Sheng
previous
next
The Sheng is a Chinese mouth organ. Covering the fingerholes couples the air in the pipes with brass tongues, allowing them to vibrate and produce the sound. The tongues are "free-reeds :" they vibrate freely to and from inside the windchest. Unlike most Chinese instruments, the sheng can play chords. It is an important part of the modern Chinese orchestra, and is also used to accompany folksongs.
| Family |
| Woodwinds |
| Pitch range |
| One-and-a-half octaves. |
| Material |
| Copper or lacquered wood windchest, with bamboo pipes. |
| Size |
| About 18 in (46 cm) high. |
| Origins |
| An early Chinese instrument, similar to the sheng, is recorded as long ago as 1766-1122 B.C. During the Tang dynasty (A.D. 618-907), the sheng developed into its present form. |
| Classification |
| Aerophone: an instrument that produces its sound by the vibration of a column of air. |
| And also... |
| Legend has it that the sound of the sheng imitates the cry of the phoenix, and that its shape is that of the mythical bird with its wings folded. |
