How to play Harmonium | tarinichitralaya

Harmonium Lesson: The Basics

Harmonium keyboard and synthesizer keyboard are taken to mean the same thing, and are called simply the "keyboard".
Take a close look at the keyboard diagram below:

The following notations are used to describe the keys on the keyboard: For convenience, the reference note, called the tonic, or the key, or the Sa, is assumed to be the first white key, indicated in the diagram by the letter S.

Remember: any key can become a Sa; but we have assumed the first white key to be the Sa (S), for convenience and convention, simplicity and uniformity.

There are seven musical notes: Sa, indicated by S; Re, by R; Ga, by G; Ma, by m; Pa, by P; Dha, by D; and Ni, indicated by N. All these 7 notes are the white keys, as shown in the diagram. They are called shuddha (natural) swara-s (notes). In this scheme , only Ma is represented by the lower-case "m"; the rest are represented by the respective CAPITAL letters.

Out of these 7 natural notes, Sa (S) and Pa (P) are invariable: Sa and Pa do not have any lower or higher variation. The remaining notes --Re, Ga, Ma, Dha, and Ni -- each has a variation. Ma has a higher variation, called Ma teevra (sharp). It is represented by the letter "M" (CAPITAL this time), its location being as shown in the diagram. The remaining four -- Re, Ga, Dha, and Ni -- each has a lower variation, called komal (flat). They are represented respectively by the letters r, g, d, and n. Their locations on the keyboard are shown in the diagram. So, we have 12 notes from Sa through Ni, as shown under: S, r, R, g, G, m, M, P, d, D, n, N.

They are represented by the 12 keys as shown in the diagram. In the present case, where our Sa is the first white key, the natural notes are white keys, and the variable notes (the sharp and flats) are black keys.

The thirteenth key is Sa again, but this Sa sounds higher than the previous Sa with which we started.

Harmonium Lesson: The Scales & The Finger Number

As mentioned earlier, we have assumed the first white key to be the Sa (S), for convenience and convention, simplicity and uniformity.
"The first white key" explained: You will find that there are sets of 5 black keys on the keyboard. Each set of those 5 black keys is made up of 2 + 3 black keys. The first white key is that white key which lies immediately to the left of the first black key. Since there are several sets of 5 black keys, there will also be several "first white" keys. You may select the first white key lying in the middle of the keyboard.

You are going to use only your right hand to play the harmonium. The right hand fingers are numbered as follows:

The thumb is numbered 1
The index finger is 2
The middle finger is 3
The ring finger is 4
The little finger is 5.

A scale is the ascending and descending movements from S R G m P D N S', and back that is, S' N D P m G R S. All the 8 notes are always included, in that order, in a scale. This scale uses only "white" keys, that is, natural notes.

This scale is called the Bilawal thaat, or the "C major" scale.

Which finger plays which key? The arrangement is:
[The finger numbers under the notes of the scale]

S R G m P D N S' [Ascending]
1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 [Finger numbers]

S' N D P m G R S [Descending]
5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 [Finger numbers]

How are the fingers positioned? The palm remains parallel to the keyboard, suspended on top of the white keys. The fingers are curved (as if you are holding a small ball in the hollow of the palm of your right hand), easy and rather loose, close to one another, the finger tips relaxed and hanging right on the keyboard. You are sitting square in the front of the harmonium. The left hand is extended so that the fingers reach over to the left end corner of the bellows, open and ready to pump in towards you.

Place the finger(s) according to the numbers and keys shown above. Pumping the bellows, and pressing a key will generate sound. Of course you will have to open one or more of the "knobs" situatd in the front (these knobs are called stops) of the harmonium. Place the finger(s) according to the number(s) and key(s) shown above. Press one key at a time.

When going from G to m, slide the thumb from under the fingers, to place it on the m key. When going, while descending, from m to G, slide the middle finger from the top of the thumb, to place it on the G key.

Harmonium Lesson : The First Song

As mentioned in earlier lessons, we have assumed the first white key to be the Sa (S), for convenience and convention, simplicity and uniformity. The right hand fingers are numbered as follows:
The thumb is numbered 1
The index finger is 2
The middle finger is 3
The ring finger is 4
The little finger is 5.

The Scales: Summary.

