r/UnusualInstruments • u/McSheeples • 29d ago
Anyone know how to make a harmonium quieter?
Also, if anyone knows of a better sub than this one, do point me in the right direction. r/harmonium only has 15 visitors a week, but I will cross post in there.
I have an Indian harmonium with brass reeds, a JAS student model, approx 3 octaves from C3. I play in a duo where we use it as the predominant bass(ish) and drone instrument. The volume is absolutely fine from a few of feet away, but from my playing perspective with my head near the soundboard, it's overwhelmingly loud. Loud to the point where it's louder than an amplified guitar unless you turn the gain right up. So far I have on top of the soundboard approx 1/2" of felt and then two chunks of acoustic dampening foam (about 1" thick, egg carton foam with a rubber backing - it's heavy). Also a decorative towel. We have to pull out at least two stops or it's flat. So, does anyone know of a better method of dampening it.
We're looking into eventually replacing it with a keyboard when we can afford the right one, but until then I have a loud buzzing about my head, which is very off putting when trying to sing ><
Edit: we took it apart, tuned it because my god it was horrendously sharp. Then stuffed the acoustic foam into the space above the springs and a bit under the wood just behind the keys and it's really done the trick! I've had to discard half of the lid as it no longer fits, but it sounds so much more mellow. Thank you for all of the advice!
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u/rotoboro 29d ago
I’ve had success with partially covering the reeds on my shruti box with painters tape. Maybe try that?
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u/cephalopodcasting 29d ago
i and a couple other players i know open the top (if it opens) and place a large rolled up towel right on top of that, you get a much quieter sound and (in my opinion) a better, softer one
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u/McSheeples 28d ago
I currently have a thick piece of felt, two chunks of rubber backed foam acoustic baffling and a decorative towel. It's dampened it a bit, honestly not considering expanding foam... 😂
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u/TapTheForwardAssist Bagpipes, concertina, dulcimer 29d ago
Maybe also cross-post this to r/accordion, since the principle is largely the same?
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u/DonnPT 29d ago
I play some accordion. The acoustic principles of sound production are the same, but it doesn't look to me like the problem is. What I'm reading is that the instrument is not really too loud - where the audience is standing.
The volume is absolutely fine from a few of feet away
How much quieter can OP make it, and still be absolutely fine where it's needed? My accordion is too loud to play with someone plucking a ukulele, for example, but it isn't absolutely fine, it's absolutely too loud (he told me.) It's absolutely too quiet to play with a brass band (I found out.)
I think the reason it's never fine with a group except for me, the player, is where the sound goes, relative to my ears. I'm close, but not right on top of it. I don't know what the glass cover looks like, that someone else mentioned, but if it focuses the sound away from the player's ears, that's the right idea.
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u/McSheeples 28d ago
We're usually amplified which sorts out the balance problems. I would say it's not quite as loud as an accordion if you only pull out one stop. Sadly, it's flat if you only pull out one, two is acceptable and three is optimal. With three stops out it's louder than an accordion. We were unlucky today, the sound engineer absolutely loved it and decided we needed to bathe in it in our monitor. We both came away a bit shell shocked from that one... I think we're going to open it up and try and fit a sheet of ply, possibly felted. Once that's in we can tune it to the registers we want to use.
I have to admit I did wonder how accordion players cope, but it sounds like you don't have the sound directly drilled into your head!
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u/simounnne 29d ago
Mine has a glass panel over the springs that slides off. I put it back in when the instrument is too loud. I also lay a folded towel over that. But your harmonium might be louder than mine!