saeng whang (Panpipes)

Used as a musical instrument, often as one of a quartet. The home of the mouth organ is Asia (Laos), according to Sachs. It is recorded in China from 1100 B.C.E. on.

mouth organ

Mouth organ consisting of 17 cane pipes, each with a free reed of thinner wood inserted around the circumference of flat side of black lacquered wooden container shaped like an elongated hemisphere, with a neck to use as a blowpipe. 13 pipes have 0.25cm. round hole and 2cm. split in cane; 4 pipes have neither hole nor split. Both neck and container have bone decoration, forming mouthpiece of neck and at bottom of bowl. Canes held in place by rattan strap.