JEW'S HARP

— This is called a Jew's harp. All the primitive peoples had them, and still do. The Chukchi, the Koryaks, the Uymens, and what have you. My favorites are the Nganasans and the Tofalars. At first they made them from bones, and then when all sorts of metal started to appear they started to forge them. Theoretically they should be forged so that they sound right. But since there was no real way to do that they had to... This thing is made from a brass strip, which is bent, and this strip that vibrates is soldered on here. It's made from a piece of a saw. Or you could make it from a ruler. I've done that too, made one from a metallic ruler. The sound depends on the length of the strip – it can be higher or lower. A bass sound is produced by a thicker strip.