Blog

In many countries around the world, International Children's Day is celebrated on 1 June. Then kindergartens and schools organize summer and children's parties with games, sweets, dancing and music for the youngest. And of course, there are often small surprises. Here is a sounding suggestion from DAN MOI for a chirping children's day.

In the province of Yakutia located in the far East of Russia the jaw harp is an instrument with national relevance. It is a symbol and an ambassador of that region. One of its refined artists goes by the name of Olena Podluzhnaya who uses the stage name UUTAi. DAN MOI met her in person and had a chat about the effects of jaw harp music to the human body.

Many jaw harp players – among them Anton Bruhin, but also Clemens Vogt and Sven “Roxy” Otto from DAN MOI – have taken the steep wooden stairs to the music and work room of Andreas Schlütter. Helen Hahmann met the instrument builder and musician in Zella-Mehlis on a winter afternoon. She visited his workshop and asked him about the traces of mouth harp playing in Thuringia.

Seeing a jaw harp in a movie is a rare moment: In the first scene of his film "You Cant Win 'Em All" (1970) Charles Bronson is passing some time by playing a jaw harp. Sound-wise, it’s not too fancy, we´ll take a closer look.

It is the artistic approach that currently makes the jaw harps of Dmitry Babayev the most excellent and conspicuous instruments in the Russian-speaking world. Furthermore, the jaw harps leave his workshop in an immaculate state. We spoke with him about the aesthetic side of making jaw harps and his personal access to those instruments.

The French jaw harp player and percussionist Francois Cesari who was part of the trance music bands Goayandi and Watt The Foxxx passionately teaches music to children. For the last two years he’s been regularly sharing sound experiences with them. On this mission the instruments from DAN MOI are involved.