A mouth organ with seventeen bamboo rods inserted into a round wind chamber. The pipes have a vibrating reed in their lower end. Fingering a hole towards the base of a pipe directs air through it and produces a sound. Continuous sound is produced while inhaling and exhaling through a mouthpiece, which can be either long or short, set into the side of the wind chamber. The shō can play single notes, but musicians often build harmonics by covering several holes simultaneously. It is still an important instrument in the gagaku orchestra.