Can Jaw Harps Damage Your Teeth?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.ย. 2024
- Jaw Harps are amazing instruments, but they are slightly dangerous if played with the improper technique! I go over some of the pitfalls that are easy to fall into and how you can avoid them.
If you're new to the jaw harp, make sure and check out my intro to the jaw harp video:
• How To Play the Jaw Harp
Make sure to check out the Pavel Potkin Standard Jaw Harp at the Harpery if you want to get a great (and safe) jaw harp for beginners.
www.theharpery...
I found that I'm slowly grinding my teeth down by moving the instrument very slightly in a horizontal way while playing.
I can't help it, it's subconscious, but it started to take its toll on my front teeth.
Just a millimeter to the left or the right while pressed against the teeth... but it happens repeatedly so I can both see and feel that the top of my bottom front teeth is not the same as before.
Nobody seems to mention this anywhere, just the blatant mistakes that are kinda obvious.
wow, thanks for sharing. I wish I knew what could be done about that.
I do this whenever I play a complex song on bass or guitar. I can imagine it’s worse with a jaw harp.
I'm 2 years late, but if it's taking a toll on your teeth, I would recommend getting a jaw harp that you play up against the lips such as the vietnamese dan moi mentioned in this video.
I was so scared of tooth damage and you made me think the other way but still. It's pressing against you're teeth but thx
You are by far the best instructure of the Jaw Harp on TH-cam! Thank you so much. After watching your videos I went to every music store to buy one. None could be found, only Amazon. I can't wait to get it. After I get it I will be watching all of your videos, I already subscribed
Thanks, @david lake, that's so kind of you! glad it was helpful for you! Good luck on your journey and we'll see you around. :)
my gramps made a partial grill with thin plastic, and his teeth are in perfect shape still! he used one of those teeth whitening sets and filed the plastic to be thinner and more like a net
I chipped my tooth 1st day of owning one aha
Oh no! :( That's awful... Hope it wasn't too bad?
Ouch!
Learn to play first
-me with bad teeth- Dammit...
Thanks adventurer!
i was just playing this one time and it went past my lip, i didnt mine cause it didnt really hurt and then i looked at the harp and it had blood on it
I'm interested in this instrument but I'm more interested in keeping my teeth the way they are. Is there some type of mouth guard like what ball players use that can be used with this instrument? I'm wanting to pick up a Russian Vargan but not at the expense of my teeth. American dental care is stupid expensive.
Thank you so much for tour videos about jaw harp. I would like to buy my own by a professional jaw harp maker. I told it to my family but they are scared that I will ruin my teeth.
I love it! It's such a fun instrument. If you're careful you can play without any damage. I recommend the Pavel Potkin harp that I talk about in this video th-cam.com/video/X510qsD17Ek/w-d-xo.html
Could a rubber guard be designed to put on the edge of a jaw harp where your pressing the jaw harp against your teeth or would that change the sound?
I was thinking maybe a teeth guard like the use for sports, but designed just for this purpose.
I think that it would work, but I think it could change the sound (which isn't necessarily a bad thing).
As you play you'll notice how your whole skull is vibrating and your mouth is acting as a resonance chamber, so anything to affect the reverberation has a potential to make a different sound.
I might buy one of these if you ever manufactured them. :)
Just chipped my tooth using a kurtuguz . Should have watched this prior to using the thing.
Great vid, very informative. I got a cheap jaw harp and I've been wrongly slightly biting it. I was about to make one myself a badass but now I much rather try the Dan Moi one,.. sounds really cool and it looks way safer. Thanks a lot for sharing man and good luck!!!
Hi, thank you so much for this video!! By the way, is there anything going on with your right eye? You only blink the Left one! I hope your doing okay!
I wish I could raise a single eyebrow like this guy
I don't have a choice. I have partial face paralysis so I can only lift one. 😀
Yo I broke my first jaw harp a little bit ago, been looking into getting a new one. There's all these different shapes and types, do you got any insight for what you think would be some good ways to go?
