Meet Willis Plott: Jaw Harp Musician

Willis Plott at the 2016 Mountain Heritage Festival

As I was walking around looking at the different demonstrations at the Union County Mountain Heritage Festival, I heard a very distinctive "boing-boing" sound coming from the 1861 John Payne Cabin. I knew I had to meet whoever was making that sound! 

Mr. Willis Plott is a man of many talents. He is very skilled at caning chairs, making baskets, and playing the jaw harp. After I introduced myself, Mr. Plott told me that he is from the Gumlog community of Towns County, GA. When asked how long he had been playing the jaw harp and he said, "Well, I'd say about 40 years. It's not as hard as you'd think." 

I didn't know a lot about the jaw harp so I was curious to find out more about the history of the instrument and it's role in Appalachian music. 

"The Jew’s harp (sometimes called juice harp or jaw harp) has been played in many cultures but is most closely associated with Europeans. In Appalachia, the instrument was traditionally played as both a solo and an ensemble instrument. The Jew’s harp is played by using the mouth cavity as a sound chamber and by plucking a reed positioned inside the body of the instrument. Most Jew’s harps found in Appalachia have been commercially manufactured out of metal." Encyclopedia of Appalachia

I bought one of the jaw harps that Mr. Plott had available and he gave me a few hints to help play it:

• Rest your upper and lower lips on the top and bottom of the frame and leave your teeth slightly apart.
• Pluck the harp while pushing or pulling. While the "tongue peace" is moving, breathe across the instrument while silently pronouncing A-E-I-O-U. This shows you how to create different sounds by changing the size and shape of your mouth.
• Breathing in different ways and moving your tongue slightly also changes the sound...just like whistling. You would think that you would need to hum but that isn't true. You simply breathe across the mouth piece. 

If you would like to purchase your own jaw harp, you can do so here. I'm sure I'll be hearing plenty of "music" as soon as my son figures out how to work mine! Is there anyone you know who plays the jaw harp? 

Mountain Heritage Festival

This past Saturday, my husband and I took a short drive over to Blairsville, GA to attend the annual Mountain Heritage Festival. This festival is held every Labor Day weekend at the Mountain Life Museum. 

They honestly have something for everyone. You'll find mountain arts/crafts, music, food vendors, storytelling, farm animals, gold panning, living history activities, demonstrations on basket making, chair caning, quilting and spinning along with activities for children. 

The activities are centered around the Mountain Life Museum property consisting of the Historic 1899 Courthouse, the 1906 Butt/Mock Home, the 1861 John Payne Cabin, the circa 1830 Duncan Cabin, and a late 1800's corn crib. 

I'm a bit of a talker, if you haven't already picked up on that, and I love meeting people and hearing their stories. On this trip I met a talented jaw harp player, a hilarious 81 year old Civil War reenactor, a gifted open fire cook/demonstrator, and a kind butter maker. I look forward to sharing a little about each of these characters and their skills this week. 

My only regret is not getting to attend Sunday when The Pressley Girls took the stage to perform. The twin sisters play and sing a wonderful mix of blue grass, folk, and indie music. You should definitely check them out!