The "Jew's harp", derived from "jaw's harp", which indicates how it's played, is called "scacciapensieri" in Italian. If it's made of bamboo I don't know how much it can resembles the metal instrument; evidently it's something held in the mouth to amplify the vibrations.
Maybe the complete sentence would help.
PS Tim's answer (as usual) is far better as he does research before replying!