I bought my harmonium a few years ago off-the-shelf from a music store in Bangalore. I was in a hurry, and selected my harmonium in a matter of 10 minutes. All I checked was whether the harmonium had a good finish, the wood looked good, the sound came out loud and clear, and the keys worked smoothly.
Later I realised that I had not checked the critical component of a harmonium - the brass reeds. The reeds in my harmonium were "Punjabi" reeds - and because they were of inferior quality, they started going off-tune quickly, and therefore required frequent tuning. Tuning harmonium reeds is a specialised skill, and done best by a skilled artisan using his ears as the guide (rather than any instrument) - so this became a problem to me as I had to lug my harmonium to India every time any of the reeds went off-tune.
I later found that the best quality reeds were made in Germany - but that German reeds are no longer available since a few decades as harmoniums have gone out of fashion in the West. To understand how German reeds sound like, and why German reeds are the best, read these posts Why every Harmonium sounds different - C Sharp Tuning and Custom-Made Triple Reed Harmonium.
Among Indian makes, the reeds made in Palitana - a small town in Gujarat - were supposed to be the best.
I wanted to replace the reeds with Palitana reeds - but the problem is that Palitana reeds are in limited supply, and there is a long waiting list. After a great deal of follow-ups (thanks to my dear wife) the reeds were finally procured from the MohanLal company and installed into my harmonium at the Bombay Harmonium Works, Mangalore.
To hear how my harmonium sounds like now, watch this
.
I am sure this harmonium now will serve me in good stead for a long time to come
Later I realised that I had not checked the critical component of a harmonium - the brass reeds. The reeds in my harmonium were "Punjabi" reeds - and because they were of inferior quality, they started going off-tune quickly, and therefore required frequent tuning. Tuning harmonium reeds is a specialised skill, and done best by a skilled artisan using his ears as the guide (rather than any instrument) - so this became a problem to me as I had to lug my harmonium to India every time any of the reeds went off-tune.
I later found that the best quality reeds were made in Germany - but that German reeds are no longer available since a few decades as harmoniums have gone out of fashion in the West. To understand how German reeds sound like, and why German reeds are the best, read these posts Why every Harmonium sounds different - C Sharp Tuning and Custom-Made Triple Reed Harmonium.
Among Indian makes, the reeds made in Palitana - a small town in Gujarat - were supposed to be the best.
I wanted to replace the reeds with Palitana reeds - but the problem is that Palitana reeds are in limited supply, and there is a long waiting list. After a great deal of follow-ups (thanks to my dear wife) the reeds were finally procured from the MohanLal company and installed into my harmonium at the Bombay Harmonium Works, Mangalore.
The results are fantastic - the sound is much more mellow and beautiful, and it is a real pleasure playing it and listening to the sound. The sound will become even better over time as the new reeds gradually "open up" and lose their stiffness with the frequent playing of the instrument. And because the reeds are made of better quality material, hopefully the reeds will require less frequent tuning.
To hear how my harmonium sounds like now, watch this
.
I am sure this harmonium now will serve me in good stead for a long time to come
23 comments:
Am glad it finally worked :)
yeah i agree with Kichchu, and glad that you are happy with the harmonium now.
Ram, I was thrilled to read your blog.
I was happy to listen to your researched talk on raag shivranjani as well as the tricks and techniques to improvise any raag.
I am looking forward to many more of your studies on harmonium as well as music in general.
My blessings are with you.
Thank you Amma for your kind words - I am greatly encouraged by what you said. You will remain my guru for ever, and I am so lucky to have you. Love you. Ram
Why jerman sur are good then indian...plz give me info abt it
What is good or bad is a matter of personal preference atleast in context to the harmonium reed.It is true that German reeds are made from much stiff compounds thus require less frequent tuning..sometimes more than a year or two.It produce sharp and clear voice as well.
On the other hand Indian reeds(specially palitana) use softer compounds (brass or bronze or both in a mixture) tend to go out of tune easily but having soft and sweet sound at the same time. Yes, these are less loud when compared to German reeds.
Palitana reeds are easy to tune to A440 to A444 hz. German reeds, by default, are tuned to d flat (dusri safed) and some cents higher. So it requires much more cuts n scratches to tune it to standard scale. Generally classical singers prefer Palitana and those who sing louder like folk and qawwali use German or Delhi (dilli) reeds if not available. German reeds harmonium is played in some recordings of Nusrat sahab.
Thank you Dwivediji. Yes you are right. The Indian Palitana reeds sound sweeter and are therefore preferred for accompanying classical music. German reeds require less frequent tuning and so is better for amateurs like me :)
Thank you Dwivediji. Yes you are right. The Indian Palitana reeds sound sweeter and are therefore preferred for accompanying classical music. German reeds require less frequent tuning and so is better for amateurs like me :)
Which palitana makers reed is better...mohanlal/manohar mistri/or ratilal jivanlal mistri...have any idea....manohar mistri and ratilal mistri even make their own harmonium...
Which palitana makers reed is better...mohanlal/manohar mistri/or ratilal jivanlal mistri...have any idea....manohar mistri and ratilal mistri even make their own harmonium...
hi Prakashmunger - all the brands from Palitana are good. I have personally experience only from Mohanlal's - which is very good.
German reeds like Jubilate or marcopolo are very good but rare and have good frequency stability and dont get off tune so classical singers prefer German reeds which sound quite stable. Premier reeds Mohanlal and much melodier ,good for light singing like gazal.also depends upon what kind of sound you like. Premier with 4 sets ,,,Bass-Male-Male celeste-Female ,gives a deeper sound
i owe a harmonium with german reeds and my 4 Set reeds with palitana is getting ready in next 6 months in Kolkatta,
Sir how you got mohanlal reeds. I also purchased a harmoniun in hurry now i too want to change its reeds. I think mohanlal reeds are more famous than ratilal jivanlal reeds. But i am not getting their contact details. So if u have pls share
Your trustworthy harmonium manufacturer ... I know one since 15 years . He is a good friend now. He is from kolkatta. He makes my harmonium of whatever specs I give him
Your trustworthy harmonium manufacturer ... I know one since 15 years . He is a good friend now. He is from kolkatta. He makes my harmonium of whatever specs I give him
Nice Post with Good And Thanks For sharing Such a Nice Infromation.
Learn
Harmonium Online
You know what it depends.
All palitana reeds are good. But then comes tuning. If they can't tune premier reeds properly then no use. I bought a premier reed harmonium but it did not sound good . The reason was that the guy was not able to properly tune it.
Hi
I m parag mistry.
MOHANLAL.J MISTRY
PALITANA
Sir, Recently I am taking a new harmonium with mohonlal j mistry premier reed, 9 scale changer.but i am confused that this reed is best in India or anything else please give me some idea and how I can sure that this is originals or duplicate
Hallo Mr. Rao.
It seems that everyone in Palitana is Mistry.Also, everyone who sells Mohanlal reeds seems to be the original manufacturer of the well known Mohanlal reeds. So, please tell me how the original Mohanlal palitana reeds look. Do each one of them have stamp of the brand Mohanlal Mistry ? Can you send me a picture ? Thanks, greetings from Italy. I am thinking to order a new palitana harmonium with indian reeds, as some sellers told me that german reeds are banned in India. How difficult ! Bruno
Post a Comment