Old Delhi Music sells the very best folding, portable harmoniums available anywhere. Unlike sellers on eBay and Amazon, each of ours is tuned and adjusted independently at the time of sale at our shop in Urbana, IL and then SHIPPED FREE anywhere in the mainland U.S.A., without the risks inherent to getting them a "quick shipping" warehouse or direct from India. We also offer discounted shipping worldwide. Contact for details.
NOTE: This harmonium has a minor crimp in the metal surround on the front edge of the lid which is visible in the picture that shows the instrument closed. It is very minor. We have for this reason labeled it a b-stock.
When we experiment with new designs, we end up with prototype instruments like this one. This particular harmonium has 32 keys, no stops, no drones, and a side fold bellows. It's a simple, straight-forward design - very compact and great for travel. We've included with this one a nice sturdy travel bag.
Includes: - Padded Gig Bag - FREE SHIPPING within continental U.S. - One month FREE access at Bhakti Breakfast Club -- hundreds of harmonium classes to explore! - Expert tuning and refinement services completed at our shop in our Urbana, IL
- Weight: 17 lbs. - Dimensions: 18.75 x 8.25 x 13 in. (closed), 18.75 x 11.5 x 13 in. (open) - Color: Brown - Finish: Lacquer - Exterior Construction: Solid Wood - Interior Construction: Solid Wood - Box Type: Traditional Folding - Key Construction: One-piece - Number of Keys: 32 - Reed type: SS Deluxe, Punjabi - Reed banks: 2 sets (Bass, Male) - Reed orientation: Horizontal - Stops: none - Drones: none - Coupler: none - Scale changer: none
SHIPPING: Your instrument will arrive safely, and if it doesn't, we'll take care of it. Our packing methods have ensured that over 99% of the instruments we ship arrive undamaged. Should things not go perfectly, we will get you a replacement, refund, part or whatever is necessary. No problem.
STORE: Old Delhi Music carefully curates a selection of only fine quality ethnic musical instruments. Our business is family owned and operated in Urbana, IL since 2010. For the back story, check out this video:
It's a shame when we receive harmoniums purchased elsewhere and have to bill someone a couple hundred dollars for the work we would have included for free...
Q: How long have you been doing this?
A: Since 2010.
Q: How'd you get started?
A: Our first "factory checked" shipment of harmoniums arrived needing some serious attention. Rather than selling bad products, we went to work learning how to make them to sound great and we've been improving at that ever since.
Q: So you know what you're doing?
A: Yup. We know how to bring just about any harmonium to it's full potential.
Q: Shouldn't that be the builders job?
A: The builders put the instruments together, and we mostly work with people who do that well. Our job is refinement- we coax the good sounds and feels out by manipulating this and that - scraping here, turning there. On a Kolkata-style box, that process can consume an entire day. On a standard twin reed, 3-4 hours is pretty typical. It's a process, but when you've drawn out all the goodness, it's totally worthwhile.
Q: But is it really practical to do this with each one?
A: Well, "The Harmonium Handbook" does say that fully retuning "an entire harmonium" (even a two reed) is impractical. But we do it anyway...every single day.
Q: Is it tedious?
A: Sure. But it's also fairly meditative, and the days go pretty fast.
Q: So it's worthwhile?
A: Absolutely. Taking an instrument that's "decent" to awesome in a few hours is good work. No question.
Q: I've shopped around, and your prices are pretty competitive. Given the level of service you're talking about, how do you do it?
A: We do pretty good volume, and we don't have a storefront, so we keep our expenses low.
Q: Any other competitive advantages to note?
A: Definitely. We are THE ONLY shop anywhere that offers custom, hand tuning services for ANY new two, three or four reed harmonium. Only one competitor offers a similar service, and that's only for a couple of their two reed models.
Q: But don't all the others claim to have A440 tuned harmoniums?
A: Many competitors advertise harmoniums that are "~A440" or "A440+/-...", but for true precision and accuracy, every single reed must be touched, allowed to settle, and refined until the tuning is stable. The process takes time, and it can't be rushed or sit too long in a warehouse waiting for eventual fulfillment. Quality, custom set up and tuning can ONLY be completed on a per-order basis, which means you'll have to wait a few extra days. It's NOT a service you can offer via Amazon Prime.
Q: Tell me about your tuning options?
A: We can do anything. But in general, we offer these three options:
- Equal tuning (Free): An Equal or Indian tuned instrument can be played with other instruments as long as they are tuned to match the harmonium. To complete this basic service, we determine roughly where the instrument is already settled out, which is typically higher than A440 and generally out of tune up and down the scale. Once we know about how it is generally pitched, we check and adjust each reed individually as needed and then match octaves along with common intervals. Altogether, it's a lot of small to medium adjustments and in the end, we have generally touched 75-100% of the reeds to get everything in tune. This is our standard approach.
