Harmonium is an Indian Reed instrument and is a common member of the Indian orchestra. Harmonium is of the Reed organ family in which the air from the hand-operated bellows causes the metal reeds to vibrate. Harmoniums can be used to play chords, melodies, and drones, either separately or all at once.
Harmonium consists of a wooden cabinet, usually made of teak, which houses the reeds mounted on a frame. The air chamber consists of several moving components which are made of wood. The quality of wood and the workmanship is very important, as poor workmanship might result in jamming of keys, leakage of air and also bad sound. Till the 1940s, only German reeds were used in harmonium, as good quality reeds were not manufactured in India. Only from the 1940s, good quality Indian reeds were manufactured in Palitana, a town in Gujarat.
Depending on the number of reed sets, harmoniums can be broadly classified into three types: single Reed, double reed, and triple reed.