The sheng is a wind instrument consists of a dozen or more bamboo pipes of different lengths. These pipes are attached to a hollow base made of wood or copper. The base acts as a resonator and bears a mouthpiece. The bamboo pipes are set into the base, arranged in a U-shape. Each pipe has a metal reed in its root (buried in the base) and a fingering hole on its lower part (just above the base); some of the pipes also have a sound-exit hole in their upper part. The number of pipes and the tuning of each sheng vary, depending on the instrument’s origin. Some instruments may even have a few silent pipes-–pipes without reeds and figuring holes–as embellishments. Nowadays instruments with 17 or 21 functional pipes are common. Each pipe produces only one note, and thus the range of each sheng depends on the number of functional pipes it bears.
The sheng originated in China itself. Based on studies of graphs in oracle-bone script, the instrument came into being during the Shang dynasty (ca 1500-1050 BC). The development of the instrument can be followed from two perspectives: its material and the number of pipes. On early instruments, a hollow gourd was used for the body; on later instruments, wood replaced gourd for the body. Mouth organs made of wood, or combining wood and gourd, are still made today. However, local tribes in modern-day southern China continue to use gourd only for the body. Although mouth organs with bronze bodies also appeared during the last centuries BC in Yunnan Province, the type was not widespread. It was not until several decades ago that metal mouth organs came into mass-produced.
In ancient times, mouth organs with ten or so pipes were called the sheng, those with more pipes, usually around 20 or 30, were called the yu. Although it is apparent that he smaller mouth organ (sheng) with fewer pipes preceded the larger yu with more pipes, before the first century the yu was an important leading instrument in court music; a royal ensemble might comprise as many as three hundred yu performers. Ancient mouth organs used bamboo, not metal, reeds, which emitted relatively soft sounds. This may explain why an ensemble of three hundred players is needed. However, the yu gradually declined in later times, and was not in general use after the tenth century. On the other hand, the sheng gradually increased in popularity and has remained in use throughout history.
The mouth organ is an instrument that has continued to be used and improved upon in China from its early beginnings down to the present day. The instrument has its counterparts in neighboring countries in Southeast Asia. Conservatory-trained sheng players nowadays prefer a wide range of new and improved models, while more primitive versions remain deeply rooted in folk music and are particularly popular among minority tribes in southern China.
By Dr. Chan Hing Yan