- Concert Pitch / A440 tuning (Optional; fee varies): A Concert Pitch tuned harmonium will match the default tuning for Western Instruments, meaning this is a very versatile tuning choice. For this service, all reeds are retuned up and down to scale to correspond with Concert Pitch standard tuning where the middle A note resonates at 440hz. This service requires additional wait time since we have to first tune everything once, allow it to settle out for a day or so, and then go back through it again to make finer adjustments similar to what we do when Equal tuning. Only in this case, we are Equal tuning so that everything is pitched to correspond right with A440.
- Cosmic Pitch / A432 tuning (Optional; fee varies): A Cosmic A432 harmonium will work only in conjunction with other A432 tuned instruments. This is a newer service, and we offer this for only select harmoniums that handle this tuning well. With this service, all reeds are drastically retuned nearly a quarter tone below Concert Pitch to match a middle A resonating at 432hz., which is said to be a frequency that resonates in true harmony with the universe. This service takes a week+ to complete.
Q: Do you believe the hype about A432?
A: It does sound pretty deep and beautiful when it's done, but who knows...
Q: What aren't you guys good at?
A: We focus on the instruments, which means we often times lag on website updates. And social media is definitely a priority...
Q: So what's the best way to contact you if I have additional questions.
A: Give us a call or send an email.
While much of India is rapidly advancing, the Indian instrument manufacturing process remains very old school. From touch ups to tuning, much of what we do at Old Delhi Music is add a layer of quality control to an otherwise non-standardized production process.
We wrote THIS ARTICLE to ensure customers understand and might appreciate this vintage production style, the unique products we carry, and how we're working to ensure genuine quality, despite the odds. It's a quick read, and definitely worthwhile for anyone considering the purchase of a traditional Indian instrument.
PRE-ORDER NOTICE: This is our best selling harmonium, and even in a normal year, it is typically sold out. Our next batch will arrive in October and we are pre-selling those now. Supplies are limited, as usual. If this is the one you want, your best bet is to jump in line now. Thanks!
The Bhava Mini has set a new standard for "mini" harmoniums delivering full, robust sound, impressive sustain, and smooth play in a reasonably small package. While we'd still recommend a full-size box for the recording studio, this one gets close and hits a real sweet spot in terms of portability and sound quality. It is by far our best-selling harmonium.
Includes: - Padded Gig Bag - FREE SHIPPING within continental U.S. - One month FREE access at Bhakti Breakfast Club -- hundreds of harmonium classes to explore! - Expert tuning and refinement services completed at our shop in our Urbana, IL
- Weight: 16 lbs. - Dimensions: 19 x 7 x 12 in. (closed), 19 x 13.5 x 12 (open) - Color: Brown - Finish: Melamine Clear Polish - Exterior Construction: SEL Kail Wood - Interior Construction: SEL Kail Wood - Box Type: Folding, Safari Style - Key Construction: One-piece - Number of Keys: 32 - Reed type: Standard, Punjabi - Reed banks: 2 sets (Bass, Male) - Reed orientation: Horizontal - Stops: 2 (Bass, Male) - Drones: 2 (C#, G#) - Coupler: none - Scale changer: none
SHIPPING: Your instrument will arrive safely, and if it doesn't, we'll take care of it. Our packing methods have ensured that over 99% of the instruments we ship arrive undamaged. Should things not go perfectly, we will get you a replacement, refund, part or whatever is necessary. No problem.
STORE: Old Delhi Music carefully curates a selection of only fine quality ethnic musical instruments. Our business is family owned and operated in Urbana, IL since 2010. For the back story, check out this video:
It's a shame when we receive harmoniums purchased elsewhere and have to bill someone a couple hundred dollars for the work we would have included for free...
Q: How long have you been doing this?
A: Since 2010.
Q: How'd you get started?
A: Our first "factory checked" shipment of harmoniums arrived needing some serious attention. Rather than selling bad products, we went to work learning how to make them to sound great and we've been improving at that ever since.
Q: So you know what you're doing?
A: Yup. We know how to bring just about any harmonium to its full potential.
Q: Shouldn't that be the builders job?
A: The builders put the instruments together, and we mostly work with people who do that well. Our job is refinement- we coax the good sounds and feels out by manipulating this and that - scraping here, turning there. On a Kolkata-style box, that process can consume an entire day. On a standard twin reed, 3-4 hours is pretty typical. It's a process, but when you've drawn out all the goodness, it's totally worthwhile.
Q: But is it really practical to do this with each one?
A: Well, "The Harmonium Handbook" does say that fully retuning "an entire harmonium" (even a two reed) is impractical. But we do it anyway...every single day.
Q: Is it tedious?
A: Sure. But it's also fairly meditative, and the days go pretty fast.
Q: So it's worthwhile?
A: Absolutely. Taking an instrument that's "decent" to awesome in a few hours is good work. No question.
Q: I've shopped around, and your prices are pretty competitive. Given the level of service you're talking about, how do you do it?
A: We do pretty good volume, and we don't have a storefront, so we keep our expenses low.
