Jew's harp

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Image:Jew's harp.jpg The Jew's harp, jaw harp or mouth harp is thought to be one of the oldest musical instruments in the world; a musician apparently playing it can be seen in a Chinese drawing from the 3rd century BCE [1]. It is also sometimes called a jew's trump or juice harp, among other names, and has no particular connection with Judaism.

As with the parallel example "jew's ear" for the jelly fungus Auricularia auricula-judae, the name's semitic reference is controversial and is avoided by many speakers, giving rise to various alternative terms. Another name used to identify the instrument, especially in scholarly literature, is the older English trump, while guimbard, derived from the French word for the instrument, also features in unabridged dictionaries and recent revival efforts.

The instrument is a lamellaphone, which is in the category of plucked idiophones: it consists of a flexible metal or bamboo tongue attached to a frame. This tongue is placed in the performer's mouth and plucked with the finger to produce a note. The frame is held against the performer's teeth or lips, using the jaw (thus "jaw harp") and mouth as a resonator, greatly increasing the volume of the instrument. The note thus produced is constant in pitch, though by changing the shape of his or her mouth and the amount of air contained in it the performer can cause different overtones to sound and thus create melodies.

The instrument is known in many different cultures by at least forty different names. Since trances are facilitated by droning sounds, the Jew's harp has been associated with magic and has been a common instrument in shamanic rituals.

1 Etymology
2 Use
3 Names of specific Jew's harps around the world
4 References
5 See also
6 External links
- 6.1 Video

[edit] Etymology

There are many theories for the origin of the name Jew's harp, one being that it may derive from its popularity amongst Eurasian steppe-peoples like the Khazars, perhaps being introduced to Europe from that direction. Another explanation proposed is that it is a corruption of "jaw harp", while a less likely explanation espoused by some is that its name comes from "juice harp" from the amount of saliva produced when played by amateurs. Both of these explanations lack historical backing, as both the "jaw" and the "juice" variants appeared only in the late 19th and 20th centuries. It has also been suggested that the name derives from the French "Jeu-trompe" meaning "toy-trumpet".<ref>Timbs, John (1858). Things Not Generally Known: Popular Errors Explained & Illustrated, 61.</ref> The Oxford English Dictionary calls theories that the name is a corruption of "jaws" or "jeu" "baseless and inept" and goes on to speculate that "the instrument was actually made, sold, or sent to England by Jews, or supposed to be so; or that it was attributed to them, as a good commercial name...".<ref> "Jews' trump, Jew's-trump". Oxford English Dictionary. (1989). Oxford University Press.</ref>

It is interesting to note that many names of the instrument, in English or other languages, refer to other musical instruments, cordophones, membranophones, or aereophones largely included.

[edit] Use

[edit] In traditional music

The Jew's harp is an integral element in the music of Tuva. Known as the khomuz, the instrument is used to play the same overtone melodies used in the khoomei, sygyt, and kargyraa styles of overtone singing.

[edit] In classical music

Around 1765, Beethoven's teacher Johann Georg Albrechtsberger composed at least seven concertos for Jew's harp, mandora, and strings (three survive in a library in Budapest). They are pleasant, well written works in the galant style.

[edit] In popular music

The Jew's harp has been used on occasion in popular music. Such uses include:

The Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations," from the SMiLE Project
Jimmie Driftwood's playing on the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Give it Away," on the album Blood Sugar Sex Magic
Black Sabbath's "Sleeping Village," from their eponymous album
Aphex Twin's "Logon Rock Witch," on the Richard D. James Album
The Zutons in "Nightmare Part II," from the album Who Killed The Zutons?
The Who in "Join Together"
The Incredible String Band in "Koeeoaddi There," from The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter
Leonard Cohen throughout the album Songs from a Room
DeVotchKa on "Cuba Libra" from the album SuperMelodrama.
"Blanket on the Ground" by Billie Jo Spears.
Sixteen Horsepower uses the instrument on a number of songs.
In 2005, Daniel Higgs released an album entitled Magic Alphabet of solo Jew's harp improvisations.
Drasco's "Grey Soaked Red" a song about the Civil War on their debut EP "You Better Believe It!"
Scissor Sisters' "I Can't Decide" from the album Ta-Dah
Dixie Chicks Album "Fly" song: "Sin Wagon"
Mr. Bungle's "Violenza Domestica," from their Disco Volante album (played by William Winant)

Aside from these artists, the instrument is quite prevalent in the folk metal genre, with bands such as Otyg, Folkearth, Yggdrasil, and many more including the instrument in their regular line-ups. Black Metal band Enslaved and Death Metal band Molested have also used the Jew's harp.

