136 jew' harp

Image

An instrument in which one end of a thin, elastic steel lamella is fixed to the middle of an iron frame. The tip of the lamella is bent at a right angle. The player holds the frame with the fingers of one hand and jams it between the lips or teeth. With a finger of the other hand the player flexes the tip of the lamella. The latter's vibrations resonate inside the oral cavity, and by altering the volume of air in the latter as well as through breath regulation, the player amplifies specific overtones so as to produce melodic tones. Inscribed "England".