Q: Any other competitive advantages to note?
A: Definitely. We are THE ONLY shop anywhere that offers custom, hand tuning services for ANY new two, three or four reed harmonium. Only one competitor offers a similar service, and that's only for a couple of their two reed models.
Q: But don't all the others claim to have A440 tuned harmoniums?
A: Many competitors advertise harmoniums that are "~A440" or "A440+/-...", but for true precision and accuracy, every single reed must be touched, allowed to settle, and refined until the tuning is stable. The process takes time, and it can't be rushed or sit too long in a warehouse waiting for eventual fulfillment. Quality, custom set up and tuning can ONLY be completed on a per-order basis, which means you'll have to wait a few extra days. It's NOT a service you can offer via Amazon Prime.
Q: Tell me about your tuning options?
A: We can do anything. But in general, we offer these three options:
- Equal tuning (Free): An Equal or Indian tuned instrument can be played with other instruments as long as they are tuned to match the harmonium. To complete this basic service, we determine roughly where the instrument is already settled out, which is typically higher than A440 and generally out of tune up and down the scale. Once we know about how it is generally pitched, we check and adjust each reed individually as needed and then match octaves along with common intervals. Altogether, it's a lot of small to medium adjustments and in the end, we have generally touched 75-100% of the reeds to get everything in tune. This is our standard approach.
- Concert Pitch / A440 tuning (Optional; fee varies): A Concert Pitch tuned harmonium will match the default tuning for Western Instruments, meaning this is a very versatile tuning choice. For this service, all reeds are retuned up and down to scale to correspond with Concert Pitch standard tuning where the middle A note resonates at 440hz. This service requires additional wait time since we have to first tune everything once, allow it to settle out for a day or so, and then go back through it again to make finer adjustments similar to what we do when Equal tuning. Only in this case, we are Equal tuning so that everything is pitched to correspond right with A440.
- Cosmic Pitch / A432 tuning (Optional; fee varies): A Cosmic A432 harmonium will work only in conjunction with other A432 tuned instruments. This is a newer service, and we offer this for only select harmoniums that handle this tuning well. With this service, all reeds are drastically retuned nearly a quarter tone below Concert Pitch to match a middle A resonating at 432hz., which is said to be a frequency that resonates in true harmony with the universe. This service takes a week+ to complete.
Q: Do you believe the hype about A432?
A: It does sound pretty deep and beautiful when it's done, but who knows...
Q: What aren't you guys good at?
A: We focus on the instruments, which means we often times lag on website updates. And social media is definitely a priority...
Q: So what's the best way to contact you if I have additional questions.
A: Give us a call or send an email.
While much of India is rapidly advancing, the Indian instrument manufacturing process remains very old school. From touch ups to tuning, much of what we do at Old Delhi Music is add a layer of quality control to an otherwise non-standardized production process.
We wrote THIS ARTICLE to ensure customers understand and might appreciate this vintage production style, the unique products we carry, and how we're working to ensure genuine quality, despite the odds. It's a quick read, and definitely worthwhile for anyone considering the purchase of a traditional Indian instrument.
PRE-ORDER NOTICE: This is a very popular harmonium, and with 2020 being a strange year, production has been affected. Our next batch will arrive in October and we are pre-selling those now. Supplies are limited. If this is the one you want, your best bet is to jump in line now. Thanks!
The Bhava Classic is a new take on the traditional folding harmonium design. While most harmoniums are built out of square from low grade materials, this one is built true using only solid wood (no particle board) and best available components throughout. Add to this an unmatched refinement process, and the result is a harmonium that sounds, feels, and looks better than anything else in its class.
Finished in a natural lacquer and built into a collapsible frame, the Bhava Classic is both great looking and exceptionally portable. Functionally, it's set up in a traditional Delhi style with 42 piano cut keys (3.5 octaves), 3 stops, 3 drones, twin horizontal reed banks with high quality bass and male reed sets, and a sliding volume control board (Jaali). Collapsed, this harmonium measures 23.5 x 7 x 12 inches and weighs just 22 lbs.
Includes: - Padded Gig Bag - FREE SHIPPING within continental U.S. - One month FREE access at Bhakti Breakfast Club -- hundreds of harmonium classes to explore! - Expert tuning and refinement services completed at our shop in our Urbana, IL
- Weight: 22 lbs. - Dimensions: 23.5 x 7 x 12 in. (closed), 23.5 x 13.5 x 13.5 in. (open) - Color: Natural - Finish: Lacquer - Exterior Construction: SEL Grade Bhutan Pine / Kail Wood - Interior Construction: SEL Grade Bhutan Pine / Kail Wood - Box Type: Folding, Safari Style - Key Construction: One-piece - Number of Keys: 42 - Reed type: Premium, Punjabi - Reed banks: 2 sets (Bass, Male) - Reed orientation: Horizontal - Stops: 2 (Bass, Male) - Drones: 4 (C#, D#, G#, A#) - Coupler: none - Scale changer: none
SHIPPING: Your instrument will arrive safely, and if it doesn't, we'll take care of it. Our packing methods have ensured that over 99% of the instruments we ship arrive undamaged. Should things not go perfectly, we will get you a replacement, refund, part or whatever is necessary. No problem.
