The mouth bow

A mouth bow is a bent stick with one string. There is no soundbox: the player's mouth does that job, and by changing its shape you pick out melodies from the string's overtones. It is one of the oldest instruments people play, and it is still heard from the Appalachians to southern Africa.

How a mouth bow works

A musical bow is a flexible stick, usually wood, strung end to end with a taut cord, often metal. On its own the string is very quiet. The mouth bow solves that by using the mouth as a resonating chamber: the player rests one end of the bow against the lips or cheek, near an open mouth, and plucks or taps the string.

Every plucked string sounds a fundamental note plus a series of higher overtones. When you change the shape of your mouth, as if silently saying different vowels, you make some overtones louder than others. That is how one string produces a whole melody.

All musical bows give at least two basic notes: the open string, and a "closed" note when the player shortens the string with a finger or hand. The mouth then brings out harmonics above each of those notes.

History and where it's played

Hunting bows may have been used to make music very early; some writers suggest as far back as about 13,000 BC, though that is debated. What is certain is how widely the idea spread. Musical bows are found across southern Africa and Madagascar, and throughout the Americas, including the Appalachian Mountains, Brazil, Hawaii and Peru.

The most famous musical bow today is the Brazilian berimbau, the gourd-resonated bow that leads the music of capoeira. In the Appalachians, the mouth-resonated bow was a home-made instrument, simple enough to build from a sapling and a length of wire.

How to play: first steps

1. Hold it. Hold the bow near one end with your left hand (if you're right-handed). Rest the other end of the stick, not the string, lightly against your cheek or lips so the string sits in front of your open mouth. Don't let the string touch your teeth or lips.
2. Pluck. Pluck the string near the mouth end with a finger or a light pick. You'll hear a low twang.
3. Shape vowels. Keep plucking steadily and slowly shape your mouth through "oo", "oh", "ah", "ee" without making a sound. You'll hear different high notes ring out over the drone.
4. Add a second note. Press or pinch the string with your holding hand to shorten it. That gives a second fundamental with its own set of overtones.
5. Find a tune. Start with a simple melody you know well and hunt for its notes with your mouth. Slow fiddle tunes and simple hymns work well.

Tips for a better sound

• Play somewhere quiet. The overtones are subtle, and you'll hear more when you practise alone.
• Breathe through your nose so your mouth shape stays steady.
• A steadier, lighter pluck makes the melody clearer than a loud one.
• If you enjoy the mouth bow, try the jaw harp next; it uses exactly the same mouth-resonance technique.

More instruments: folk instrument guides · Songs to try: Shenandoah