Altai Komus (Jew's Harp)
Jew's harp of the Altai people, usually of metal or wood with a flexible tongue, played by strumming the tongue while holding the frame to the teeth. The komus is widely used for personal music and to accompany songs; its voice imitates natural sounds. It belongs to the same family of Siberian mouth harps as the Yakut khomus and the Buryat khuur. The player shapes the note with the mouth and breath, producing a low drone with ringing overtones that can mimic the wind, a running stream, or the calls of birds. In Altai tradition the komus was played by young men courting, by shepherds in the mou