STORE: Old Delhi Music carefully curates a selection of only fine quality ethnic musical instruments. Our business is family owned and operated in Urbana, IL since 2010. For the back story, check out this video:
It's a shame when we receive harmoniums purchased elsewhere and have to bill someone a couple hundred dollars for the work we would have included for free...
Q: How long have you been doing this?
A: Since 2010.
Q: How'd you get started?
A: Our first "factory checked" shipment of harmoniums arrived needing some serious attention. Rather than selling bad products, we went to work learning how to make them to sound great and we've been improving at that ever since.
Q: So you know what you're doing?
A: Yup. We know how to bring just about any harmonium to its full potential.
Q: Shouldn't that be the builders job?
A: The builders put the instruments together, and we mostly work with people who do that well. Our job is refinement- we coax the good sounds and feels out by manipulating this and that - scraping here, turning there. On a Kolkata-style box, that process can consume an entire day. On a standard twin reed, 3-4 hours is pretty typical. It's a process, but when you've drawn out all the goodness, it's totally worthwhile.
Q: But is it really practical to do this with each one?
A: Well, "The Harmonium Handbook" does say that fully retuning "an entire harmonium" (even a two reed) is impractical. But we do it anyway...every single day.
Q: Is it tedious?
A: Sure. But it's also fairly meditative, and the days go pretty fast.
Q: So it's worthwhile?
A: Absolutely. Taking an instrument that's "decent" to awesome in a few hours is good work. No question.
Q: I've shopped around, and your prices are pretty competitive. Given the level of service you're talking about, how do you do it?
A: We do pretty good volume, and we don't have a storefront, so we keep our expenses low.
Q: Any other competitive advantages to note?
A: Definitely. We are THE ONLY shop anywhere that offers custom, hand tuning services for ANY new two, three or four reed harmonium. Only one competitor offers a similar service, and that's only for a couple of their two reed models.
Q: But don't all the others claim to have A440 tuned harmoniums?
A: Many competitors advertise harmoniums that are "~A440" or "A440+/-...", but for true precision and accuracy, every single reed must be touched, allowed to settle, and refined until the tuning is stable. The process takes time, and it can't be rushed or sit too long in a warehouse waiting for eventual fulfillment. Quality, custom set up and tuning can ONLY be completed on a per-order basis, which means you'll have to wait a few extra days. It's NOT a service you can offer via Amazon Prime.
Q: Tell me about your tuning options?
A: We can do anything. But in general, we offer these three options:
- Equal tuning (Free): An Equal or Indian tuned instrument can be played with other instruments as long as they are tuned to match the harmonium. To complete this basic service, we determine roughly where the instrument is already settled out, which is typically higher than A440 and generally out of tune up and down the scale. Once we know about how it is generally pitched, we check and adjust each reed individually as needed and then match octaves along with common intervals. Altogether, it's a lot of small to medium adjustments and in the end, we have generally touched 75-100% of the reeds to get everything in tune. This is our standard approach.
- Concert Pitch / A440 tuning (Optional; fee varies): A Concert Pitch tuned harmonium will match the default tuning for Western Instruments, meaning this is a very versatile tuning choice. For this service, all reeds are retuned up and down to scale to correspond with Concert Pitch standard tuning where the middle A note resonates at 440hz. This service requires additional wait time since we have to first tune everything once, allow it to settle out for a day or so, and then go back through it again to make finer adjustments similar to what we do when Equal tuning. Only in this case, we are Equal tuning so that everything is pitched to correspond right with A440.
- Cosmic Pitch / A432 tuning (Optional; fee varies): A Cosmic A432 harmonium will work only in conjunction with other A432 tuned instruments. This is a newer service, and we offer this for only select harmoniums that handle this tuning well. With this service, all reeds are drastically retuned nearly a quarter tone below Concert Pitch to match a middle A resonating at 432hz., which is said to be a frequency that resonates in true harmony with the universe. This service takes a week+ to complete.
Q: Do you believe the hype about A432?
A: It does sound pretty deep and beautiful when it's done, but who knows...
Q: What aren't you guys good at?
A: We focus on the instruments, which means we often times lag on website updates. And social media is definitely a priority...
Q: So what's the best way to contact you if I have additional questions.
A: Give us a call or send an email.
While much of India is rapidly advancing, the Indian instrument manufacturing process remains very old school. From touch ups to tuning, much of what we do at Old Delhi Music is add a layer of quality control to an otherwise non-standardized production process.
We wrote THIS ARTICLE to ensure customers understand and might appreciate this vintage production style, the unique products we carry, and how we're working to ensure genuine quality, despite the odds. It's a quick read, and definitely worthwhile for anyone considering the purchase of a traditional Indian instrument.
