1,700-Year-Old Musical Instrument Found, and It Still Works. The mouth harp was recently discovered in the Altai Mountains region of Russia and still makes music after well over a millennium.

Most cultures have developed a ‘jaw harp’ – essentially a plucked instrument with a frame, played in the mouth – and Indian classical music’s version is the morsing. But how does it actually work?

Ildar Gimadier, from Kazan in Russia, creates techno music using only a jaw harp. He moves his finger in a circular motion to prolong the beats and reminds people of 'early 2000 techno electronica'.

You can learn a lot about people from the instrument they play. Have a friend who plays the jaw harp? Your friend is either really into the Civil War or really into the music of Central Asia. And ...

The jaw harps, or "kouxian" in Chinese (literally meaning "string in mouth"), were discovered at the site, which dates back 4,000 years. Each instrument, made from bone, is 8-9 centimeters long ...

Before his show at the Hormel Historic Home, Maguire held a workshop teaching a room of people how to play the jaw harp. 6 months – only $2 SUBSCRIBE NOW Show Search.

Kouxian, or ancient jaw harp, is the earliest string instrument that has been found in China.