Free reed instruments of various types abound in traditional Asia. Mouth harps are very wide spread. The various type of kobing or kubing of the Philippines serve as good examples. The klui of Thailand is an interesting and unique example of a free reed functioning as the sound generator for a flute. Much more common are the various types and sizes of mouth organs found in South East Asia. The Laotian and Northern Thai, khene and the now extinct Burmese hnyin are examples as well as the many types found among the Hill Peoples of Burma, Thailand and Vietnam.

The mouth organ, or sheng, became a mainstay in the music of the courts of ancient China and from here was introduced into Korea as the saeng-whaeng and into Japan as the sho Chinese outdoor wind ensembles also used the sheng together with the conical double reed, the sona or the cylindrical double reed, the kuan, or pi, for lively festive music.

A European travellers in the 18th Century appear to have brought a mouth organ to the West and thereby gave rise to the development of European instruments following this principle.

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The Philippine kobing from Northern Luzon

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Two kobing from the Maranao people on the island of Mindanao in the Southern Philippines.

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Ensemble of the Yin people of hill country of Myanmar or Burma, using panpies and mouth organs.
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The Chinese sheng

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The sho being played in the kangen ensemble of the Japanese court orchestra, Gagaku.

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Chinese outdoor wind ensemble
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Laotian Khene played by the late Thao Phet Sannanikonne
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