NOTE: This is being sold as a b-stock due to some exceptionally slight cosmetic defects. Nothing notable. Functionally, it's perfect and definitely one of our favorites.
The Bhava Classic Teak is unparalleled. It represents a whole new class of Delhi harmoniums that is only available from the Bhava brand. The highly durable and unquestionably beautiful, select grade teak shell resonates to produce profound clarity in voice. Tight interior construction by the very best builders in India and top notch refinement in the U.S. combine to ensure a warm, dynamic sound that is certain to only improve with age.
The Bhava Classic Teak is visually stunning and very portable - perfectly sized for easy transport in the overhead compartment of a plane. Functionally, it's set up in a traditional Delhi style with 42 piano cut keys (3.5 octaves), 5 stops, 4 drones, twin horizontal reed banks with premier quality bass and male reed sets, and a sliding volume control board (Jaali). Collapsed, this harmonium measures 23.5 x 7 x 12 inches and weighs 26 lbs.
Includes: - Padded Gig Bag - FREE SHIPPING within continental U.S. - One month FREE access at Bhakti Breakfast Club -- hundreds of harmonium classes to explore! - Expert tuning and refinement services completed at our shop in our Urbana, IL
- Weight: 26 lbs. - Dimensions: 23.5 x 7 x 12 in. (closed), 23.5 x 13.5 x 13.5 in. (open) - Color: Natural - Finish: Lacquer - Exterior Construction: Teak Wood - Interior Construction: SEL Grade Bhutan Pine / Kail Wood - Box Type: Folding, Safari Style - Key Construction: One-piece - Number of Keys: 42 - Reed type: Premium, Punjabi - Reed banks: 2 sets (Bass, Male) - Reed orientation: Horizontal - Stops: 5 (Male, Bass, Bass, Tremelo, Male) - Drones: 3 (C#, D#, G#, Bb) - Coupler: Right Action - Scale changer: none
SHIPPING: Your instrument will arrive safely, and if it doesn't, we'll take care of it. Our packing methods have ensured that over 99% of the instruments we ship arrive undamaged. Should things not go perfectly, we will get you a replacement, refund, part or whatever is necessary. No problem.
STORE: Old Delhi Music carefully curates a selection of only fine quality ethnic musical instruments. Our business is family owned and operated in Urbana, IL since 2010. For the back story, check out this video:
It's a shame when we receive harmoniums purchased elsewhere and have to bill someone a couple hundred dollars for the work we would have included for free...
Q: How long have you been doing this?
A: Since 2010.
Q: How'd you get started?
A: Our first "factory checked" shipment of harmoniums arrived needing some serious attention. Rather than selling bad products, we went to work learning how to make them to sound great and we've been improving at that ever since.
Q: So you know what you're doing?
A: Yup. We know how to bring just about any harmonium to it's full potential.
Q: Shouldn't that be the builders job?
A: The builders put the instruments together, and we mostly work with people who do that well. Our job is refinement- we coax the good sounds and feels out by manipulating this and that - scraping here, turning there. On a Kolkata-style box, that process can consume an entire day. On a standard twin reed, 3-4 hours is pretty typical. It's a process, but when you've drawn out all the goodness, it's totally worthwhile.
Q: But is it really practical to do this with each one?
A: Well, "The Harmonium Handbook" does say that fully retuning "an entire harmonium" (even a two reed) is impractical. But we do it anyway...every single day.
Q: Is it tedious?
A: Sure. But it's also fairly meditative, and the days go pretty fast.
Q: So it's worthwhile?
A: Absolutely. Taking an instrument that's "decent" to awesome in a few hours is good work. No question.
Q: I've shopped around, and your prices are pretty competitive. Given the level of service you're talking about, how do you do it?
A: We do pretty good volume, and we don't have a storefront, so we keep our expenses low.
Q: Any other competitive advantages to note?
A: Definitely. We are THE ONLY shop anywhere that offers custom, hand tuning services for ANY new two, three or four reed harmonium. Only one competitor offers a similar service, and that's only for a couple of their two reed models.
Q: But don't all the others claim to have A440 tuned harmoniums?
A: Many competitors advertise harmoniums that are "~A440" or "A440+/-...", but for true precision and accuracy, every single reed must be touched, allowed to settle, and refined until the tuning is stable. The process takes time, and it can't be rushed or sit too long in a warehouse waiting for eventual fulfillment. Quality, custom set up and tuning can ONLY be completed on a per-order basis, which means you'll have to wait a few extra days. It's NOT a service you can offer via Amazon Prime.
Q: Tell me about your tuning options?
A: We can do anything. But in general, we offer these three options:
- Equal tuning (Free): An Equal or Indian tuned instrument can be played with other instruments as long as they are tuned to match the harmonium. To complete this basic service, we determine roughly where the instrument is already settled out, which is typically higher than A440 and generally out of tune up and down the scale. Once we know about how it is generally pitched, we check and adjust each reed individually as needed and then match octaves along with common intervals. Altogether, it's a lot of small to medium adjustments and in the end, we have generally touched 75-100% of the reeds to get everything in tune. This is our standard approach.
