Description
“Playing the Jew’s Harp” opens the door to a rhythmic drone and overtone instrument that immediately fascinates with its unusually colorful, meditative and rhythmically rousing sound. Established in European drone and folk music since the Middle Ages, the jew’s harp reveals an impressive variety of overtones. Wolf Janscha, in collaboration with the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, has developed a revolutionary notation system. This makes the instruction book “Maultrommel spielen” an essential tool for anyone who wants to learn to play the jew’s harp.
Traditional instrument, modern application
The Jew’s harp was deeply rooted in Central European, especially Austrian folk music and was often associated with social customs. However, the role of the jew’s harp has changed over the years. Today it fascinates not only through its traditional use, but also through its versatility in modern musical contexts. The gender-neutral fascination and the urban circles it attracts prove the timeless relevance and the extended application possibilities of this instrument.
Your path to becoming a jew’s harp master
The textbook “Maultrommel spielen” offers a comprehensive overview of the instrument, its history and the basic playing techniques. It places particular emphasis on developing a playing technique that can be used in any musical style. With step-by-step instructions, diagrams and audio examples on the accompanying CD, it makes learning the jew’s harp easy and accessible.
“Playing the Jew’s Harp” is a textbook for everyone
The textbook is not only intended for beginners with no previous musical knowledge, but also offers advanced players valuable techniques for refining their skills. Through the presentation of various playing techniques, breathing techniques and overtone theory, a profound understanding of the instrument is made possible.
Expert opinions and practical benefits
Highly praised by experts such as Albin Paulus and Marco Ambrosini, “Maultrommel spielen” is a milestone in the music literature for jew’s harp. It is a testament to the profound possibilities of the instrument and offers a systematic guide that takes the player step by step. The accompanying CD with audio examples supports learning and provides an interactive experience.
Step by step to success
From the basics to advanced techniques, the instruction book “Playing the Jew’s Harp” covers everything you need to play the Jew’s Harp masterfully. It guides you through the different aspects of playing, including posture, strumming, breathing and overtone listening, and provides you with the tools to explore your own musical paths.
Why choose this book?
If you are looking for a comprehensive, easy-to-understand and practical guide to learning to play the jew’s harp, the book “Maultrommel spielen” is just the thing for you. It offers a unique combination of historical context, technical guidance and creative inspiration. Whether you are a beginner or want to develop your skills, this textbook is an indispensable companion on your musical journey.
Take the first step
Are you ready to explore the fascinating world of jew’s harp playing and take your musical skills to the next level? This textbook not only provides you with the technical basics, but also inspires you to develop your own style and unleash the Jew’s harp’s full potential. Don’t miss the opportunity to be guided by one of the most renowned experts in this field. Get your copy now and start your journey into the world of the jew’s harp!
Foreword
The Jew’s harp is – or rather – was (!) widely known in Central Europe, especially Austria, as a folk music instrument, although a few examples in art music serve as exceptions.
Playing the Jew’s harp is often associated with the Fensterln (Gass’ngehn or Kiltgang), and the instrument was even called the Menschafånga in the Salzkammergut region because the magical effect of the sound of the Jew’s harp brought special advertising success, as legend has it. As a cheap sound toy for adolescent schoolchildren, the instrument was commonplace until the 1970s – even for me. We used the instrument in amazingly creative ways, whereby the oral cavity alone was no longer sufficient as a resonating body and various available objects had to provide a substitute. We learned how to use them “correctly” from a drawing that was attached to the packaging on a sheet of paper. That was the instruction in playing the jew’s harp – the rest you just got yourself. In relevant radio programs you could also hear recordings of Jew’s harp, often in combination with various accompanying instruments – mostly guitar – which were extremely rare and therefore striking. All those who “took up” the jew’s harp around the middle of the 20th century had one thing in common: they had no teacher and certainly no institutionalized instrumental lessons on the jew’s harp. And there was no printed school for the instrument available, apart from the few booklets to be mentioned at a later date. And it was enough, and it was good – so why write and present a detailed textbook on the jew’s harp?
A lot of time has passed with regard to the previously described circumstances surrounding jew’s harp playing, and today these have changed fundamentally. The function of the legendary, male-dominated use of the Jew’s harp in courtship described above, which often mutated into a cliché, changed radically in our day. It is no longer just the men who beguile the women with their plucking and chirping, but women (and men) in gender-balanced and diverse ensemble compositions also delight a wide audience with their stylistically diverse Jew’s harp playing. And it is the musicians, no longer the peasant boys, but urban circles from the educated middle classes, who are interested in the complex use of the Jew’s harp. It is therefore not surprising that the many opportunities for further training, from privately organized weekend courses to internships at academic educational institutions, have led to a frequently expressed desire for a “Jew’s harp school”. This is now available! And it no longer covers the musical and stylistic needs of a particular region alone, but, as is usual for good teaching books, the concept is structured in such a way that one progresses from the individual parameters of the playing techniques to the overtone technique – an indispensable element of jew’s harp playing. It is essential to the author that the student, no matter where he/she is at home, can find his/her way around all jew’s harp styles in the world. And – it truly comes close to squaring the circle: the textbook is aimed at both the musically trained and the layman, without disadvantaging either side.
