The Probert Encyclopaedia of Music

JEW'S HARP

A jew's harp is a musical instrument in which a small frame flanks a narrow, flexible tongue attached at one end to the frame. The frame is held against the teeth near the free end of the tongue, which is set in vibration by various methods. The tongue produces only one tone; when the shape of the player's mouth cavity is altered, various harmonics of this fundamental tone are made prominent. The harmonic series produced is the same as that of a trumpet. Jew's harps of India and, at least since about 1350, of Europe have onion-shaped forged-iron frames that narrow to two protruding arms; a separate tongue is affixed to the frame. The player twangs the free end of the tongue with a finger. Clothespin-shaped jew's harps with the frame and tongue cut of the same piece of bamboo are found in Oceania (often sounded by jerking a cord attached to the instrument). In South-east Asian jew's harps, probably the oldest form, the narrow, rectangular frame (of bamboo or, rarely, sheet metal) completely surrounds the free end of the tongue, which is vibrated by plucking a tab on the flexible frame. In New Guinea jew's harps are made from a live beetle tied to a small splinter of wood and held to the mouth. The beetle buzzes at a constant pitch and the notes are formed by the movements of the player's lips.
Research Jew's Harp