- Concert Pitch / A440 tuning (Optional; fee varies): A Concert Pitch tuned harmonium will match the default tuning for Western Instruments, meaning this is a very versatile tuning choice. For this service, all reeds are retuned up and down to scale to correspond with Concert Pitch standard tuning where the middle A note resonates at 440hz. This service requires additional wait time since we have to first tune everything once, allow it to settle out for a day or so, and then go back through it again to make finer adjustments similar to what we do when Equal tuning. Only in this case, we are Equal tuning so that everything is pitched to correspond right with A440.
- Cosmic Pitch / A432 tuning (Optional; fee varies): A Cosmic A432 harmonium will work only in conjunction with other A432 tuned instruments. This is a newer service, and we offer this for only select harmoniums that handle this tuning well. With this service, all reeds are drastically retuned nearly a quarter tone below Concert Pitch to match a middle A resonating at 432hz., which is said to be a frequency that resonates in true harmony with the universe. This service takes a week+ to complete.
Q: Do you believe the hype about A432?
A: It does sound pretty deep and beautiful when it's done, but who knows...
Q: What aren't you guys good at?
A: We focus on the instruments, which means we often times lag on website updates. And social media is definitely a priority...
Q: So what's the best way to contact you if I have additional questions.
A: Give us a call or send an email.
While much of India is rapidly advancing, the Indian instrument manufacturing process remains very old school. From touch ups to tuning, much of what we do at Old Delhi Music is add a layer of quality control to an otherwise non-standardized production process.
We wrote THIS ARTICLE to ensure customers understand and might appreciate this vintage production style, the unique products we carry, and how we're working to ensure genuine quality, despite the odds. It's a quick read, and definitely worthwhile for anyone considering the purchase of a traditional Indian instrument.
The Bina 17 Concert Series harmonium is a beautifully refined version of Bina's traditional collapsing design. Constructed to uncommonly high standards, this harmonium delivers deep, resonant, earthy tones with ease.
Upon first touch, you'll notice the fluid motion of the bellows, which are uniquely routed to match the arch of your hand. This is complimented perfectly by the incredibly smooth action felt across all 42 keys. As you play, warm organ tones resonate beautifully across the softwood shell and interior case. An oversized wind chest produces long, even sustain through Bina "special" reeds, which are custom tuned in our shop.
Includes: - Padded Gig Bag - FREE SHIPPING within continental U.S. - One month FREE access at Bhakti Breakfast Club -- hundreds of harmonium classes to explore! - Expert tuning and refinement services completed at our shop in our Urbana, Illinois
- Weight: 24 lbs. - Dimensions: 24 x 8.25 x 14 in. (closed), 24 x 12 x 14 (open) - Color: Natural - Finish: Shellac - Exterior Construction: Pine - Interior Construction: Pine - Box Type: Traditional Collapsing - Key Construction: One-piece - Number of Keys: 42 - Reed type: Bina "special" reeds; Punjabi - Reed banks: 2 sets (Bass, Male) - Reed orientation: Horizontal - Stops: 5 - Drones: 4 - Coupler: Yes - Scale changer: none
SHIPPING: Your instrument will arrive safely, and if it doesn't, we'll take care of it. Our packing methods have ensured that over 99% of the instruments we ship arrive undamaged. Should things not go perfectly, we will get you a replacement, refund, part or whatever is necessary. No problem.
STORE: Old Delhi Music carefully curates a selection of only fine quality ethnic musical instruments. Our business is family owned and operated in Urbana, IL since 2010. For the back story, check out this video:
It's a shame when we receive harmoniums purchased elsewhere and have to bill someone a couple hundred dollars for the work we would have included for free...
Q: How long have you been doing this?
A: Since 2010.
Q: How'd you get started?
A: Our first "factory checked" shipment of harmoniums arrived needing some serious attention. Rather than selling bad products, we went to work learning how to make them to sound great and we've been improving at that ever since.
Q: So you know what you're doing?
A: Yup. We know how to bring just about any harmonium to its full potential.
Q: Shouldn't that be the builders job?
A: The builders put the instruments together, and we mostly work with people who do that well. Our job is refinement- we coax the good sounds and feels out by manipulating this and that - scraping here, turning there. On a Kolkata-style box, that process can consume an entire day. On a standard twin reed, 3-4 hours is pretty typical. It's a process, but when you've drawn out all the goodness, it's totally worthwhile.
Q: But is it really practical to do this with each one?
A: Well, "The Harmonium Handbook" does say that fully retuning "an entire harmonium" (even a two reed) is impractical. But we do it anyway...every single day.
Q: Is it tedious?
A: Sure. But it's also fairly meditative, and the days go pretty fast.
Q: So it's worthwhile?
