THIS IS A FREE ARTICLE FROM SACRED HOOP MAGAZINE. Sacred Hoop is an independent magazine
about Shamanism and Animistic Spirituality, based in West Wales, published four times a year since 1993.
You may share this in any non-commercial way but reference to www.SacredHoop.org must be made if it is reprinted anywhere.
To get a very special low-cost subscription to Sacred Hoop please visit : www.SacredHoop.org/offer.html

T

The instrument we call the jaw harp exists in many forms,
and is found on almost every major continent and has
countless regional names and variants.
It is classed as a plucked idiophone, which is an instrumentthat produces sounds as a result of the rigidity and elasticityof the material it is made from, without strings or astretched membrane.
The origins of the jaw harp remain mysterious. In Europe,
jaw harps have been discovered in archaeological sites
dating from Roman times and it seems to have becomerather popular in Medieval Europe with many examples
coming to light in England, Germany, France and Italy.
An even earlier form has been excavated in China anddated to C1,000 B.C.E. It is almost certain that otherforms of the instrument were used prior to this date,
but were likely to have been made from materials
less able to survive the ravages of time,such as bone, bamboo andwood.

THE MANY NAMES
Some of the many regional
names for the instrument can tell us
a little of the way different cultures
adopted it. Jews harp, the other common
name they are known by, is thought to derive from the
French word jouer (to play), and there is no link between the
instrument and Judaism or the Jewish peoples. Scaccia
pensieri is Italian for ‘thought dispeller’, and the German
name maultrommel translates as ‘mouth drum’. Norwegians
refer to them as munnharpe or ‘mouth harp’ and Old English
variants include trump and gewgaw. In fact the name trump
became so popular throughout history that many modern jaw
harp players and aficionados are calling for a return to thisname.
The materials used to make jaw harps include iron, steel
and other metals, wood, bamboo and even bone. All theforms share a common principle for making sound: a frame
supporting a blade or tongue (tang) which has freemovement so that it can vibrate.
Jaws harps can be grouped into two classes dependingon the tang. These are idioglottal, where the tang is cut
from the same piece of material that creates the frame (thecommon style in South and East Asia), and heteroglottal where the tang is a separate part which is then attached toa rigid frame (the common style in Western countries).
WIDE WORLD OF MUSIC
Considered by many to be a rather frivolous instrument, thejaw harp has been regarded with scorn by classical musicians
and relegated to the level of a toy or plaything by Westernculture. Despite this, a few classical pieces did start toincorporate the instrument and Austrian composer Johann
George Alberchtsberger (one of Beethoven’s music teachers)
wrote a number of concerti entirely for the jaw harp.
In many Asian communities the jaw harp is linked withromance as it is often small and cheap enough to be madeas a gift for a loved one. As many Asian-style harps are
one-piece idioglottal style harps, made from bamboo, bone,wood or copper, they are not loud, and so can be played in
the late evening without disturbing other members of the
Above: a khomus or Mongolian shaman’s jaws harp
from the Altai Mountains. Main Picture: a Central Asianshaman carrying a drum plays the jaws harp

BEar’s
Plaything
Jonathan Cope explains theshaman’s use of the Jaw Harp

THIS IS A FREE ARTICLE FROM SACRED HOOP MAGAZINE. Sacred Hoop is an independent magazine
about Shamanism and Animistic Spirituality, based in West Wales, published four times a year since 1993.
You may share this in any non-commercial way but reference to www.SacredHoop.org must be made if it is reprinted anywhere.
To get a very special low-cost subscription to Sacred Hoop please visit : www.SacredHoop.org/offer.html
Right: A Hmong girlfrom South-east
Asia plays
a bamboo
jaw harp.

Below: A bamboo
GengGong jaw harp
from Laosfamily, who all live in close
proximity.
The romantic link isstrengthened further by their use
as a courtship instrument. Smalland portable, a suitor can easily
produce a jaw harp and try to win
favour by composing simple
melodies for their love. In someregions the jaw harp is used byyoung lovers to communicate in asecret language. The boy willsneak close to his lover’s houseand play softly whilst speaking
simple words of affection, which hehopes will be returned by his love and not heard by the parents!
GIFT FROM THE BEAR
Many cultures have their own
stories of the origin of the jaw
harp, but one of my favourites wastold to me by a friend in France
and originates from Central Asia,
probably Siberia or Mongolia.
‘Long ago a great hunter, in thedepths of winter, was tracking abear that he intended to kill for its
meat and fur. He spent many days
tracking it through bad weather andhardship when he eventuallycaught sight of it further up themountainside which he wasclimbing. Taking care to remain
upwind so the bear would not bealerted to his scent, hemanoeuvred himself into a position
to shoot the bear with his arrows.
But as he drew closer he could seethat the bear was preoccupied witha tree branch, probably searchingfor berries or grubs. The hunter
heard the grunts of the bear but
then heard something else, awonderfully rich springy sound.