In Lesson 4, we have dealt with our first scale:

Bilawal. The scale is called "thaat" in Indian music. Bilawal thaat is:

S R G m P D N S' [Ascending]
1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 [Finger #]

S' N D P m G R S [Descending]
5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 [Finger #]

In lesson 5, we took up two more scales (thaat-s), called Khamaj and Kafi. They are:-

Khamaj: S R G m P D n S' [Ascending]
1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 [Finger #]

S' n D P m G R S [Descending]
5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 [Finger #]

Kafi: S R g m P D n S' [Ascending]
1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 [Finger #]

S' n D P m g R S [Descending]
5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 [Finger #]

In lesson 6, we covered four more scales (thaat-s), namely Bhairava, Asavari, Bhairavi, and Kalyan. They are:-

Bhairava: S r G m P d N S' [Ascending]
1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 [Finger #]

S' N d P m G r S [Descending]
5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 [Finger #]

Asavari: S R g m P d n S' [Ascending]
1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 [Finger #]

S' n d P m g R S [Descending]
5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 [Finger #]

Bhairavi: S r g m P d n S' [Ascending]
1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 [Finger #]

S' n d P m g r S [Descending]
5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 [Finger #]

Kalyan: S R G M P D N S' [Ascending]
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 [Finger #]

S' N D P M G R S [Descending]
4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 [Finger #]

Play one scale (thaat) at a time, repeatedly. Practise all seven scales (thaat-s) till you are very comfortable playing each of them correctly, without having to look at the keyboard.
Playing a song of any kind, does NOT demand any specific finger placements. So, a particular finger does not play a particular note of the song. You use your fingers according to the EASE of playing.
However, there is a big, very big difference here. The difference is this: In the scales, shown above and in the previous six lessons, our playing was restricted to only ONE (call it middle) octave. But the song may take you beyond one octave. So, now, we need to practise in the three octaves, namely, the middle, the higher, and the lower octaves. Let us take the middle and the higher (the upper, the next) octave. The notes and fingers are:

Ascending: [for Bilawal, for now]

S R G m P D N S'| R' G' m' P' D' N' S''
1 2 3 1 2 3 4 1 | 2 3 1 2 3 4 5

Descending:
S'' N' D' P' m' G' R' S' | N D P m G R S
5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 | 4 3 2 1 3 2 1

Careful!! Work patiently and diligently. When we were working on only one octave, the key "S'" was played with the finger #5; but now, the same key "S'" is played with the finger #1 (thumb). That is the only diference. Whenever we play a scale, a key is assigned a particular finger. But when we play a song, we do not assign a particular finger to a particular key.

For playing a song, the rules are: (1) The ease and convenience of playing;
(2) You should not run out of fingers -- whether you are playing to go up (right), or to go down (left). [Try using the first three fingers more frequently; try to reserve the fourth finger, and, especially, the fifth finger, for playing the last one or two notes, before you have to go descending].
This requires that you keep moving your wrist, to the left or to the right, as required, so that the fingers get re-arranged conveniently -- and you always have a finger to reach and play the note required by the song. By practice, you will formulate your own rules, in addition to these two rules.

Note: To play a song fully correctly, we need to have its notation which gives details on the notes, as well as their DURATION, and the taala. We are giving here only notes. That is for simplification.

Let us start with a very simple, very dear song:

Jana gaNa mana adhinaayaka jaya he bhaarata bhaagya vidhaataa |

[Finger number and finger sequence according to the two playing rules given above].

Example I:
ja-na ga-Na ma-na a-dhi-naa-ya-ka ja-ya he .
S R G G G G G G G . G G R G m .

bhaa-ra-ta bhaa-gya vi-dhaa-taa |
G . G G R . R R 'N R S |

ja-ya he . |
R G m . |

bhaa . ra-ta | bhaa . gya vi | dhaa . taa . |
G . G G | R . R R | 'N R S . |

Note: In the above arrangement, each note, and each dot, represents one beat (maatraa). You do not play a dot -- for each dot that FOLLOWS a note, you prolong that (previous) note by one beat. For example, "G" is one beat, but "G ."is two beats. In other words, when you come across a dot, you prolong the previous note, BY KEEPING ITS KEY PRESSED. To repeat, how do you prolong the previous note? The answer is: by continuing to press the key of that note. When you 'play' a dot, you keep the previous key pressed. One additional beat for one dot. You will learn these things easily -- by becoming familiar, by practising, by repetitions.