Standard (Stand-up) Harmoniums
Standard upright harmoniums with a solid body, from Bina, Monoj K Sardar, Paul & Co and our own workshop. The choice where the instrument stays in one room.
Choosing yours
A standard upright has no folding joint, which makes it marginally more rigid and slightly better at holding tuning over many years. It is also simpler, with less to go wrong.
The trade is bulk. These do not pack down, so if the harmonium travels weekly, a folding model is the practical answer even at a small cost in rigidity.
Reed count and coupler are the decisions that shape the sound: two reeds for a clear focused tone, three for body, coupler if you accompany singing.
Tuning and setup
Tuned to A440 in our Delhi workshop, reeds voiced, bellows checked for air leaks, every key played through, then checked again on the day of dispatch.
Give a newly arrived harmonium a few days in the room where it will live before judging the tuning. Reeds and wood settle after a journey.
Questions we get asked
Standard or folding?
Standard if the instrument stays in one room, where the extra rigidity helps slightly over years. Folding if it travels, where the convenience easily outweighs the difference.
Are standard harmoniums heavier?
Similar in weight for the same reed configuration, but bulkier, since they do not pack down. Weight is driven mostly by reed count and body wood.
How often does it need tuning?
Every three to five years with regular playing in a stable climate. A single note going suddenly wrong is usually dust rather than tuning.