How to Tune a Harmonium

The harmonium is a keyboard instrument that produces sound via air being pushed by bellows through a set of reeds. The harmonium creates a sound similar to that of an accordion. But like almost any instrument, the harmonium needs to be tuned. Tuning involves filing, scraping or sanding the metal off the reed. Filing one side of the reed raises the pitch, and filing the other lowers it.

Things You'll Need

• Knife
• File

Instructions

1. Remove the cover, turn the two latches in the back and open the harmonium.

2. Raise the reed with a knife and file close to the tip, gently scraping off a small amount of metal, to raise the pitch. This makes the tone "sharper."

3. To lower the pitch, repeat the above step, but file close to where the reed connects to the harmonium. This makes the pitch "flatter."

4. Check the tuning of the harmonium by listening to the pitch. Tuning is a matter of trial and error and experimentation. You may have to file the reeds again, either on one side or the other to achieve the proper pitch.

5. If a reed needs to be replaced, know that the replacement key can be significantly out of tune and filing may not correct it. In this case, you can apply a small amount of solder to the reed to make it sharper or flatter. Scrape away the solder to "fine-tune" the harmonium.

Tips & Warnings

• Be careful lifting and filing the reeds. They can break easily. The reed screws can also be easily broken.

References

• Tuning a Harmonium
• Ali Akbar College Store on Harmonium Tuning