HarmoniumPrepared by KalaSudha
Foundation Harmonium
Foundation harmonium, prepared by KalaSudha: steady bellows, Sa and the drone, even fingering, alankars, two ragas and a first bandish melody with a short alap.
- Modules
- 1A–1C
- Lessons
- One-to-one or in a group
- Ends in
- A KalaSudha certificate
Overview
About Foundation
Foundation harmonium takes you from steady bellows to a 4-minute prepared set, with no music or keyboard background needed. It is the first level of the Harmonium course prepared by KalaSudha, taught in live online lessons. Your teacher names the reed sets, key range and stops your harmonium needs before you buy one.
Module 1A covers seating, steady bellows and finding Sa to set the drone. You finger the seven shuddha, or natural, swaras of the middle octave and learn joined and separated touch. Module 1B adds alankars, swara patterns played up and down with even fingers, and the komal and tivra swaras, the flat and sharp forms. You learn sargam notation and mark the cycle: sam, the first beat, the clapped tali, the waved khali and the vibhag sections. Then you keep Keherwa and Dadra.
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Module 1C brings two ragas, such as the suggested Yaman and Bhupali, through their aroh, avaroh and pakad, the ascent, descent and catch phrase. You learn a first bandish melody, a song composition played on the keys, and a short alap. You also hear the harmonium in four settings through labelled excerpts and describe how its role changes. Following a singer comes at Intermediate.
Each module has 14 topics, eight core and six electives, and your path is 12 of them. As a typical guide, Foundation takes 9–12 months, and you agree the pace with your teacher. In a cohort, you hear other learners play the same phrases, and each guided rehearsal and review becomes a short performance for the group. Foundation leads to a KalaSudha award (see certificates). Ask about Foundation in the Academy.
Modules
The three Foundation modules
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1A
Module 1A: Instrument, bellows and keys
8 core + 4 teacher-setfrom 14 topics
Set up the instrument and keep a practice record. Keep the bellows steady, find Sa and set the drone, and finger the middle octave evenly. Learn joined and separated touch, hear a phrase and play it back, then present your held notes without a bellows dip.-
Seating and a practice recordCore
Sit at the harmonium without strain, open the stops your teacher names and start a practice log.
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Steady bellowsCore
Pump the bellows with one hand so that a held note stays at an even volume.
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Find Sa and set the droneCore
Find the agreed Sa on the keyboard, set a drone and sing or hum Sa against it.
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Fingering the middle octaveCore
Play the seven shuddha swaras with the fingering your teacher sets, slowly and evenly.
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Joined and separated touchCore
Join notes smoothly, then separate them cleanly, while the bellows stay steady.
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Hear a phrase and play it backCore
Listen to a short sargam phrase once and play it back with the same swaras.
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Guided rehearsal: instrument, bellows and keysCore
Rehearse your held-note and swara sequence and correct one fault using teacher feedback.
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Review and presentation: instrument, bellows and keysCore
Present your held-note and swara sequence and discuss your preparation and corrections with the assessor.
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Instrument careElective
Learn the care routine your teacher approves and how to report a jammed key or a rattling reed.
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Stops, reed sets and the couplerElective
Open different stops and reed sets on your instrument and hear how each changes the tone.
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Recording the harmoniumElective
Place a phone or microphone so your teacher can see the keys and hear the tone without bellows noise.
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The lower octaveElective
Extend the swaras down into the lower octave with the same fingering care.
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Match a heard pitchElective
Find on the keyboard single pitches sung or played by your teacher.
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Bellows enduranceElective
Practise steady pumping across longer passages and rest the bellows arm safely.
Your teacher fills 4 slots from the electives, their own topics or both.
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1B
Module 1B: Swaras, alankars and the cycle
8 core + 4 teacher-setfrom 14 topics
Play alankars with even fingers at a logged tempo. Add the komal and tivra swaras beside their shuddha forms. Mark sam, tali, khali and vibhag, keep Keherwa and Dadra, and read and write sargam notation.-
Review touch and set a tempoCore
Check held notes and touch in your log and choose a pulse you can hold for alankars.
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Alankars with even fingersCore
Play the first teacher-selected alankars, patterned swara exercises, at a steady pulse.
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Komal and tivra swarasCore
Find and play komal Re, Ga, Dha and Ni and tivra Ma, and hear each beside its shuddha form.
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Sam, tali, khali and vibhagCore
Mark a cycle with hand gestures and explain matra, avartan, sam, tali, khali and vibhag.
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Keherwa and DadraCore
Recite the thekas of the suggested Keherwa and Dadra and play an alankar over each.
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Read and write sargam notationCore
Read swaras in sargam notation with beat numbers and write a short alankar from dictation.
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Guided rehearsal: swaras, alankars and the cycleCore
Rehearse your alankar and hand-count set and correct one fault using teacher feedback.
