Someday you’ll see a “Sho” /sh’ou/, not in a shrine, but in a pub!! http://www2.edu.ipa.go.jp/gz/m-wgk1/m-huk1/m-wnd5/m-sho2.mpg
Japanese mouth-blown pipes (pipes!).
Scale: ABC# DEF# GG# AB# BCC# DEF#
Could use for a few slow airs, perhaps.
tak…a jaw harp (or jew’s harp, as it’s still known around here) has a “boing” quality to the sound. the player changes the size and shape of the chamber they make with their mouth to raise or lower the pitch.
it sounds very much like springs do in cartoons where someone breaks a watch or clock.
I’ve been told, by a very good jawharp player, that your best bet is the Whitlow harps sold by Elderly Instruments. They are more expensive, but they’re tuned - you could pick up one in D to start. http://www.elderly.com/search/elderly?terms=jaw
Sorry about the pun. You probably wouldn’t be heard at a session if you played a jaw harp. They’re a very ancient class of instrument, but comparatively quiet.
Ah yes…I can see it now. A whole gagaku orchestra ripping into “The Sailor On the Rock.” I suppose having the session in the pub would be more convenient and less sacreligious than having it in a shrine…
Yeah, those shruti boxes are pretty neat, huh? Wouldn’t mind messing around with one of those sometime.
Slightly OT but here’s a story Eamonn Coyne told me years ago. It dates from the days when all guitar playing singer/songwriters had to have a harmonica round their necks.
Eamonn was at a folk club in Liverpool and this guy got up to do a floor spot. He had the guitar, he had the harmonica thing round his neck, but he didn’t have a harmonica. So when it came to his guitar break, he started munching on the meat pie clamped in his harmonica holder.
Rocorder players! Esp. those with sheetmusic who think the whistle is below them, and who tongue every shrill note on the recorder, and when they have to stop for a breath, think the whole session should stop with them for a few seconds before resuming the tune.
I guess it could be worse…a recorder player with sheet music who tongues every note, doesn’t know how to breath and keep rythm at the same time, AND HAS TO HOG THE ONE MICROPHONE IN THE CIRLCE.
There are ancient references to musicians in Ireland playing the jew’s harp. You may want to hunt up one made out of wood if you’re interested. Easier on the teeth.
Luckily, I was just passing by at Folklife in Seattle, years ago, when I saw this strange and cockamamie recorder player join a session. I’ve never had the fine opportunity to enjoy such a fumblistic experience, myself. That would be a hard row to hoe.
I was so astonished by his blustrification–looking so goshblustrified and everything–that it left me feeling dumfungled and has provided me with ample nightmares ever since.
One time a flute (boehm system) player showed up at the local session, and I have been hearing about him for a while now…
(I guess he showed up numerous times, but I had the blessed misfortune to only be their for one suh lucky occurance)
Anyway, this guy is a jazz and classical player primarily and he had decided to come and play ITM “just for fun” since it didn’t really take “a lot of effort”.
Anyway, he somehow thought that ITM was like jazz: everything is improv, so you just “jam” with everyone, right? So he is sitting their, blasting away, sounding like crap, and doesn’t have a clue.
(ok so, this was quite some time ago, and I didn’t have much of a clue either, except that I knew he was too loud, and not really playing the tune…)
I find out later (recently) that he has since been trying to “write” or learn some trad music in Ab. He thought that would be dandy I guess…
