What is a harp?

Vargan is the oldest reed musical instrument. The Russian name "vargan" originated from the Old Slavonic "Varga" - mouth, mouth. In different parts of the world, you can also find other names of this instrument: komuz - in Altai, khomus - in Yakutia, drymba in Ukraine and Belarus, kubyz in Bashkiria, maultrommel in Germany, mikkuri in Japan, kumbing in Philippines, kou xiang - in China, munharp - in Norway, mochang - in India.

Valery Eroshev plays on a harp
It is noteworthy, by the way, that practically in all these countries, the harp is considered a folk musical instrument, differs from others in form, material and manufacturing techniques. This suggests that the invented vargan everywhere independently, due to which each individual tool has a set of unique characteristics inherent in it only.

The principle of sound extraction remains unchanged from ancient times until now: the fixed base of the harpoon is pressed to the lips or teeth, after which the tongue is set in motion. The oral cavity serves as a natural resonator. Changing the articulation of the mouth (the volume of the mouth, the position of the tongue, etc.) allows you to change the tone and timbre of the instrument.

Kinds of caravans

Vargans are made of metal and wood, here and there you can find tools made of bone and other more exotic materials. Directly from the material and manufacturing technology depends both the sound of the future instrument, and its reliability and durability. That is why masters prefer metal as the material. As a rule, the more complex the process of making and the more expensive the metal, the more interesting and rich the sound of the harp.

In form, the Varganas are divided into two types: arc and plate. In arc harps, the base of the body is most often rounded, has the shape of a circle or ellipse, goes into two decks parallel to the tongue. The tongue is attached to the base and as if dividing the harp in half, is parallel to the two decks. Plate barbans are a monolithic plate (frame), with a slot in the center and a tongue fixed or cut into the slot.

Magic of sound

Bent vagrants Valery Eroshev
Vargan has an unusual, velvet "metallic" sound, a pleasant ear, soothing and thought-provoking. It is important to note that the timbre and range, all shades of sound depend on each specific instrument and, what is equally important, the specific artist. In the hands of different people, the harpoon always sounds differently. Vargan allows you to extract an unimaginable variety of beautiful sounds and sounds, and in combination, for example, with throat singing (in Russia, traditionally popular in the Altai), the potential of the instrument simply ceases to fit into any framework.

To play the harp does not require musical education. Learning to extract sound is very simple, and you can endlessly improve in this skill. There is a huge variety of game techniques and variations of sound. Vargan can adjust the harp to a certain note, but this makes sense only when playing in the ensemble, and the harp is more of a solo instrument.

Workshop play on a harp - bewitching, leads away from the surrounding reality, makes you feel the story of the player, the song of the harp. With the extraction of sound, the vibrating tongue of the harp creates vibrations that are transmitted to the person, changing and thereby supplementing the perception of music. With the help of these vibrations and the unusual sound of the harpoon, you can enter a state of easy controlled trance. It is this property of the harp that is used in shamanic meditative-trance practices.

A lot about the harp has yet to be learned. Masters invent new types of caravans, look for ways to improve their sound, bring their instruments to perfection. The musicians are working on the technique of the game, discovering new methods and methods of extracting the sound. Every person is able to discover something new with the help of the harpoon.