Music on your finger tips

Music on your finger tips
Radhika Bhalla

You don’t have to be born a prodigy to know how to play an instrument and Dr Saubhagya Vardhan Bhahaspati proves just that with his new book ‘How to Play Harmonium’, published by Better Books. First of a ‘How To’ series, the book is a music enthusiasts’ bible on not only how to learn to play the instrument but also on the history of its arrival in India in the 16th century, its indigenous development to the various western versions and models of the instrument. The book has separate chapters dedicated to the use of harmonium along with visuals to help identify the keys, identification of one’s own set, parts of the device along with its tuning, maintenance and repair. Interestingly, there is a section devoted only to voice lessons and modulation to suit it. It also teaches both old and new raags and songs. “There has been no book in English dedicated to the Harmonium till now and I wanted to share it’s wonders with the world,” he tells us there are two editions of the book — a hard bound copy for Rs 395 and a soft bound for Rs 95.

A teacher of music, recipient of various honours and author of many music books, Brahaspati says, “This book is good for starting off. However, if one wants to learn the subtleties of playing the Harmonium, one definitely needs a guru. You cannot learn it in 20 days flat; it is a constant learning process. The more you play the better you get.” The book is available at all book stores in both English and Hindi.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Music-on-your-finger-tips/473837