The harmonica is a modern small wind instrument. It is said that this Western-flavored instrument originated in China, is this really true?

To answer this question, it is first necessary to understand the principle of harmonica sound production.

While all wind instruments produce sound by exhaling air from the mouth, the harmonica, unlike the flute or trumpet, produces sound not through the vibration of a column of air, but through the vibration of a metal reed. As a result, although the harmonica is quite small, the volume it produces can be relatively high, and its pitch modulation range is quite wide.

Among the Chinese wind instruments, the baowu seems to be an instrument that can be compared with the harmonica, if we look at the size and the principle of sound production.

The sound of the baowu is also produced by the impact of air currents on metal reeds embedded in bamboo tubes, and its volume is far greater than that of the much larger dongxiao. However, compared with the harmonica, on the one hand, the baowu controls the pitch by adjusting different holes with the fingers, whereas the harmonica produces different pitches by the vibration of the airflow against the reeds in different positions.

On the other hand, the range of the bassoon is narrower, producing only about one octave of sound, while the range of the harmonica is considerably wider, reaching about three octaves. In terms of this difference, it seems impossible to find a direct relationship of origin between the bawu and the harmonica.

But one Chinese instrument that does have a possible relationship with the harmonica is the sheng.

Though they bear no resemblance at all in appearance - the sheng is large and outwardly complex in its construction, while the harmonica is easy to carry around and looks small and simple.

But their sounding principles and characteristics are quite similar: they both produce sound by vibrating different reeds through air currents, and both can accommodate large variations in pitch. The special feature of the sheng is that the airflow enters through a single mouthpiece, and the vibration of the different reeds is controlled by finger presses and releases. In ancient times, the reeds of the sheng were mainly made of bamboo, while modern shengs, like the harmonica, tend to use metal reeds.

Summary:

It is said that the sheng was introduced to Europe in the 18th century and evolved into the harmonica of today through the work of generations of instrument makers. Based on the principles and characteristics of the two instruments alone, we believe this claim is not unfounded.