Derived from the mouth harp of the Hmong people,[1]Đàn môi (in Vietnamese: Đàn môi, "lip lute") is the Vietnamese name of a traditional musical instrument widely used in minority ethnic groups in Vietnam (including the Jrai "Rang Leh"[2]). An inward orientated ("the lamella points inwards towards the mouth"[3]) idioglot (noncomposite: "the tongue and frame are of the same piece of material"[4]), mouth harp somewhat similar to the metal heteroglot/compound jaw harp, the dan moi, rather than being held against the teeth while being played, like a jaw harp, is held against the lips while being played.
The lamella is...cut into the material,...such as...the brass dan moi from the Hmong people in northern Vietnam and Cambodia. ...To play...the instrument is held against the lips to connect it to the sound-box (the mouth cavity) and the action of the lamella is triggered...by plucking.[3]
This gives much more flexibility to the player, leaving them freer to shape their oral cavity as a resonance chamber to amplify the instrument.
The well-sold dan moi from Vietnam derives from the mouth harp of the Hmong who live dispersed in mainland Southeast Asia. The instrument is of high-quality brass and is usually enclosed in a wooden or bamboo tub of the same length in order to prevent injury when being carried in the pocket.[4]
^ abWright, Michael (2017). The Jews-Harp in Britain and Ireland, unpaginated. Taylor & Francis. ISBN9781351543309. Cites John Wright (1972) regarding "outward" versus "inward" lamellophones. "Another Look into the Organology of the Jew's Harp", Bulletin due Musée Instrumental de Bruxelles, II, p.55.