[edit] In film

Henry Fonda plays the instrument as the title character in John Ford's Young Mr. Lincoln.

The instrument can be seen in the film The Wicker Man, at the rehearsal of Mayday celebrations, on the song "Maypole," as it has long been identified with mysticism or paganism.

The Jew's harp can also be seen in The Swedish film "The Virgin Spring" directed by Ingmar Bergman.

Snoopy plays one in the animated film A Boy Named Charlie Brown.

The mouth harp can be heard as a prominent instrument in the theme song written by Ennio Morricone from the movie For a Few Dollars More, starring Clint Eastwood.

[edit] In lyric

The phrase "the harp unstrung" occurs in the opening verse of the song Ripple[2] by the Grateful Dead. It is unclear whether this was intended as a reference to "the" Jew's harp.

[edit] Names of specific Jew's harps around the world

Argentina - torompe
Brasil - berimboca, "harpa de boca", "berimbau de boca"
Chile - torompe
China - kǒu xiàn (口弦, lit. "mouth string")
Croatia - drombulja
Czech Republic - brumle
Denmark - jødeharpe (lit. "Jew harp")
Esperanto - buŝharpo (lit. mouth harp)
Estonia - parmupill (lit. "horse-fly instrument")
Euskal Herria (Basque country) - musugitarra (lit. "kiss guitar")
Finland - munniharppu
France - guimbarde

Corse - riberbula

Germany - maultrommel (lit. "mouth drum")
Hawaii - ʻukeke
Hungary - doromb
Iceland - gyðingaharpa (kjálkaharpa)
India

Assam - gogona

Karnataka - morsing

Kerala - mukhar-shanq (lit. "mouth conch")

Rajasthan - morchang

Tamil Nadu - mugar-sing

Indonesia

Bali - genggong

Butonese - ore-ore mbondu or ore Ngkale

Kailinese - yori

Toraja - karombi

Iran - zanboorak (زنبورك)
Ireland - trumpa; tromb (Gaelic)
Israel - nevel pe (נבל פה, lit. "mouth harp")
Italy - scacciapensieri

Sicily - marranzanu

Japan - koukin (口琴, lit. "mouth harp")
Kajkavian - brunda (lit. "the grumbling one")
Kazakhstan - shang-kobuz
Kyrgyzstan - temir-komuz (lit. "iron komuz"), ooz-komuz (lit. "mouth komuz")
Laos

Hmong - rab ncas (also in Vietnam, Thailand, and China)

Latvia - vargāns
Lithuania - dambrelis
Munanese (Indonesia) - karinta
Netherlands - mondharp (lit. "mouth harp")
Norway - munnharpe
Philippines

Maguindanao - kubing

Maranao - kobing

Palawan - aroding

Tagbanua - aru-ding

Tingguian - kolibau

Yakan - kulaing

Poland - drumla
Romania - drâmbă
Russia - vargan

Yakutsk - kubyz

Scotland - tromb (Gaelic)
Slovakia - drumbľa
Serbia - drombulje (Дромбуље)
South Africa (Afrikaans) - trompie
Spain - guimbarda or birimbao
Sweden - mungiga
Switzerland (Swiss German) - "mal trommel"
Tuva - xomus or khomus
Ukraine - drymba
Vietnam - đàn môi
Wales - sturmant

[edit] References

[edit] See also

Image:Commons-logo.svg	Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jew's harp

Morsing - A kind of Jew's Harp from India.

[edit] External links

The Jew's Harp Guild
Jew's Harp on Antropodium.NL (features pictures and reviews on Jew's harps from all over the world)
A page on guimbardes from Pat Missin's free reed instrument website
French guimbarde site by Philippe Dallais
Danmoi et all Find a lovely collection of Jew's harps from around the world.
Jew's Harp from India Home of a Jew's harp (morsing) player from India, also the pioneer of articulating HexaMorse!
Aspiration - Wang Li's site Information and many pictures of rare Jew's harps, especially from China
Jew's harp at everything2
Brief synopsis of the ncas guimbard as used in Hmong culture
Origins of the Jew's Harp. A popular synopsis of the archaeological findings of jew's harps combined with a extensive illustrated survey of the world distribution of different types.