Jew’s Harp

One kind of art related to the vocal organ is the playing of the bamboo Jew’s harp. This instrument is made of bamboo; Jew’s harps are also made of metal or bone. We whittle bamboo or bone and make two small holes through the two ends of the whittled bamboo and furnish them with strings. A “tongue” is chip-carved on the main body of the whittled bamboo. To play a bamboo Jew’s harp, the player pinches one side of the instrument between his thumb and the finger of his left hand and places the instrument between the player’s lips. He then pulls the string of the instrument to get its “tongue” to vibrate. The player adjusts the pitches by narrowing and widening his mouth-cavity.