Sho
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Shō (笙) is a Japanese free reed musical instrument that was introduced from China during the Nara period. It consists of 17 bamboo pipes, two of which are silent, although research suggests that they were used in some music during the Heian period. The instrument's sound is said to imitate the call of a Phoenix, and it is for this reason that the two silent pipes of the Sho are kept - as an aesthetic element, making two "wings". Like the Sheng, the pipes are tuned carefully with a drop of wax. As moisture collected in the Sho's pipes prevents it from sounding, performers can be seen warming the instrument over a small charcoal brazier when they are not playing. The instrument is one of the three primary woodwind instruments used in gagaku, Japan's imperial court music.
It was introduced onto the mainstream music scene in 2005 by Icelandic artist Björk, who used it as the primary instrument in three songs for the soundtrack album to Drawing Restraint 9, a film by her contemporary media artist boyfriend Matthew Barney, about Japanese culture and whaling. The three songs were performed by Mayumi Miyata, one of Japan's foremost performers of the instrument. American composer John Cage (1912-1992) also created a number of works for Mayumi Miyata just before his death.
See also
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