Wind
Harmonium / Vaja
ਵਾਜਾ
European reed organ adapted in India in the 1800s
History
Brought to India by European missionaries in the mid-1800s, the harmonium was quickly adopted into kirtan because it is stable in pitch and easy to learn. By the 20th century it had become the most common kirtan instrument in gurdwaras around the world. Purists prefer the older bowed and plucked instruments because they can render the microtonal slides (meend) of true raag that a fixed-pitch keyboard cannot.
A hand-pumped reed keyboard that arrived in India in the colonial era and became the most widespread kirtan instrument of the modern era. Convenient and stable in pitch, though traditionalists prefer the older bowed and plucked instruments because they can express the microtonal slides (meend) of true raag.
Tuning & playing guide
Reeds are pre-tuned to equal temperament — you do not retune day-to-day. Choose a scale-changer or fixed harmonium tuned to the standard A=440. Pump the bellows steadily with the left hand, play the melody with the right. Use the drone stops sparingly so they do not drown the voice.
Hear how it sounds
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Pump the bellows slowly and smoothly — sudden jerks tear the cloth at the folds. Keep the harmonium closed when not in use to keep dust off the reeds; dust is the main cause of notes going off-pitch or sticking. Have the reeds tuned by a professional every couple of years. Store in a dry place — damp swells the wooden keys.