Morsing

The SwarShala Indian music software includes Morsing and over 100 other perfectly sampled virtual Indian instruments.

About Morsing:

The Morsing is an Indian variant of the “jaw harp”. It is mostly found in South India, Rajasthan, and portions of Assam. It's occasionally heard while playing Rabindrasangeet in Bengal and Assamese folk songs.

The sound produced by this instrument is unique; depending on how you use your tongue, you may produce the syllable "Russian" or a variant thereof, which is emitted via the nose while air is pushed out or drawn in through the mouth.

Morsing is quite easy to play. First, with your lips slightly pouting, lay the morsing on the front teeth and hold it firmly in your palm. Then you produce a sound with your other hand's index finger. The pitch may be changed by moving the player's tongue while making a nasal sound.

You can vary the strength of plucking to increase or decrease volume according to your needs. The uniqueness of this instrument is that its basic pitch may fluctuate very little, possibly due to its size and structure. Furthermore, it can only be decreased in pitch, not increased. You can sharpen it to boost the volume, but be careful since this can destroy the instrument. If you want to lower the volume, you can apply beeswax to the plucking end.

Morsing also aids musicians, players, and listeners in understanding the established rhythms of other percussion instruments like the mridangam drum.

Also one of the fascinating aspects of morsing is that it can be used to make amusing sounds like swaying, fluttering, and other onomatopoeic sounds. That is what is unique about the morsing, and only it can produce such sounds.

The morsing is true to its "small but mighty" title. Despite its modest size and basic build, it is an essential instrument in Indian classical music groups.