ES1117 "Bebelka" Vargan
Archived model (?)
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The first impression of the jaw harp is a hard, tight tongue for such a small instrument. "Bebelka" is the same as most other "models" of the maker except lower reed hardness and sound volume. To make it sing, you have to beat it hard; and, accordingly, it must be handled confidently. While the gaps are not the smallest, stiffness - along with a disproportionately long knee - complicates the process and the slightest skew from the stroke direction results in the tapping of the tongue against the frame. The ringlets are not polished, they rustle hard - although the maximum loudness of the harp is very decent and if played with all the heart, then the rustling will not be noticed, even by the player himself. It will remain at the sensations level, and your finger will remember this instrument quite quickly - the touching area is small and the specific pressure at the impact of the ticklet renders decent. The timbre has an average level of evenness: in the sound there is no child's trembling, which many vocal and juicy jaw harps sin, but there is also no absolute harmony. Almost all the exegers on top of the main sound are listening to light rustling, chirring and buzzing - but this does not interfere with intonation and in skillful (and strong) hands the harp becomes very melodic.
An audio sample showing B1-C2-D2-E2-F2-G2-A2 sequence