On the Acoustics and the Systematic Classification of the Jaw's Harp.
Ola Kai Ledang · Yearbook of the International Folk Music Council · 1972
Numerous theories of the sound producing mechanism of the jaw's harp have been put forward, none of which appears quite convincing or appropriate. The main reason for this seems to be that certain essentials of the making of and playing on this instrument have been neglected, underestimated or simply overlooked by the investigators. This paper represents an attempt to show some weak points of the existing theories, to describe an empiric investigation by means of electronic sound spectrographs, and finally, to establish a new general outlook on the acoustical and musical properties of the jaw's harp.