The jaw harp
The jaw harp is a small frame with a flexible tongue that you hold to your mouth and pluck. Like the mouth bow, it uses your mouth as the soundbox, so changing your mouth shape turns one twang into a melody. It is at least 4,000 years old and played on every inhabited continent.
- Also called
- Jew's harp, mouth harp, trump; khomus (Yakutia), vargan (Russia), morsing (India), đàn môi (Vietnam)
- Family
- Lamellophone (plucked tongue)
- Oldest examples
- About 4,000 years old, Shimao site, Shaanxi, China
- Heritage
- Austrian jaw harp playing is on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list
About the name
"Jew's harp" has nothing to do with Jewish people, and the instrument isn't a harp. The name first appears in English in 1481, as "Jue harpes" in a customs account. Suggestions that it comes from "jaws" or the French jeu (game) are popular, but the Oxford English Dictionary says none is proven. Many players today prefer "jaw harp" or "mouth harp."
How it works
The frame is held against the teeth or lips, and the player flicks the free end of the tongue. The vibrating tongue produces a fundamental note plus a series of harmonics. By shaping the mouth as if saying different vowels, and by breathing in and out, the player brings individual harmonics forward and plays tunes over the drone.
Around the world
- India: the morsing is part of Carnatic (South Indian classical) ensembles.
- Russia: the vargan has deep roots in Bashkortostan; the khomus is central to Yakut (Sakha) music.
- Vietnam: the đàn môi.
- Taiwan: Indigenous peoples make bamboo jaw harps.
- Austria: a living tradition recognised by UNESCO.
How to play: first steps
- Hold the frame. Grip the round end between thumb and finger, with the tongue's free end pointing away from your hand.
- Place it. Press the two thin arms of the frame lightly against your front teeth, teeth slightly parted so the tongue can move freely between them. Relax your lips over the frame. Never bite it: the tongue must not hit your teeth.
- Pluck. Flick the free end of the tongue toward you (or away) with your index finger. You'll hear a buzzing drone.
- Shape vowels. Keep plucking steadily while silently saying "oo-ee-oo-ee." Listen for high notes changing over the drone.
- Breathe. Breathing in and out through the instrument changes the tone and adds rhythm.
Buying tips
- A jaw harp is tuned to one key. For playing with others, pick one in the same key as the music (A, C, D and G are common).
- Cheap toy harps often buzz against the frame. A well-made steel harp with a small, even gap between tongue and frame is much easier to learn on.
More instruments: folk instrument guides