I only have personal experience with a few types, but I found a harp I think is great for beginners here: th-cam.com/video/X510qsD17Ek/w-d-xo.html
In general, I am drawn to the Potkin Vargan, although I was really looking at the Blackfire harps as well. The morchang style harps are very melodic with very flexible reeds but I've heard they are difficult to play in other ways.
The Potkin harp I talk about in that video gives a rich sound and can also be used to play melodically.
Hope that helps! Good luck!
im so ready for this!! lol mine is in the mail.
So cool! I was blown away by how much variety of sound could come from such a simple seeming instrument. Enjoy!
@@SoundAdventurer ive been exploring techno music with it lol it'll be my first instrument so heres to a new journey!! as if i didn't have enough hobbies. oh boy. i guess ill just stop sleeping.
I feel like we must be related. Sometimes I stay away from something interesting and awesome just because I feel like my hobby-counter is going to explode.
By the way, I totally think the jaw harp is an amazing techno machine! I found a couple techniques to make techno music with the jaw harp that are super fun. It's here if you haven't seen it already: th-cam.com/video/6imvomm1Rcs/w-d-xo.html
If you're looking for more inspiration--this guy is INCREDIBLE! His videos are not in English but... I guess that doesn't matter: th-cam.com/video/KrDJ89Ql24k/w-d-xo.html
@@SoundAdventurer awesome man! thanks. and i guess if you want to look at some cool wire art, ive got that. don't know much good it'll do for playing music though. lol ive wanted one since i saw that Russian lady so many years ago. who knew it would be so within reach.
Just got a jaw harp is it normal that when playing you feel a buzz on your teeth? I’m scared that I might damage my teeth. Please respond it would be appreciated
Hi there! Great question--In my opinion you shouldn't feel a buzz on your teeth. You should have just enough pressure on your teeth so you can eliminate the buzz. The buzz is definitely dangerous and you're at risk of chipping a tooth. Good luck!
@@SoundAdventurer thanks I will try not to damage my teeth 😬
You are amazing
Why thank you! :)
This was helpful, thanks 🙏
Thanks for your kind comment! Good luck on your journey
There’s videos of people breaking their teeth trying to play and obviously several comments here. So it sounds a very common occurrence.
I recently purchased my first but haven’t dared play it. From the sound of it, the issue is the pin/twanger striking the teeth? Would maybe biting on a piece of rubber like dentist sometimes use to hold the mouth open prevent the trouble by making sure no one closes their mouth too much by mistake?
If if I apply amjust enough pressure that it doesn't buzz my teeth but causes cramping in my hand?
Honestly I don’t see the difference between putting the harp against the teeth Or between the teeth … initially my teeth were hurting either way , but eventually it went away maybe I did adjust the pressure, I have the glazarine harp it only flicks outward , inward it’s not responsive well , I am going to get another harp with a softer reed …
I think there's a couple differences:
1. To keep the harp in place by putting it between the teeth, you have to be constantly biting down on the harp. That means that you have to have a consistent pressure, and it's easy to do too much, which means you are biting down on an uneven metal frame.
2. Biting down for a long time will exhaust your jaw much more quickly.
it shouldn't hurt per se, your jaw might get a bit tired after extended playing, but you shouldn't be cramping or feel tooth pain--you might be putting too much pressure on your teeth.
Can you explain how to place the instrument so that it plays a sound? I put it on my teeth, against teeth, but how? What is the method to place the jaw harp on teeth,? I know you put it on your teeth, but how?
What to do, when my two front teeth are uneven? When I put the harp on the front teeth, it actually only touches the edge of the one teeth, in the upper mouth. The sound I get out is weak.
hmm, I think that as long as it's connecting solidly enough with one tooth it should still work. try making sure your mouth is sealing around the edges of the jaw harp. you are trying to make your mouth a resonant cavity, so connecting with a solid surface is important but I'd think that a tight seal would make a bigger difference.
Is there a way to play so it wouldn't hurt my jaw, it reached a point where I can barely open my mouth for few days after playing..
ooh, that doesn't sound good. :(
are you playing with too big of a harp? I know I can't play my Glazyrin Lighthouse for more than 15 minutes because my jaw gets exhausted. (it's a bass harp)
A smaller Jaw Harp like my Pavel Potkin is much easier to play for extended periods of time and my jaw doesn't get as exhausted.
anyway, that might be affecting you as well.
