Zoltan Szilagyi

Hungarian dorombs made by Zoltán Szilágyi, one of the best-known jaw-harp makers, are popular throughout the world because of their wide variety, large production volume and affordable prices. Their appearance is generally unassuming: attention is concentrated on the sound-producing parts and efficient manufacture.

Szilágyi’s instruments vary noticeably in quality: examples range from excellent to mediocre. Most models are made in many pitches, some spanning more than an octave. Pitch is determined in several different ways, including the length of the reed and the frame arms, and instruments sold under the same model name can differ severalfold in size.

Despite the apparent variety, many of his instruments differ mainly in the shape of the frame and use the same reeds. As a result, model names do not reliably predict sound: examples of the same model can sound different, while different models can sound alike.

Most of the dorombs also have fairly thin frames and require a careful grip. This can discourage beginners, especially without a teacher able to demonstrate the few simple details that distinguish a correct grip from an incorrect one. Players who become accustomed to gripping the instrument too firmly may find it much harder to relearn later than to develop the correct technique from the beginning.

By 2024, production in the family workshop had passed to Zoltán’s eldest son, the well-known jaw-harp player Áron Szilágyi. Áron said that he had taken over the work from his father several years earlier. He continues the family tradition, and the workshop’s official website now identifies which instruments were made by Zoltán and which by Áron.

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