Mouth organ

The mouth organ is a member of the free reeds and interruptive aerophones (Hornbostel–Sachs 412.132). Learn how it makes its sound and explore related instruments.

How the mouth organ makes its sound

In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the mouth organ belongs to the free reeds and interruptive aerophones: air is periodically interrupted by a vibrating reed or blade – the accordion, harmonica, sheng and bullroarer.

More broadly it is one of the aerophones (wind instruments), where sound comes from vibrating air.

Its timbre – the colour that lets you tell it apart from other instruments playing the same note – comes from the mix of overtones its body and resonator emphasise.

From Wikipedia

A mouth organ is any free reed aerophone with one or more air chambers fitted with a free reed.

Though it spans many traditions, it is played universally the same way by the musician placing their lips over a chamber or holes in the instrument, and blowing or sucking air to create a sound. Many of the chambers can be played together or each individually.