According to Blench "characteristic of the Hmong (Miao) peoples who live dispersed across a large region of Yunnan, spreading to Việt Nam eastward and into northern Laos and Thailand. The characteristics […] are the extended tubular mouthpiece that narrows into a slim wooden wind-chest. The pipes, which can be as few as 3, but are more typically 6 or 7, transpierce [sic] the wind-chest, but the performers do not bend the notes with their thumbs. […] Everywhere the Hmong essentially use the mouth-organ while dancing; The music itself is, however, crucial in communicating with the spirits, for example at funerals. Among the Hmong, dancing with the mouth-organ is highly characteristic, and players can also map a highly complex series of dance steps to the rhythms of the qen. […] There is no iconography for the Hmong qen".