Harmoniums

A harmonium is an instrument played via a keyboard and an air-pumping system that blows air through reeds tuned to specific pitches. It’s also known as a pump organ and a melodeon. Harmoniums can be large, close to the size of an organ, or small and portable, such as kirtan harmoniums.

A harmonium price typically ranges from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars, depending on the age, materials used, brand, construction quality, and other factors.

A harmonium is typically made of wood. The free-reeds used within it are usually composed of copper or brass.

A harmonium works by pushing air through copper or brass reeds. Those reeds are tuned to different pitches, much like a harmonica or accordion. The air is pushed through the harmonium either through a foot or a hand pump. A foot pump allows the player to use both hands while playing, whereas a musician can only use one hand with a hand pump unless someone else operates the pump for her.

The major difference between an accordion and a harmonium is how the air is pumped through the instrument. With an accordion, the instrument is held by the player and the air is pushed and pulled as the band is expanded and compressed. With a harmonium, air is pushed either through a foot or hand pump. Additionally, harmoniums only have keys whereas an accordion can have keys, buttons, or a combination of both.

The types of harmoniums include:

• Hand pump vs. foot pump
• Standard vs. fold up
• Double reed harmoniums vs. triple reed harmoniums
• Scale change harmoniums vs. fixed-scale harmoniums

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