Juhan Suits ( Juss ) - Estonian bagpipes, wooden horn, whistle, vocal, jew's harp. In the nearly five years since they released their 2015 self-titled debut EP ( review here ), Boston-based four-piece Sea — generally stylized all-caps: SEA — have toured Europe, and released two splits, one in 2016 with Weedwolf ( discussed here ) and one in 2017 with KYOTY ( discussed here ) — all the while working toward their inevitable debut full-length. Self-released and running five tracks and a surprisingly tidy 42 minutes considering the expansiveness involved, Impermanence is that album. Recorded in 2018 with Keith Gentile at Labyrinth Audio, mastered by Nick Twohig and topped off with suitably colorful and deep-toned artwork by Nathaniel Parker Raymond, its songs bring together elements of SubRosa-style emotive post-metal with bursts of blackened intensity, a wistfulness that seems to fight against itself emerging in the flow of tracks that show a striking amount of patience for being a debut that speaks to the conscious sense of purpose behind the music being created.
Of all comtemporary Jew's harp makers in the Siberian Sakha Respublika (Republic of Yakutia), Ivan Christophorov rightly has been regarded as the top in making Jew's harps. And he is! His Jew's harps (khomus) are made out of a very strong, precious steel and iron, that will not oxidate. The oblong robust Jew's harps all have a fixed -design that forms the base of the frame. His khomuses are polished and have received a very fine finishing touch.
Whether you're looking for a specific traditional instrument, an assortment of new and obscure timbres to arrange into your compositions or rural loops to chop for your next production, World Suite delivers a tremendous collection unlike anything you've ever seen or heard before.
However, if you want to play music, that is, shape sounds and tunes on the Jew's Harp intentionally, you need to know playing techniques and the functioning of the instrument. These instructions seek to contribute to this knowledge: They describe and illustrate a variety of playing techniques and give some background information on the instrument. For each technique a sound example is provided.
12. If I go out. A popular Russian folk song. A high jew's harp in C was used for highlighting the dance character of the tune. Jaw harp is simply inaccurate - one does not play it using one's jaw. To get more sound: Bring your lips around the harp so that they touch the metal frame but not the twanger. This will help focus the sound.
And even though aficionados of the Jew's harp are aware that in most of the world,-perhaps even most especially in Europe - the instrument has been revered, not reviled, the fact remains that perceptions can be as important as fact. This is the rusted metal frame of a jaw harp found at the Williams' farm. It makes a very odd BOING sound when you pluck the reed with your finger.
Also from time to time, there are friends visiting me "flying with the Jew's harp." Especially, it was my great pleasure that I could invite Valentina and her sons to our place in Saitama in 2016 during her stay in Japan for a Conference organized by Toyo Ongaku Gakkai — The Society for Research in Asiatic Music.
For those interested in a reasonable quality, affordable instrument, I'd recommend a Paval Potkin khomus. For a reliably loud sound, the Glazyrin vargans are good quality if you can get your hands on one. If you need a professional tuned harp you're better off seeking out a master.
https://jews-harp-khomus.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-jaw-harp-beginners-tutorial.html