A: Absolutely. Taking an instrument that's "decent" to awesome in a few hours is good work. No question.
Q: I've shopped around, and your prices are pretty competitive. Given the level of service you're talking about, how do you do it?
A: We do pretty good volume, and we don't have a storefront, so we keep our expenses low.
Q: Any other competitive advantages to note?
A: Definitely. We are THE ONLY shop anywhere that offers custom, hand tuning services for ANY new two, three or four reed harmonium. Only one competitor offers a similar service, and that's only for a couple of their two reed models.
Q: But don't all the others claim to have A440 tuned harmoniums?
A: Many competitors advertise harmoniums that are "~A440" or "A440+/-...", but for true precision and accuracy, every single reed must be touched, allowed to settle, and refined until the tuning is stable. The process takes time, and it can't be rushed or sit too long in a warehouse waiting for eventual fulfillment. Quality, custom set up and tuning can ONLY be completed on a per-order basis, which means you'll have to wait a few extra days. It's NOT a service you can offer via Amazon Prime.
Q: Tell me about your tuning options?
A: We can do anything. But in general, we offer these three options:
- Equal tuning (Free): An Equal or Indian tuned instrument can be played with other instruments as long as they are tuned to match the harmonium. To complete this basic service, we determine roughly where the instrument is already settled out, which is typically higher than A440 and generally out of tune up and down the scale. Once we know about how it is generally pitched, we check and adjust each reed individually as needed and then match octaves along with common intervals. Altogether, it's a lot of small to medium adjustments and in the end, we have generally touched 75-100% of the reeds to get everything in tune. This is our standard approach.
- Concert Pitch / A440 tuning (Optional; fee varies): A Concert Pitch tuned harmonium will match the default tuning for Western Instruments, meaning this is a very versatile tuning choice. For this service, all reeds are retuned up and down to scale to correspond with Concert Pitch standard tuning where the middle A note resonates at 440hz. This service requires additional wait time since we have to first tune everything once, allow it to settle out for a day or so, and then go back through it again to make finer adjustments similar to what we do when Equal tuning. Only in this case, we are Equal tuning so that everything is pitched to correspond right with A440.
- Cosmic Pitch / A432 tuning (Optional; fee varies): A Cosmic A432 harmonium will work only in conjunction with other A432 tuned instruments. This is a newer service, and we offer this for only select harmoniums that handle this tuning well. With this service, all reeds are drastically retuned nearly a quarter tone below Concert Pitch to match a middle A resonating at 432hz., which is said to be a frequency that resonates in true harmony with the universe. This service takes a week+ to complete.
Q: Do you believe the hype about A432?
A: It does sound pretty deep and beautiful when it's done, but who knows...
Q: What aren't you guys good at?
A: We focus on the instruments, which means we often times lag on website updates. And social media is definitely a priority...
Q: So what's the best way to contact you if I have additional questions.
A: Give us a call or send an email.
While much of India is rapidly advancing, the Indian instrument manufacturing process remains very old school. From touch ups to tuning, much of what we do at Old Delhi Music is add a layer of quality control to an otherwise non-standardized production process.
We wrote THIS ARTICLE to ensure customers understand and might appreciate this vintage production style, the unique products we carry, and how we're working to ensure genuine quality, despite the odds. It's a quick read, and definitely worthwhile for anyone considering the purchase of a traditional Indian instrument.
Paul & Co. manufactures some of the worlds very best Kolkata-style harmoniums. Precision craftsmanship is evident in every detail and distinguishes their instruments from lower cost scale changers. This is their fixed 3 reed model and it is without a doubt one of the very best harmoniums we've ever played.
Visiting the Paul & Company shop in Howrah, West Bengal, we have seen first-hand how these artisan craftsmen go about creating some of the worlds finest harmoniums. In that same spirit, we engage in an unparalleled tuning and refinement process, optimizing each unique piece to achieve it's full potential. Our efforts combined, Old Delhi Music delivers the absolute best Paul & Company harmoniums available anywhere.
Includes: - Padded Gig Bag - FREE SHIPPING within continental U.S. - One month FREE access at Bhakti Breakfast Club -- hundreds of harmonium classes to explore! - Expert tuning and refinement services completed at our shop in our Urbana, IL
- Weight: 38.5 lbs. - Dimensions: 25.75 x 16 x 8.5 in. (closed), 25.75 x 16 x 10.5 in. (open) - Exterior Construction: Teak - Interior Construction: Teak - Box Type: Traditional Collapsing - Key Construction: Two-piece - Number of Keys: 44 - Reed type: Palitana, Jivanlal R.T. Samrat - Reed banks: 3 sets (Bass, Male, Female) - Reed orientation: Horizontal (Bass) / Vertical (Male, Female) - Scale changer: None - Stops: 4 (Bass, Male, Female, Tremolo) - Drones: 7 (C, C#, D, D#, G#, Bb, F#) - Coupler: left action
SHIPPING: Your instrument will arrive safely, and if it doesn't, we'll take care of it. Our packing methods have ensured that over 99% of the instruments we ship arrive undamaged. Should things not go perfectly, we will get you a replacement, refund, part or whatever is necessary. No problem.