20 SH ISSUE 55 2007

In many Asian
communities thejaw harp is linked
with romance as it
is often small andcheap enough to bemade as a gift fora loved one...
they are not loud,and so can be playedin the late evening
without disturbing
other members of
the family
Looking over to the bear, thehunter realised that it wasdeliberately pulling at a branch that
had suffered damage by wind or
lightening and was shattered into
several long pieces. The bear was
so engrossed in this activity that it
seemed to have no awareness ofthe hunter’s presence. As the bear
pawed again at the branch thehunter realised that it was causing
the branch to make a wonderfulspringing sound as it vibrated, andthis sound had captivated the bear.
The hunter was so amazed anddelighted with this that hehonoured the bear and let it live.
He then spent many hours by thefire trying to create the same sortsof sounds himself with springy
pieces of wood.’
TALKING SOUNDS
After reading this story, it perhaps
comes as no surprise that thestrongest tradition of jaw harp use
in a shamanic setting occurs on the
Steppes of Central Asia, particularly
Siberia, Yakutia, Mongolia andTuva. These areas all have a long
history of shamanism and animism
and the people there feel strongly
linked to their surroundings, thelands, the weather, elements,
animals and spirits.
For many people in theseregions the jaw harp is an
instrument of meditation andintrospection, and is often playedin solitude by shepherds andwoodcutters etc. These people are
surrounded by - and in tune with nature and use the jaw harp bothto mimic the sounds which they
hear around them, and as a way tocommune directly with thesepowers of nature.
Jaw harps can also be used for
a form of secret communication
between people, where the player
speaks whilst playing and it takes
great concentration to understandwhat is being said. The well known
Tuvan throat singer Kongar-ool
Ondar has a story which illustrates
how the jaw harp can be used for
secret communication.
‘Since Tuvans love horses morethan almost anything on earth, it
stands to reason that they can’t
help secretly admiring a goodhorse thief!
It happened that one man crossed
the mountains and made off with afine stallion. The owner of the horse
could hear the thief in the distanceand so he set out to chase him.
Eventually, the owner rode over themountain and came to a yurt where
he went in. The yurt was the homeof the horse thief and his wife, andas custom dictated they gave their
new guest some tea to drink. Whilehe was drinking it, the host sat andbegan to play his khomus (jaw harp),
as he was able to communicate
through his music without using
words. And as he played, he spokein his harp music to his wife. “This is
the man whose horse I stole, you’dbetter go and move it to a better
hiding place, further from the yurt.”
But as she went to get up to do
as her husband asked, the guest
spoke to the host. “What a fine
instrument you have!” He said.

THIS IS A FREE ARTICLE FROM SACRED HOOP MAGAZINE. Sacred Hoop is an independent magazine
about Shamanism and Animistic Spirituality, based in West Wales, published four times a year since 1993.
You may share this in any non-commercial way but reference to www.SacredHoop.org must be made if it is reprinted anywhere.
To get a very special low-cost subscription to Sacred Hoop please visit : www.SacredHoop.org/offer.html“May I try playing it?”
The host handed over his
instrument, and the guest began toplay, and he too had the ability totalk through his music without using
words; and this is what he said tothe horse-thief’s wife. “It’s too late
to move the horse. I already knowthat you have him and now I’m
going to take him back!”
HARPS AND HEALING
Although played socially by manyof the people within a community,
the jaw harp is considered asacred instrument by shamans,
and is often used in their rituals.
The use varies little acrossdifferent geographic regions.
In Mongolia the jaw harp is
known as the Amaan khuur, whichmeans ‘mouth instrument’. The
shaman Dondogiin Byambadorj,
who was in Western Mongolia bornin 1947, and learned shamanism
from his uncle Vanchindorj. Whenthe spirits of his shamanic lineage
started calling him he sufferedmuch illness until his uncle
empowered a jews harp and gave
it to him to use for shamanising.
In Tuva, people believe in azaspirits, who can kill people andcause diseases, and it is theshaman’s job to try tocommunicate with the spirits, gain
help from them and try to fight any
evil spirits to regain control of asick man’s soul. Spirit-helpers are
known as ak-ereem and kyrgyz
ereen and are called upon to assist
the healing or cleansing process.
In Mongolia there are two
types, the khulsan khuur, which isa bamboo jaw harp (but can also
be made of bone, horn or wood),
and the tömör khuur, which ismade of metal, often iron.
The Darkhad shamans ofNorthern Mongolia have threemethods of playing the tömör
khuur harp in their
shamanic work. Firstly
there is the shuud tsokhiltor ‘direct stroke’, which is aregular rhythm with no change inpitch symbolising the journey of theshaman along a road.
Secondly the Khelnii tsokhilt or‘tongue stroke’ which is made bymoving the tongue backwards andforwards to alter the shape of themouth and so create different
overtones and pitches. This type isused to imitate the cries of animals
and to communicate with theanimal spirits.
The last type of playing is theongodiin tsokhilt or ‘spirit stroke’
which imitates the trotting of ananimal, and is used at the end of aceremony when the shaman’s spirit
helper has left the shaman’s bodyand is returning to its home in theother worlds.

