Sheng (instrument)
The sheng (Chinese: 笙) is a Chinese mouth-blown polyphonic free reed instrument consisting of vertical pipes.
Not to be confused with Zheng (instrument), also called a Guzheng.Woodwind instrument
- Aerophone
- Interruptive free aerophone
- Free reed aerophone
412.132
(Sets of free reeds)
shēng
shēng
sen1
saang1, sang1
seng
/ʃˠæŋ/
/*sreŋ/
It is one of the oldest Chinese instruments, with images depicting its kind dating back to 1100 BCE,[1] and there are original instruments from the Han dynasty that are preserved in museums today.[1] Traditionally, the sheng has been used as an accompaniment instrument for solo suona or dizi performances. It is one of the main instruments in kunqu and some other forms of Chinese opera. Traditional small ensembles also make use of the sheng, such as the wind and percussion ensembles in northern China. In the modern large Chinese orchestra, it is used for both melody and accompaniment.
The sheng has been used in the works of a few non-Chinese composers, including Unsuk Chin, Jukka Tiensuu, Lou Harrison, Tim Risher, Daníel Bjarnason, Guus Janssen and Christopher Adler. Some believe that Johann Wilde and Pere Amiot traveled to China and brought the first sheng to Europe in 1740 and 1777 respectively,[2] although there is evidence that free reed musical instruments similar to the sheng were known in Europe a century earlier.[3]
Acoustics and performance[edit]
The sheng's reeds vibrate at a fixed frequency unlike single reeds, double reeds, and pointed free reeds which vibrate at the pitch according to the length of the attached air column. Covering the hole(s) on a traditional sheng's pipe(s) would cause the entire length of the pipe(s) to resonate with the reeds' frequency. If the hole is open, the resonant frequency would not match, and hence no sound is produced.
The sheng is sounded by either exhaling or inhaling into the mouthpiece, and players can produce a relatively continuous sound without pause by quickly switching between the two, similarly to playing a harmonica. The traditional performance style is to sound two or three notes at the same time by adding a fifth and/or octave above the main melody note. When a higher note is not available, a lower note a fourth below the main melody note can be played instead.
Alto sheng
Man playing sheng outdoors, Beijing
Musician Wu Wei playing the sheng
