Jew’s harp

- April 02, 2021

Jew’s harp: A peculiar instrument

$C:\Users\admin2\Desktop\51fb5195200cf7ad25eb2c1a4a2fc4ed.jpg$

Jew’s harp is a percussion instrument that holds a place in the history of ancient music. From the early ages, playing instruments has been a beautiful way to express feelings and the values of a society. With changes in time, the shift from ancient to modern instruments has been smooth and swift. The art of playing ancient instruments might not be very popular today, but it still holds a place in the history of music and reminds us of the early times.

The Instrument

Jew’s harp, also known as jaw harp, is a lamellophone instrument, a part of the major group of percussion instruments. It consists of a flexible metal or bamboo tongue attached to a frame. Jews harp may be categorized as idioglot or heteroglot, depending on the shape, the number of tines and the combination of tines in the instrument.

$C:\Users\admin2\Desktop\35c80f54be6912be699b16f0ab215def.jpg$

Origin

It is believed that the earliest depiction of what resembled a Jew’s harp being played by a person is a Chinese drawing from the 3rd century BCE.

Jew’s harps were widely distributed in Oceania, Asia and Europe in the 14 century, after being introduced by the Asians during the same time. Although, this instrument was used by the people of lower class during the 17 century, it is not easy to create harmonies with it and is worth the consideration of people of higher class.

Playing the Instrument

Playing the Jew’s harp might not be the best experience of playing an instrument but it surely is unique and somewhat peculiar. In simple words, hold the Jew’s harp with your thumbs and the L shape facing away from you without touching the inner piece of metal. Next, place it in your mouth similar to a position of chewing a sandwich, with upper teeth touching the upper half of the tongue of the harp and the lower teeth touching the lower half. Finally, hold the grip firmly and pluck the middle part while changing the shape of your mouth, like saying “Oh” and “Eee”, and try breathing in and out in a rhythm. Experiment different sounds and try doing it in a rhythm.

$C:\Users\admin2\Desktop\harp.jpg$

Uses in Different Cultures

Jew’s harp has been used in different cultures like Cambodian music, Sindhi music, Carnatic music, western classical and western rock music, just to name a few. Western churches in the 14 century involved the use Jew’s harp and the UNESCO has even included Austria’s Jew’s harp playing in its Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

Mouth instruments are generally a bit more complex than the other instruments because of the amount of focus and perfection needed while playing the instrument with your mouth is more in comparison with playing by hand. Although, the times have changed with hip-hop culture in trend and the millennial enjoying new releases every week, we still have a history of music that goes way beyond the common perception of singing and playing some tunes. There are instruments that still exist but might not be popular and there are people who practice the art of playing those instruments yet they may not be on the billboards list of top artists.

$C:\Users\admin2\Desktop\30af547399790691511145a5b33f4dbf.jpg$