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Review and presentation: swaras, alankars and the cycleCore
Present your alankar and hand-count set and discuss your preparation and corrections with the assessor.
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Alankars in dugunElective
Play one alankar at single and double density over a steady pulse.
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Thumb crossingElective
Practise the thumb crossing your teacher sets for passages longer than five notes.
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A sargam geetElective
Learn a short teacher-selected composition on swara names in a simple tala.
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Two notation conventionsElective
Compare Bhatkhande and Paluskar signs in a supplied line of sargam.
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Find the cycle after silenceElective
Keep the count through a silent passage and re-enter playing on sam.
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Play with a theka trackElective
Play an alankar against a recorded Teentaal theka and keep your place in the cycle.
Your teacher fills 4 slots from the electives, their own topics or both.
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1C
Module 1C: First ragas, a bandish melody and a lehra
8 core + 4 teacher-setfrom 14 topics
Learn the aroh, avaroh and pakad of a first raga and a contrasting second raga. Play a first bandish melody and a short alap on the keyboard. Hear the harmonium in four settings through labelled excerpts, then present a 4-minute set. An elective adds a first lehra.-
Review swaras and cyclesCore
Use your log to fix one weak alankar or cycle before starting raga work.
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Aroh, avaroh and pakad of a first ragaCore
Learn the ascent, descent and catch phrase of the first raga (suggested: Yaman).
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A second raga and its contrastCore
Learn a second raga (suggested: Bhupali) and hear how its five swaras change the phrase shapes.
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A first bandish melodyCore
Learn the melody of the sthayi and antara of a teacher-selected drut bandish in Teentaal.
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A short alap on the keyboardCore
Play a short alap in the first raga, shaping phrases with touch and bellows.
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Hear the harmonium's settingsCore
Listen to attributed recordings of the harmonium in khayal, thumri, qawwali and kirtan, and compare two.
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Guided rehearsal: first ragas, a bandish melody and a lehraCore
Rehearse your four-minute Foundation set and correct one fault using teacher feedback.
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Review and presentation: first ragas, a bandish melody and a lehraCore
Present your four-minute Foundation set and discuss your preparation and corrections with the assessor.
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A first lehraElective
Play a short lehra, a repeating melody that keeps the tala audible, in Teentaal.
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A bhajan melodyElective
Learn a bhajan melody and keep its tek, the refrain, clear in the right hand.
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First taans on the keyboardElective
Play short taans built from the raga's ascent and descent, returning to the mukhda.
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Sargam in the ragaElective
Play a short sargam passage in the first raga within the bandish's tala.
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Play from a second SaElective
Play a known alankar and the first raga's pakad from a second Sa your teacher names.
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Recover a missed samElective
Practise recovery after a deliberate missed entry in the bandish melody.
Your teacher fills 4 slots from the electives, their own topics or both.
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Why Foundation
What Foundation builds
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Steady bellows first
Pump the bellows with one hand so that a held note stays at an even volume. The check listens for no swell and no dip. -
Fingering your teacher sets
Play the seven shuddha swaras slowly and evenly with the fingering your teacher sets, then add joined and separated touch. -
A first bandish melody
Learn a first bandish melody and a short alap on the keyboard, then present them in a 4-minute set without losing the cycle.
Lessons
Ways to learn
One-to-one
Learn at your own pace. You book online lessons through KalaSudha in your own time zone.
Register interest in 1:1 lessonsIn a group
Learn in a group on a timetable.
Ask about group lessonsQuestions
Questions about Foundation
Entry, pace, assessment and what you show to finish the level.
On Foundation harmonium you pump the bellows with one hand so that a held note stays at an even volume, while the other hand plays. Steady bellows is the second topic of module 1A.
The topic closes when you hold Sa for 10 seconds, three times, with no audible swell or dip from the bellows. An elective adds bellows endurance.
On the KalaSudha Harmonium course your teacher names the minimum reed sets, key range and stops your harmonium needs before you buy one. You can use drone stops for your drone reference.
Instrument care is a module 1A elective. To buy a harmonium from KalaSudha, see the harmonium page.
On Foundation harmonium you find the Sa your teacher agrees on the keyboard, set a drone and sing or hum Sa against it. The topic closes when you find Sa without help, set the drone and sing Sa and Pa back in tune.
A Foundation elective adds playing from a second Sa.
The Foundation level of the Harmonium course is assessed through playing, listening and oral questions. Your teacher closes each topic when its completion check is met, and the level ends with a 4-minute prepared set.
In the set you play without losing the cycle, explain one choice and recover from any slip. A listening check asks you to name four settings of the harmonium and describe two differences in its role.
Next steps
Ready to begin Foundation?
Tell us what you want to learn and where you are today. An academy advisor will help you find a good next step.