Major & Minor Chords Of Harmonium

 

Indian music is melodic and western music is harmonic so chords and chord progressions

accompany the melodic lines, therefore the music sounds fuller. It is important that we learn the

fundamentals of chords as used in Indian film music.

 

Harmonium major chords, or any chord for that matter, are formed by combining two or more

notes. Now, when you from S major chord, it is recommended you form them using the 2nd,1st

and 5th fingers of your right hand. Your thumb is the first finger inde finger is the 2nd and pin!y is

the 5th finger. " chord is a combination of three #or more$ notes played at the same time. "ll major

chords are formed by playing simultaneously three notes, according to definite rules.

 

In !eyboards chords are played mostly with left hand. Since we are learning harmonium so, your

left hand will be busy in pumping bellows. In this situation we will play chord and melody with the

right hand only.

"s we ha%e already defined in our pre%ious lessons that any !ey can become a Sa or our starting

note& but in our lessons we ha%e assumed the first blac! !ey to be the Sa #S$, for con%enience and

simplicity. 'lease see diagram abo%e. (here are a number of chords in western music but In

harmonium lessons we will only use only major and minor chords. " major chord is formed when

we simultaneously play three notes S)*)' or you will play numbers numbers 1)5)+. we will name

this chord as S. -armonium chords are also called desi chords.

-armonium !omal and ti%er notes with their numbers are gi%en below as shown in the abo%e

diagram.

 

Sa S as !ey number 1. S !ey number 1

/omal r as !ey number 2. r !ey number 1

(i%er 0 as !ey number . 0 !ey number 1

/omal g as !ey number . g !ey number 1

(i%er * as !ey number 5. * !ey number 1

/omal m as !ey number 3. m !ey number 1

(i%er 4 as !ey number . 4 !ey number 1

))))) ' as !ey number +. ' !ey number 1

/omal d as !ey number 6. d !ey number 1

/omal 7 as !ey number 18. 7 !ey number 1

/omal n9 as !ey number 11. n !ey number 1

/omal N9 as !ey number 12. N !ey number 1

))))) S9 as !ey number 1. S9 !ey number 1

/omal r9 as !ey number 1. r9 !ey number 1

(i%er 09 as !ey number 15. 09 !ey number 1

/omal g9 as !ey number 13. g9 !ey number 1

(i%er *9 as !ey number 1. *9 !ey number 1

 

/omal m9 as !ey number 1+. m9 !ey number 1

(i%er 49 as !ey number 16. 49 !ey number 1

))))) '9 as !ey number 28. '9 !ey number 1

 

 Now to play the major chord S)*)' e.g.. we will play !ey numbers 1)5)+. (his major chord is

called S major. :e will use the symbol 99 for a major chord. Now the S major chord will be

written as S and as on.

Similarly, the major chord ;r; will be formed as r)m)d and can be shown by numbers 2)3)6.

<elow gi%en is the complete list of major harmonium chords

S major chord, symbol S, !ey nos. 1)5)+, notes S)*)'

r major chord, symbol r, !ey nos.2)3)6, notes r)m)d

0 major chord, symbol 0, !ey nos. ))18, notes 0)4)7

g major chord, symbol g, !ey nos. )+)11, notes g)')n

* major chord, symbol *, !ey nos.5)6)12, notes *)d)N

m major chord, symbol m, !ey nos. 3)18)1 notes m)7)S9

4 major chord, symbol 4, !ey nos. )11)1, notes 4)n)r9

' major chord, symbol ', !ey nos. +)12)15, notes ')N)09

d major chord, symbol d, !ey nos. 6)1)13, notes d)S9)g9

7 major chord, symbol 7, !ey nos. 18)1)1, notes 7)r9)*9

n major chord, symbol n, !ey nos. 11)15)1+, notes n)09)m9

 N major chord, symbol N, !ey nos. 12)13)16, notes N)g9)49

:e ha%e shown madh sapta! chords and similar sets of notes will apply in mandar and taar sapta!.

Harmonium minor chords are shown by symbol =. " minor chord is formed when we play three

notes at the same time together eample S)g)' with numbers 1))+. <elow gi%en is the complete list

of minor harmonium chords

:hate%er is our beginning note to start playing e.g. if we select first blac! !ey as our Sa, the minor

!eys will maintain their names similar to, for eample, r minor chord will maintain their

symbols rL, will maintain their !ey numbers as, for eample, 2-5-9, will maintain their notes

combination as, for eample, r-G-d. >r we can write simply as

 

r minor chord, symbol rL, key nos 2-5-9, no!es r-G-d

 

S minor chord, symbol S=, !ey nos. 1))+, notes S)g)'

r minor chord, symbol r=, !ey nos. 2)5)6, notes r)*)d

0 minor chord, symbol 0=, !ey nos. )3)18, notes 0)m)7

g minor chord, symbol g=, !ey nos. ))11, notes g)4)n

* minor chord, symbol *=, !ey nos. 5)+)12, notes *)')N

m minor chord, symbol m=, !ey nos. 3)6)1, notes m)d)S9

4 minor chord, symbol 4=, !ey nos. )18)1, notes 4)7)r9

' minor chord, symbol '=, !ey nos. +)11)15, notes ')n)09

d minor chord, symbol d=, !ey nos. 6)12)13, notes d)N)g9

7 minor chord, symbol 7=, !ey nos.18)1)1, notes 7)S9)*9

n minor chord, symbol n=, !ey nos.11)1)1+ notes n)r9)m9

 

 N minor chord, symbol N=, !ey nos.12)15)16 notes N)09)49

 

Ho" !o #lay $ndian son%s "i!h harmonium major and minor chords

?irst of all brea! down the song into se%eral %ery small phrases and try to play the %arious major

and minor chords gi%en abo%e with each small segment of the song line. (hen you should chec!

which chord sounds better with the word. You can partly mechani@e this process by first playing the

small segment of the song on the harmonium. Slowly you will be able to use or able to fill melody

with harmony of chords.