonium as well as to the electronic synthesizer keyboard. The important difference is that you can -- and do --play the electronic keyboard with your LEFT hand also; but for harmonium, your left hand is used in pumping the bellows to force air under pressure into the inside of the harmonium. However, this difference does not apply to us, because the lessons that follow are designed for your RIGHT hand only.
Buying a Harmonium/keyboard
An ordinary keyboard is sufficient to master all the lessons that will follow. If you already have a harmonium, you do not need to buy anything else as of now.

For solo performances, you can use a synthesizer keyboard or a harmonium, depending upon your taste, convenience and availability.

For accompaniement, harmonium traditionally suits better for accompaniement during performance of ghazals and bhajans, thumri and Indian classical music, and some other types of Indian music. For accompaniement to movie songs, and all varieties of songs not mentioned in the previous sentence, the synthesizer keyboard is the preferred choice. Of course, there are no strict rules to decide this issue.