Where can I get a mouth Harp?

[VicDiesel]

Its been called a "Jew's Harp" for about a 60 years now,

Actually, it seems to have been called that since 1594, and "jaw's harp" is unnecessary PC-ness or bad scholarship.

Considering how many regionarlly and ethnically specific musical instruments there are, I don't see why it would be considered a slur.

V.

[liqih]

by my book is the other way around,

Jew's Harp has nothing to do with jews,
someone wrote it could be a wrong translation from the french Jouer,
or a joke distortion of jaw harp, but who knows,
edit:
http://albanach.org/trump.html
this seems more informative

in Spain was called
"trompa inglesa" = english trumpet
as it came form Scotland in the XV and XVI century,

anyway the origin seems not from one place only,
like the flute it appeared at the same time in different parts of the world,

it arrived in USA from France or England.


Well just to say something, <grin>

[xoxos]

It's Italian for a "chaser-away of cares."

awesome.. sad to hear but thanks liqih. i've got a scan somewhere i'll dig for.. tomorrow.

instruments like this are often called voice masks.. i remember some oriental source quoted as "the metal ones are too loud for meditation," oc using the bamboo models.

imo the best setup would be to use a nice bit of hardwood for the frame that would support a metal tong.. that'd be waaay easier on the bones, can see it working as long as you don't step on it.

[liqih]

instruments like this are often called voice masks.. i remember some oriental source quoted as "the metal ones are too loud for meditation," oc using the bamboo models.

yeah I just read that, <grin>

and for the curious:

http://www.jewsharpguild.org/history.html