For many people thejaw harp is an instrumentof meditation andintrospection

The other type of jaw harp, thekhulsan khuur, is largely played by
women and girls and is said to attract
men. It is played by pulling sharply ona cord attached to one end, whichcauses the tang to vibrate.
SOUND FOR THE SPIRITS
Shamans in Central Asia use
different techniques to ‘journey’ tomeet the spirits who live in thethree worlds of the shaman’s
cosmos, the Upper, Middle andLower Worlds, and thesetechniques include the playing of
the drum and the jaw harp.
A drum may be thought of as ayang instrument, and is suitable foruse in group ceremonies, but thejaw harp is considered a yin
instrument and is used by theshaman to directly enter a changed
state of perception, and istherefore more for the player andless for the listeners.
By using the jaw harp in thisway, the shaman can access theseother worlds to seek guidancefrom spirit helpers. A shaman’s
strength is said to derive from thestrength and number of spirits
they can call upon for help.
The spirits are of varying
strengths and it is their strengththat determines the shaman’s
rank. The spirits help the shaman

Many jaw harps have special cases
made for them to keep them safe.
Left: a jaw harp from Nepal,
with its brass case
Right: two jaws harps withwooden cases, a Tuvan one inboot-shaped case and a harp from
Kazaksthan in guitar shaped case.

SH ISSUE 55 2007 21

THIS IS A FREE ARTICLE FROM SACRED HOOP MAGAZINE. Sacred Hoop is an independent magazine
about Shamanism and Animistic Spirituality, based in West Wales, published four times a year since 1993.
You may share this in any non-commercial way but reference to www.SacredHoop.org must be made if it is reprinted anywhere.
To get a very special low-cost subscription to Sacred Hoop please visit : www.SacredHoop.org/offer.html

Considered by many
classical musicians to be arather frivolous instrument
and an object of scorn,
the jaw harp is still
appreciated by anumber of musicians
the world overtreat people, foretell andinfluence the future, and theshaman needs the spirits as muchas they need him.
It is said that spirits must be intouch with our physical world tostay charged with energy. When ashaman for some reason severs
his ties with them, it may havedire consequences, for according
to Siberian traditions, many spirits
are quite aggressive and they cantake away the shaman’s life
energy. If they do this enough, theshaman will die. Another danger
for the shaman is that the spirit
helper may supercede their own
human soul. If this is thecase it may mean insanity
for the shaman.

such as dawn or during certain
phases of the moon. Help may also
be sought from the ancestors, by
ritual prayers and words being
spoken, and by invocations madeto the five directions (North, South,
East, West and Sky), along withofferings of milk, vodka or tobacco.
Although many shamanic rituals
and practices were suppressed in
the past by the Russian authorities
they are starting to find favour
again, and much of the oldknowledge is returning.
Consequently there has been arenaissance in the use of jaw
harps, and this has led to the older

FORGING THE
SHAMAN’S HARPFor use in shamanistic
ritual, jaw harps are madein traditional ways and cantake many days tocraft. Fire and water
are used to forge
and shape the metalframe and also totemper the flexible
tang. Many makers
have secretprocesses that use
unusual ingredientssuch as salt, chipsof bone and hair,and these will becast into the fire to
aid the tempering.
Also makers
often work ritually at
auspicious times

Top: highly decorated brass Morsing
jaw harp from India
Top left: The author playing
a jaw harp in a concert
Centre: Ivan Alexejev (front)
and Spiridon Schischigin.
Spiridon is a well known Siberian
Yakut khomus player andexponent of the culture andfolklore of his people
Above: decorated Kubing jaw harp
from the Phillipines
Left: brass harp from the
Hmong tribe of Vietnam

