The world of music gadgets seems to be dead, dead, dead at the moment, so Peter has been investigating the mysterious legal high that is the Jew's Harp (which isn't a harp, and isn't Jewish). The JHarp's finest hour is (very quietly) in the background of Red Hot Chilli Pepper's 'Give it Away', but there's a great deal more to it than meets the eye (or ear):
Modern-day Shaman Valery Yeroshev uses the "unique equipment and technologies of the soviet military-industrial establishment" to make very special harps.He explains that the vibrations generated by twanging them take the player to a shamanic state where they enter a different world. Rather worrying, he recommends that a novice player should become "energetically intimate with the instrument", which sounds painful. But the site isn't afraid to ask the big questions: "Can a player go crazy? Yes, he can. But if you 'have flown away too far', your automatically stop to play and come back."
Here [mp3] is a spooky sound file of one of Velery's military-grade harps in action. Watch out for the surprise key change half way through.
CLICK HERE FOR PART 2: THE GUN HARP
I never went crazy playing these! I NEVERRR DSUDIIDD!1111 HEHEHEIHEHIHEAHAHA.....-,....
ReplyDeleteNo, seriously, it's not as hypnotic as those african drum circle thingies.
rubbish....
ReplyDeleteI have been playing a kind of jew's harp for ages. and of course I am not crazy!!!
If you watch tv while you play it you will notice the tv image vibrate, It's actually the eye ball that's vibrating, goodness knows what it's doing to the brain!
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