The sheng is a Chinese mouth organ, one of the oldest free-reed instruments in the world (over 3,000 years old). It consists of a bundle of vertical bamboo pipes set into a resonator chamber with a mouthpiece; each pipe has a metal reed that sounds on both inhalation and exhalation.
The sheng's uniqueness lies in its ability to play several notes at once — chords and polyphony — a rarity for Eastern traditions. Its pure, organ-like, somewhat “glassy” timbre is extraordinarily expressive. The sheng holds an important place in Chinese classical and folk music, and the very principle of its “free reed,” through contact with the East, inspired Europeans to create the harmonica, accordion, and harmonium. Today the sheng also sounds in contemporary art music around the world.
