Jaw harp: what it is, how to choose one and how to start playing

The jaw harp is one of the oldest and most widespread instruments in the world: a metal frame with a flexible reed. You rest it against your teeth, pluck the reed with a finger, and your mouth becomes the sound box. By changing the shape of your mouth, your tongue and your breath, you pick out overtones, and that is where the melody comes from.

Its many names

• Spain: arpa de boca, birimbao; trompa in Galicia and Asturias; guimbarda in Catalonia.
• Yakutia (Siberia): khomus, the national instrument of the Yakut people.
• Russia: vargan; kubyz in Bashkortostan.
• Elsewhere: Maultrommel (German), doromb (Hungarian), jaw harp or Jew's harp (English), morsing (India), dan moi (Vietnam).

How it sounds

The reed gives one fixed note, the base pitch, which drones the whole time. On top of it, your mouth brings out one overtone or another: shape a silent "a" into a silent "ee" and the sound rises; go back and it falls. That is how a single note becomes melodies and rhythms. Every product page in the shop has a real recording of the model, so you can hear it before you choose.

How to choose your first jaw harp

• Base pitch. Low models (octave 0–1, e.g. G0–C1) sound deep and make the overtones stand out; high ones (octave 2) sound brighter and more rhythmic. A medium pitch is a good start. The magnetic balls that come with Vargan Ekb models lower the pitch when placed on the reed (they do not work on titanium reeds).
• Gap. The smaller the gap between reed and frame, the cleaner and louder the sound, but the instrument asks for a more precise pluck.
• Material. Stainless steel is tough and needs no special care. Titanium is much lighter and has a different timbre.
• Price. Our Beginner line has the most affordable models, each with a fixed note; Classics and Masters hold the more elaborate and titanium models.

First steps

1. Hold the instrument by its ring, with the tip of the reed pointing away from you.
2. Part your teeth slightly and rest the two arms of the frame on them, lips relaxed around them. The reed must vibrate freely in the gap between your teeth: do not bite it or touch it with your teeth.
3. Pluck the tip of the reed with your index finger, gently and in the direction it moves, without pushing it sideways.
4. Breathe through your nose or through the instrument and mouth silent vowels: "a, e, i, o, u". You will hear the sound change.
5. Once the sound is clean, add rhythm: plucks in both directions, marked breathing and tongue movements.

If you hear metallic clicks or the reed touches your teeth, open your mouth a little more or press the frame more lightly.

Care

After playing, wipe it dry with a cloth and keep it in its case. It is a personal instrument: for hygiene, do not share it.

Buying a jaw harp in Spain

Every jaw harp in our shop is handmade by the Vargan Ekb workshop in Yekaterinburg (Urals, Russia). Prices include VAT and we ship from our warehouse in Spain across the EU. Anything not in stock is made to order: nothing is paid when you send a request. More in About.