The different styles of playing harmonium

The harmonium as a musical instrument is designed to support the vocalist.  The problem is that some players of harmonium play it as if it is the hero of the music event.  They therefore try to over-shadow the vocalist either by second-guessing the vocalist (and therefore constraining him), or by playing it in such a loud and dominating manner that the vocalist's voice gets drowned in the process.

Then there is a difference in the way one can project the sound by controlling the way the air escapes through the reeds.  Some harmonists prefer to play using a single reed as you get a very sweet sound - this is ideal when the musician is an accomplisted vocalist, and only needs support from the harmonist to "fill in" the gaps.  However, most people prefer to play using either double or triple reed as the sound is stronger, and it tends to lend better support to the amateur vocalist.

Although normally I play using both reeds, recently I had to play on a single reed as the singer had a very soft voice - and even at low volume the harmonium would have drowned her beautiful voice.  You can listen to the recording of that performance of Geethaji singing "Aaj Mujhe Aayike" here - Geethaji sang this as usual very beautifully - though I wish I had played the harmonium better.

What Musical Instrument defines you?

There is much to learn from music.


All of us tend to get drawn to a specific type of musical instrument. In Indian (Hindustani) music, it could be the vocal chords (singing), or the Harmonium, the Tabla (percussion) or the Taal (cymbals).


While we may like everything, there will normally be one instrument that a person will be especially drawn towards.  And when I say "drawn towards", it does not necessarily mean that he/she actually plays it - it could also mean that he/she pays special emphasis to this instrument while listening to a piece of music.


I believe that the type of instrument that you are drawn towards reveals your personality.  And happiest are those who are in careers/positions that match their musical talent.


Do you know what is your musical instrument?  If you don't know, then it is likely that you are not sure about your own strengths in your work place - probaly you are yet to discover yourself.  And if you are not in a role suiting your musical instrument, then probably you are not very satisfied in your current role.  

The Vocalist

People drawn towards Vocals (singing) are normally leaders - they tend to bring all the other musical instruments together to make a composite whole.  


In Indian music, the singers take centre stage - and the concert revolves around him - and the vocalist therefore grabs most of the attention.  It is the role of the Vocalist to draw out the best talent from all his team players - whether it be the tabla player, the harmonium player or the cymbal player.


He normally sets the theme for the concert and provides the overall direction.


In organisations, Vocalists would be the senior managers/leaders e.g the CEO

The Harmonium Player

The Harmonium is a supporting instrument that sets the tone, and closely supports the Vocalist.  It ensures that the Vocalist is always on track - correcting and guiding him when he strays off-course.  

The harmonium "fills-in" when the Vocalist pauses for breath, and brings in melody and harmony into the music.  

The Harmonium players are relatively low-profile, and they get their greatest kick when the entire music program goes off smoothly.

In organisations, harmonium players are conscience-keepers and normally display a strong mentoring trait.  They work very closely with the leader - and are usually either in supporting roles such as HR or Training - or in a monitoring role such as Finance. 

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Other popular posts relating to Harmonium : 
Fingering Techniques for Playing Harmonium
Custom-made Triple-Reed harmonium 
Palitana Reeds for my harmonium

Why Every Harmonium sounds different - C Sharp Tuning
My "Big Moment" finally happened

The Cymbal or Drone Player

Finally we come to the Taal (cymbal) player. Sometimes, in Hindustani music the Taal player is missing, and instead you would find a couple of drone players i.e. the people sitting behind the vocalist maintaining the base tone.  The Taal - or the Drone player - is the least noticed and acknowledged - though he is the crucial person who maintains the basic beat/tonality.  

Without the Taal or the Drone, there would be a large vacuum in the music.  

In organisations, the Taal players are the people in operations, logistics and systems - they are the people who run the machines, and who ensure things get finally implemented.  They are normally the least acknowledged - but who work the hardest.