However, no matter how well thought-out a textbook is, it cannot replace the personality of a teacher! This first (!) Jew’s harp school offers valuable help for both sides!
Prof. Dr. Rudolf Pietsch
Institute for Folk Music Research and Ethnomusicology
University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna
Text on the back of the book
The jew’s harp is one of the oldest musical instruments in the world. It is played in many cultures all over the world.
In collaboration with the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, Wolf Janscha publishes the first comprehensive teaching book for the Jew’s harp. The first volume is the ideal introduction for beginners to learn the basic playing techniques.
Detailed and easy-to-understand instructions, diagrams and audio examples enable the player to use the jew’s harp as a fully-fledged musical instrument, to improvise in the most important time signatures and to consciously vary rhythmically and tonally.
From the contents:
- The basics of playing the jew’s harp
- Easy-to-understand explanation of the notation system, music theory and its practical implementation on the Jew’s harp
- Numerous exercises for the progressive development of playing techniques
- Helpful physical and mental exercises
- Creative techniques for designing your own grooves
- Detailed information about the instrument, buying a jew’s harp, playing practice and important contact addresses.
- Audio examples of the most important exercises on the enclosed audio CD.
Author:in
Wolf Janscha
born. 1975 in Vienna, studied classical guitar and has been working intensively with ethnic instruments from different cultures since 1993. He specializes in the jew’s harp and is valued both nationally and internationally as a virtuoso and expert on this instrument.
Reviews
Review by Albin Paulus
It is astonishing that only now a serious and fundamental method for the Jew’s harp has appeared, even the eager production of instructional works for European art music from the Renaissance to the The 20th century, which also included exotic instruments, passed by this instrument almost without a trace. The Jew’s harp had always attracted attention as a virtuoso instrument, in Europe especially in the late 18. and 19th century, even in composed music; think, for example, of Johann Georg Albrechtsberger’s Jew’s Harp Concertos or Charles Yves’ Central Park Sinfony. And local traditions such as the distinctly sophisticated Jew’s harp playing in Yakutia (Siberia) are also enjoying increasing worldwide recognition. Also, much has been written about the Jew’s harp: Its effect on the stage, in the healing arts, for use in customs, etc. There were also quite promising approaches for a systematic recording of the playing technique, for example by Heinrich Scheibler at the beginning of the 19th century. Even later quite serious smaller textbooks from Germany, Russia and other countries fulfilled their purpose within the musical genre or cultural circle for which they were intended. But a comprehensive work that explains the playing techniques and musical possibilities of the Jew’s Harp from the bottom up, independent of musical cultures, had been lacking until now. But now it’s here, and what a book!
Already in the preface it is mentioned that because of the desired independence from traditions there are no songs and pieces in the textbook, but there are numerous exercises (all with audio examples on the included CD). While working out it soon becomes clear why: Wolf Janscha leaves no detail out, he leaves nothing unexplained or to chance, all the necessary techniques for playing the Jew’s Harp are built up step by step at the base and can thus be put together and used later for any direction. What’s likeable is that Wolf Janscha nevertheless advocates every possible freedom and encourages improvisation right from the start: “Let the jew’s harp play by itself and listen to it carefully!”.
Basically, it is a huge undertaking to systematically record, explain and pedagogically bring the Jew’s Harp closer. After all, no instrument other than the human voice probably offers so many different changeable parameters, especially since, acoustically speaking, it is only half the instrument. Only through the coupling to the mouth, nose and throat, the complete musical instrument is formed, and here is infinitely possible! In addition to obvious parameters such as percussion technique, breathing is crucial for rhythm and tone, as are the numerous moving parts in our oral cavity that allow for different timbres, overtones and registers. Perhaps this is why no one has dared to write a basic textbook that can be understood by all. Wolf Janscha, however, has succeeded in this perfectly.
Review by Marco Ambrosini
Playing the jew’s harp has always been a big dream of mine. I’m happy to admit it. I love instruments that hide an almost uncanny variety of possibilities for musical expression behind their only apparent simplicity.
The problem with such instruments is that they are rarely perceived as such, even by musicians, and often spend a miserable niche existence until they may even disappear from the (music) world at some point, leaving a vacuum that yearns for lost sounds.
In our case, a colleague has finally dared to publish a well-founded and highly professional “systematic guide to self-study” – and thus promoted the Jew’s harp to the Olympus of “real” musical instruments to be taken seriously!
In my opinion, Wolf Janscha’s work (Maultrommel spielen, Band 1) represents a gigantic didactic achievement: not only are the basics of Jew’s harp playing explained in a competent and easily understandable way, but at the same time many important music theory basics are conveyed and, in addition, a suitable notation has finally been developed.
The descriptions and the exercises are so ingeniously constructed that the reader never gets the feeling of being overwhelmed. In reality, however, the very cleverly arranged chapters help him progress very quickly both in theory and in playing practice.
The whole thing is complemented by beautiful photos and the exemplary illustrations by Rudolf F. Klapka – not to forget the accompanying CD, which contains all the important audio examples.
My opinion: not only absolutely recommendable, but an absolute must – not only for aspiring Jew’s harp players!”
Marco Ambrosini / March 2012
