Standard Harmoniums

While folding harmoniums are certainly very popular, there are two definite advantages to the standard box style:

Sound: On a standard boxes naturally produce a warmer, richer tone because the resonate surface is not physically broken into two or more pieces.
Durability: Folding harmoniums are prone to issues specific to all the extra moving parts. A simple standard box will have none of those problems.

It's also good to note that most standard harmoniums are still very portable. Ours always come with a padded gig back, and many of them will weigh the same or even less than similar folding models.

All of our standard harmoniums are tuned and adjusted independently at the time of sale at our shop in Urbana, IL. When we're happy with the tuning and tweaking, they are 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 ship internationally at discounted rates. Contact us for details.

Bhava Studio Mini Harmonium $579.00

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Bhava Studio Mini Harmonium

$579.00

Description
Product Specs
Shipping & Store Info
Custom Options & Value Adds
Disclaimer

The Bhava Studio Mini is a simplified, 27 key version of our full-sized Bhava Studio. It's super cute, just 12 lbs., and the exact response we were hoping we'd be able to have to uncountable requests for a "Shyamdas" style harmonium.

The standard shell on this model gives it warmer tone than similarly stripped down dulcetinas and harinam harmoniums, and in terms of sustain, there's no comparison - the Studio Mini takes the prize. For a simple, lightweight harmonium that feels good and sounds great, this is our absolute top pick.

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: 12 lbs.
- Dimensions: 15 x 11 x 9 in.
- Color: Natural
- Finish: Lacquer
- Exterior Construction: SEL Grade Bhutan Pine / Kail Wood
- Interior Construction: SEL Grade Bhutan Pine / Kail Wood
- Box Type: Standard
- Key Construction: One-piece
- Number of Keys: 27
- Reed type: Standard, 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.

Thank you,
Old Delhi Music

View full product details

Bhava Studio Harmonium $699.00

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Bhava Studio Harmonium

$699.00

Description
Product Specs
Shipping & Store Info
Custom Options & Value Adds
Disclaimer

The Bhava Studio is an absolute best-in-class standard Delhi style harmonium. Thanks to a full-size wind chest and quality construction, it delivers incredibly long, uncompromising sustain, smooth play, and rich, dynamic tonal variety.

If performance and ease of play are your first priorities, this one is tough to beat. And for those of you looking to explore the world of alternate tuning, this is also one of our favorites for A432 tuning.

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: 21 lbs.
- Dimensions: 24 x 11 x 13 in.
- Color: Natural
- Finish: Lacquer
- Exterior Construction: SEL Grade Bhutan Pine / Kail Wood
- Interior Construction: SEL Grade Bhutan Pine / Kail Wood
- Box Type: Standard
- Key Construction: One-piece
- Number of Keys: 42
- Reed type: Standard, Punjabi
- Reed banks: 2 sets (Bass, Male)
- Reed orientation: Horizontal
- Stops: 5 (Male, Bass, Bass, Tremolo, Male)
- Drones: 4 (C#, D#, G#, A#)
- 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 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.

Thank you,
Old Delhi Music

View full product details

Bhava Deluxe "Standard" Harmonium $629.00

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Bhava Deluxe "Standard" Harmonium

$629.00

Description
Product Specs
Shipping & Store Info
Custom Options & Value Adds
Disclaimer

PRE-ORDER NOTICE: A very limited quality of this model are due to arrive the week of November 12. Pre-order now!

-----------

The Bhava Deluxe is a very simple, but solidly constructed standard Delhi style harmonium. In comparison to our Bhava Basic, side fold bellows and a larger air reserve give this one improved sustain and dynamic ability. Like all the Bhava harmoniums, it holds air incredibly well, has great key action, and is tuned with precision at our shop in Urbana, IL.

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: 19 lbs.
- Dimensions: 22 x 11 x 12 in.
- Color: Espresso Stain
- Finish: Lacquer
- Exterior Construction: SEL Grade Bhutan Pine / Kail Wood
- Interior Construction: SEL Grade Bhutan Pine / Kail Wood
- Box Type: Standard
- Key Construction: One-piece
- Number of Keys: 39
- Reed type: Standard, Punjabi
- Reed banks: 2 sets (Bass, Male)
- Reed orientation: Horizontal
- Stops: 3 (Bass, Male, Tremolo)
- Drones: 3 (C#, D#, 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 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.

Thank you,
Old Delhi Music

View full product details

Bina Tarang Student Harmonium Sold Out

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Bina Tarang Student Harmonium

Sold Out

Description
Product Specs
Shipping & Store Info
Custom Options & Value Adds
Disclaimer

The Bina Tarang is a simple, standard style 3.25 octave harmonium. Tonally, it's incredibly sweet, and a great option for anyone searching in this price range. While craftsmanship and materials do improve when you spend more, this model is still built well enough that with a typical round of tweaking and tuning, we are always happy to send them to a new home. This harmonium has great sustain, impressive tone, and a very nice feel - we're confident you won't find a better harmonium for the price.

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

**Our business is about good experiences, not "quick shipping." Shipping is still FREE in the U.S. We just request a few extra days so we can do nerdy stuff that'll make your harmonium sound nice. It's totally worth the wait...
- Weight: 20 lbs.
- Dimensions: 24.5 x 11.5 x 10 Inches
- Color: Natural
- Finish: Shellac
- Exterior Construction: Standard Pine
- Interior Construction: Pine / Particle Board
- Box Type: Standard
- Key Construction: One-piece
- Number of Keys: 39
- Reed type: Bina "Special"
- Reed banks: 2 sets (Bass, Male)
- Reed orientation: Horizontal
- Stops: 4 (Male, Bass, Tremolo, Bass)
- Drones: 1 (D#)
- Coupler: No
- 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.

Thank you,
Old Delhi Music

View full product details

Bina "Swar" Concert Standard Harmonium $799.00

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Bina "Swar" Concert Standard Harmonium

$799.00

Description
Product Specs
Shipping & Store Info
Custom Options & Value Adds
Disclaimer

At Old Delhi Music, we are continuously working to source and deliver harmoniums that are of unparalleled quality. Recently, we have had the privilege of working with our friends at Bina in the development of these Concert Series harmoniums. We couldn't be happier with the results.

The Bina Swar Concert Series harmonium is a beautifully refined traditional standard harmonium. Built to uncommonly high standards, this harmonium features smooth playing action across 39 keys, and a sturdy, fluid feel in the bellows. Warm organ tones resonate beautifully through the softwood shell and interior case. A full sized 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: 20 lbs.
- Dimensions: 22 x 11 x 12 in.
- Color: Natural
- Finish: Shellac
- Exterior Construction: Pine
- Interior Construction: Pine
- Box Type: Standard
- Key Construction: One-piece
- Number of Keys: 39
- Reed type: Bina "special" reeds; Punjabi
- Reed banks: 2 sets (Bass, Male)
- Reed orientation: Horizontal
- Stops: 5
- Drones: 4
- 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.

Thank you,
Old Delhi Music

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