You also might be putting too much pressure. You only want just the amount of pressure necessary for the harp to not rattle against your teeth.
good luck! hope that helps.
@@SoundAdventurer I have the same one you said u started with, the one with the big butt😅
@@SoundAdventurer if it touches teeth, its gonna rattle against them
I was biting it! that's why my teeth hurt!
I have trouble understanding what you're trying to teach. Are there jaw harps without flexible reeds? How in the heck did you pinch your lip in your jaw harp?
Hi there. I'm glad you haven't experienced the lip pinching! It's awful! Since the reed is passing in between your lips and teeth, if you have the jaw harp off-center it can catch your lips and snag it.
Additionally, I like to beatbox with the jaw harp using my lips directly against the jaw harp and although it is really cool sound, it does add to the lip-snagging risk.
So, to answer your first question, yeah, jaw harp reeds vary in their flexibility. For example, I have a bass harp Glazyrin Lighthouse, and the reed is stiffer, while morschang harps are known for their flexible reeds making them more ideal for melodies.
Anyway, happy harping. Good luck on your journey! :)
Can i play the jaw harp with braces?
you know, that's a great question. I'd be a little worried about the braces getting too much vibration. I see no reason why you couldn't play a Dan Moi, though. you play it on your lips instead of your teeth and it has a similar sound.
I really haven't tried it though or know anyone who has.
I have a a bit of an overbite what would be a recommendation to be able to play it even with that in mind?
I won't be able to get a jaw heart for a while but my first one I would like to get is the Russian vargan.
I also have a minor overbite and it doesn't seem to make a difference. I think in any case it would just affect the angle in which you apply pressure but shouldn't impact your playing.
That's definitely a relief to know which of the jaw harps would you recommend as a start I would love to personally try the Russian vargan I ran across this guy who had a huge collection I even saw once that had a double read and I even seen a few that were rather large
TH-cam didn't even notify me that you replied. My apologies.@@SoundAdventurer
How much gap should there be between the reed and the frame?
Honestly as small as possible without it hitting. You should be able to see it, but you'll know if it's too small of a gap if it keeps colliding
Gave it a try. Didn’t chip any teeth but I could tell after a couple minutes of beginners efforts it was scratching the tooth enamel, quite badly for so short a time. You can see the scratches if you look closely. Not playing that again. I guess this is why they’re associated with hillbillies who have no teeth.
thanks for your comments. if you like the sound you should try a Dan Moi. it rests on your lips instead. It doesn't have exactly the same capabilities but it's still a wonderful instrument.
Hi I'm hoping to learn the jaw harp.. unfortunately I have a minor overbite, and my front teeth (the two that I place the harp directly on) are slightly uneven. Can I still play the jaw harp safely with overbite/uneven front teeth? Thank you for sharing your knowledge, it's kind of hard to find any info on this despite how ancient this instrument is.
Your teeth don't need to be even or airtight, as long as you can comfortably put pressure on them. I have a slight overbite and I haven't had an issue.
Thanks for your prompt reply, appreciate the info. Definitely need to go easy on the teeth lol.
It keeps hitting my teeth I’m gonna be British
@@Aza912 😐
@@Aza912 🗿
isn’t this how that guy on tik tok broke his tooth?
He put sharpie on his tooth, it's not true :/
🤨
chip my tooth within 5 minutes of playing this dumb instrument. Tossed it in the trash. worst 5 bucks ever.
ahhh man... that's awful :( sorry to hear that
Duuuuhhh! 5 bucks? Are you serious man? What did you expect? Those rubbish cheap ones are really asking for trouble for your teeth, not that you can't chip your teeth with a £50-100 one but $5/£5 or less I mean come on!
The way your left eye is lower than your right eye is really upsetting.
u should watch him more, to really get upset. REPEAT.
i think it can harm ceramic teeth crowns/bridges. I bought one then realized it, so, its sitting here for nothing...