Lusheng

The lusheng (simplified Chinese: 芦笙; traditional Chinese: 蘆笙; pinyin: lú shēng, pronounced [lǔʂə́ŋ]; Vietnamese: Khèn Mông; also spelled lu sheng; spelled ghengx in standard Hmong and qeej in Laotian RPA Hmong) is a Hmong musical instrument, a mouth organ with multiple bamboo pipes, each fitted with a free reed, which are fitted into a long blowing tube made of hardwood. It most often has five or six pipes of different pitches, and is thus a polyphonic instrument. It comes in sizes ranging from very small to several meters in length.

Hmong musicians from Guizhou perform on lusheng in a variety of sizes

The lusheng is used primarily in the rural regions of southwestern China (e.g. Guizhou, Guangxi, and Yunnan) and in nearby countries such as Laos and Vietnam, where it is played by such ethnic groups as the Miao (Hmong-Hmyo-Hmao-Hmu-Xong) and Dong. Performers often dance or swing the instrument from side to side while playing. Since the late 20th century, a modernized version of the instrument has been used in composed compositions, often as a solo instrument with Chinese traditional instrument orchestra.

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