STORE: Old Delhi Music carefully curates a selection of only fine quality ethnic musical instruments. Our business is family owned and operated in Urbana, IL since 2010. For the back story, check out this video:
It's a shame when we receive harmoniums purchased elsewhere and have to bill someone a couple hundred dollars for the work we would have included for free...
Q: How long have you been doing this?
A: Since 2010.
Q: How'd you get started?
A: Our first "factory checked" shipment of harmoniums arrived needing some serious attention. Rather than selling bad products, we went to work learning how to make them to sound great and we've been improving at that ever since.
Q: So you know what you're doing?
A: Yup. We know how to bring just about any harmonium to it's full potential.
Q: Shouldn't that be the builders job?
A: The builders put the instruments together, and we mostly work with people who do that well. Our job is refinement- we coax the good sounds and feels out by manipulating this and that - scraping here, turning there. On a Kolkata-style box, that process can consume an entire day. On a standard twin reed, 3-4 hours is pretty typical. It's a process, but when you've drawn out all the goodness, it's totally worthwhile.
Q: But is it really practical to do this with each one?
A: Well, "The Harmonium Handbook" does say that fully retuning "an entire harmonium" (even a two reed) is impractical. But we do it anyway...every single day.
Q: Is it tedious?
A: Sure. But it's also fairly meditative, and the days go pretty fast.
Q: So it's worthwhile?
A: Absolutely. Taking an instrument that's "decent" to awesome in a few hours is good work. No question.
Q: I've shopped around, and your prices are pretty competitive. Given the level of service you're talking about, how do you do it?
A: We do pretty good volume, and we don't have a storefront, so we keep our expenses low.
Q: Any other competitive advantages to note?
A: Definitely. We are THE ONLY shop anywhere that offers custom, hand tuning services for ANY new two, three or four reed harmonium. Only one competitor offers a similar service, and that's only for a couple of their two reed models.
Q: But don't all the others claim to have A440 tuned harmoniums?
A: Many competitors advertise harmoniums that are "~A440" or "A440+/-...", but for true precision and accuracy, every single reed must be touched, allowed to settle, and refined until the tuning is stable. The process takes time, and it can't be rushed or sit too long in a warehouse waiting for eventual fulfillment. Quality, custom set up and tuning can ONLY be completed on a per-order basis, which means you'll have to wait a few extra days. It's NOT a service you can offer via Amazon Prime.
Q: Tell me about your tuning options?
A: We can do anything. But in general, we offer these three options:
- Equal tuning (Free): An Equal or Indian tuned instrument can be played with other instruments as long as they are tuned to match the harmonium. To complete this basic service, we determine roughly where the instrument is already settled out, which is typically higher than A440 and generally out of tune up and down the scale. Once we know about how it is generally pitched, we check and adjust each reed individually as needed and then match octaves along with common intervals. Altogether, it's a lot of small to medium adjustments and in the end, we have generally touched 75-100% of the reeds to get everything in tune. This is our standard approach.
- Concert Pitch / A440 tuning (Optional; fee varies): A Concert Pitch tuned harmonium will match the default tuning for Western Instruments, meaning this is a very versatile tuning choice. For this service, all reeds are retuned up and down to scale to correspond with Concert Pitch standard tuning where the middle A note resonates at 440hz. This service requires additional wait time since we have to first tune everything once, allow it to settle out for a day or so, and then go back through it again to make finer adjustments similar to what we do when Equal tuning. Only in this case, we are Equal tuning so that everything is pitched to correspond right with A440.
- Cosmic Pitch / A432 tuning (Optional; fee varies): A Cosmic A432 harmonium will work only in conjunction with other A432 tuned instruments. This is a newer service, and we offer this for only select harmoniums that handle this tuning well. With this service, all reeds are drastically retuned nearly a quarter tone below Concert Pitch to match a middle A resonating at 432hz., which is said to be a frequency that resonates in true harmony with the universe. This service takes a week+ to complete.
Q: Do you believe the hype about A432?
A: It does sound pretty deep and beautiful when it's done, but who knows...
Q: What aren't you guys good at?
A: We focus on the instruments, which means we often times lag on website updates. And social media is definitely a priority...
Q: So what's the best way to contact you if I have additional questions.
A: Give us a call or send an email.
While much of India is rapidly advancing, the Indian instrument manufacturing process remains very old school. From touch ups to tuning, much of what we do at Old Delhi Music is add a layer of quality control to an otherwise non-standardized production process.
We wrote THIS ARTICLE to ensure customers understand and might appreciate this vintage production style, the unique products we carry, and how we're working to ensure genuine quality, despite the odds. It's a quick read, and definitely worthwhile for anyone considering the purchase of a traditional Indian instrument.
