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How does the sheng produce its sound?
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Chinese music
Twelve pitches of Chinese music as produced by overblowing the lü, bamboo tuning pipes (starting for ease of comparison from Western C).
The sheng is a Chinese free-reed wind instrument that produces sound through the vibration of metal reeds. The instrument consists of multiple bamboo pipes set into a small wind-chest, into which the musician blows through a mouthpiece.
Each pipe contains a free reed that vibrates to generate sound only when the player covers the corresponding finger hole on that pipe. The acoustical length of each pipe, which determines its pitch, is regulated by a slot located on the back of the pipe.1