Vancouver Silk Hand Fans

Tiny, Twangy Harp Takes Center Stage

TRANSCRIPT

BAY CITY, Ore. - The Jew's harp is a plucked mouth instrument that you can find all over the world. A dozen even made the trip to the Northwest with Lewis and Clark.

Surprisingly, the Jew's harp has absolutely nothing to do with the Jewish people. But it does have a distinctive sound and a lot of fans in the Northwest. Deena Prichep traveled to Bay City, Oregon, where musicians came together this month to celebrate the tiny instrument.

Here at the 20th Anniversary North American Jew's Harp Festival, there's a lot of twangy music in the air. About 50 people are milling around the local arts center, attending workshops and plucking out everything from Siberian folk melodies to Broadway show tunes, and, of course, old-time fiddle music. But if you haven't heard of the Jew's harp, you're not alone. Deirdre Morgan is an ethnomusicologist in Vancouver, BC, and executive director of the Jew's Harp Guild. But she didn't even know what a Jew's harp was when she first saw one.

"I thought it was a bike tool or a screwdriver or something," she says. "And I found out it was a musical instrument, and I thought, oh it's that thing that I've heard in the background of old-time music."

Morgan has since become an expert, writing her masters thesis on an Asian Jew's harp. She explains how they work.

"It's a fairly simple principle. It's a tongue, or a lamella, that you flick, and it goes doy-oy-oy-oy-oy," she demonstrates. "And it's only one more step to bring the twig up to your mouth, and it gets all these different pitches."

The Jew's harp always has that constant fundamental note of the lamella. That's what gives it a droning sound like a bagpipe. But it's what you do with your mouth that changes things. California player Dan Gossi explains:

"If you open up your esophagus you get the lower notes," he says. "And if you make your mouth a real tight, small cavity, you get the higher notes. But basically you're the instrument.

Different Styles of Wedding Veils - Around Vancouver Island

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Perched on the cliff tops of Nusa Dua hills, Heavenly Residence is a collection of 3 privately owned villas, referred to as “the millionaire’s row of Bali.” The villas are just a 5 minute drive from the world renowned Nusa Dua Golf Club, but yet with barely a neighbor in site, you feel as if you are in your own private paradise, millions of miles from anywhere.

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The Luxury Villas

VILLA “Oh my God”

With 4 bedrooms, this is the largest villa at Heavenly Residence. The villa is an architectural masterpiece which took over 18 months to build, with steps cascading down the cliff edge. The villa has been named OMG “Oh my God” as a result of the initial reaction of visitors on arrival, and their pure amazement. Not surprising considering the villa is 700 sq m (7,534 sq ft) and all that you can see on arrival is the endless Indian Ocean, with 180 degree panoramic views. the villa also boasts a 25m long infinity pool, with the water lapping over the cliff edge out to sea. The jacuzzi provides the perfect vantage point from where to relax and lap up your surroundings, watching the sea meet the horizon.

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