The history and prehistory of Asian free reed instruments

Abstract

The free reed pipes and mouth organs are among the most significant indigenous musical instruments of East and Southeast Asia. The origin and development of these instruments involve the history and prehistory of a multitude of ethnic groups. The basic principles of operation and construction of the free reed are simple, and it seems likely that similar instruments may have had multiple places and times of origin. A number of examples of these instruments, ranging from very simple to fairly complex. These include mouth resonated lamellophones, a single free reed coupled to a bamboo pipe or buffalo horn resonator, a reed pipe with multiple s finger holes, and multipipe mouth organs. These instruments have traditionally been constructed with very simple tools using natural materials, primarily bamboo and wood. Bamboo is often still used for the reeds as well as the pipes, although metal reeds have been common for some time.