Indian Harmonium Reeds?

[Chris Allert]

has anyone tried building a concertina with indian harmonium reeds? these reeds seem to be mass produced in india since the harmonium is still a popular instrument there. and they seem to have more in common with traditional concertina reeds than accordion reeds do. but they are generally made of brass rather than steel, which means they probably have to be tuned more often. and using them in a concertina would be more labor intensive than using accordion reeds since you would have to construct a more traditional reed-pan with individual chambers for each reed.

 

here's a page with photos of the inside of an indian harmonium:

 

http://www.buckinghammusic.com/harmonium/harmoniumnotes.html

 

you'll notice how similar the reeds in the photo look to concertina reeds.

 

it seems that most old concertinas have brass reed shoes. does this have anything to do with the warmer, brassier sound that concertinas have compared to accordions? accordion reeds tend to be in an aluminum or steel frame. if they were in a brass frame, would they sound different?

[mike byrne]

has anyone tried building a concertina with indian harmonium reeds?

 

I have a concertina built with french harmonium reeds by an Unknown French Maker

(possibly Jacob Alexandre of Paris) note the unusual action.

Edited December 22, 2005 by mike byrne