22 SH ISSUE 55 2007

THIS IS A FREE ARTICLE FROM SACRED HOOP MAGAZINE. Sacred Hoop is an independent magazine
about Shamanism and Animistic Spirituality, based in West Wales, published four times a year since 1993.
You may share this in any non-commercial way but reference to www.SacredHoop.org must be made if it is reprinted any
To get a very special low-cost subscription to Sacred Hoop please visit : www.SacredHoop.org/offer.html
makers training new apprentices in
traditional methods of production.
Jonathan Cope is a multi-instrumentalist,musician, artist, teacher and qualified soundtherapist. He is the author of ‘How to Playthe Didjeridoo‚ (available in book, CD andnow DVD formats), walking the path ofUrban Shaman‚ often without knowing it.
He leads workshops and tuition for thoseinterested in using sound as a selfdevelopmental and healing tool.
See his website: www.soundforhealth.com
for information about Jaw harp lessons andworkshops as well as Instruments for sale.
SUGGESTED READING:
Frederick Crane: A History of the Trump in
Pictures - Europe and America.(Mount
Pleasant Publishers, Iowa. 2003).
Sibyl Marcuse: ‘Musical Instruments, A
Comprehensive Dictionary.’ ISBN: 9780393007589 (W W Norton & Co Inc.1975)‘Musical Instruments of The World’. ISBN:
978-0806998473 (Sterling Books. 1997).
Phons Bakx: ‘The 1000 Names of the Jew’s
Harp’. (Foundation Antropodium. 1998)
WEBSITES:
www.fotuva.org - a source of recordings
and instruments from Tuva and Mongolia.
www.jewsharpguild.org - lots of information
about the instrument.
RECORDINGS:
Various Artists: ‘Tuva, Among The Spirits Sound, Music And Nature In Sakha And
Tuva’ (Smithsonian Folkways) (available
from amazon.com).
Spiridon Shishigin: ‘Soul of Yakutia’.
(Wergo) (available from amazon.com).

Inset above:a modern
Russiankhomus in the
shape of a guitar
Above: a Siberian shaman’s
jaw harp and its case

PLAYING THE JAW HARPFor those seeking to use the same techniques asshamans, it is first necessary to search out a jaw harpof high quality and integrity, ideally made using the oldtechniques wherever possible. I have included someresources at the end of this article to guide thoseinterested in seeking further information.
Jaw harps are held by firmly grasping the frame withthe first two fingers and thumb of the left hand andheld up to the mouth. The last couple of centimetres of
the arms of the harp are in direct contact with the front teeth, with the jaw slightly
parted. The first two fingers of the right hand are then used to pluck the trigger atthe end of the tang, usually plucking toward the face rather than away from it. Thetang will then oscillate rapidly to and fro, and pass in and out between the gap in
the teeth, so care must be taken to get the gap right or it will hit your teeth.
Trigger
The resulting vibration of the moving tang passes from the harp into theteeth, jaw and mouth cavity which acts as a
Frameresonant chamber, and makes the playing
Armsseem more immediate and intimate
than many other musical instruments.
Some larger metal jaw harps
Tangwill need a good deal of care
to keep them in contact
Crimpwith the teeth while they
vibrate.
The shape of the mouth will amplify
the natural pitch of the instrument to produce aspringy sounding, rhythmic drone-like note. Thereafter the skill in using a jaw harp
for shamanic work comes with controlling the resulting sound by use of the tongue,
lips, jaw, glottis, voice, lungs and diaphragm. It is, in short a very physicalinstrument and leads to the feeling that, although the jaw harp is providing the initialvibration, it is the player’s body which becomes the instrument.
As mentioned, the rhythmic nature of the jaw harp and the frequencies produced
can induce a trance-like state and by altering the shape the tongue and mouthcavity, a vast array of harmonics can be accessed, making it possible to mimic
animal cries and natural sounds like dripping water and also to produce beautiful
melodies and rhythmic lines.
Scientific studies have shown that certain frequencies induce ‘frequency followed
effects’ where the brainwaves slow down and allow deep relaxation. These effects
allow access to altered states ofconsciousness.
A SOFTER ALTERNATIVE
The vibration that passes into the teeth
from a typical shaman’s or Western style
metal jaw harp can be quite strong and so
may be too uncomfortable for someplayers; those who do find them too muchmight like to try another style of jaw harp.
Some of the best, for ease of playing
and excellent sound quality, are those from
Vietnam known as rab ncas. These harps
are formed from a single sheet of copper
which has been skillfully bent and cut toform a very delicate jaw harp. These areheld close to an open mouth and played bygentle flicking of the thumb. They produce
very clear harmonics and the larger ones
generate quite a long natural sustainedsound. Harps from Cambodia, Bali and
Laos are of similar style and can also be
played in this way. Many of these are madefrom bamboo rather than copper, but the
principle is the same.

SH ISSUE 55 2007 23