Harmonium has also been Subjected to Cultural Appropriation

Conscious Paths

If you go to any musical gathering in India, you will see that the playing of Harmonium sounds completely different from what most people have been exposed to in the west. Naturally, to learn anything from a foreign culture takes more effort, more dedication, more time - but one should commit to that process if one would like to learn any art or instrument. Commitment and lots of patience has always been the number one element when learning music from India, and Harmonium, just as any other instrument from India, is not an exception; as it will also follow the roots of music from India.
For music to be harmonic, it is essential that the body and the soul of what is being presented meet. For this to happen, one key element is to learn from a reliable source, from someone who has been trained and is capable of representing that culture decently. Because some people in the west don't know what is the original sound of Indian music and Harmonium itself, they believe what they see as being presented... but many then go to India and they're shocked to see how it all sounds completely different! It is not their fault, but for their own benefit, there should be a capability to discern between what is genuine and what not. That happens in all fields. Then, it's up to the practitioner what he/she wants to choose. An unforgivable sin is when people start teaching Harmonium wrongly - this is cultural appropriation and cultural distortion; in this case, with an instrument.
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