From 国 [national] + 乐 [music]; According to Thrasher "also known as a chromatic sheng […] based on the yuansheng. It has a large wind chest, with sounding reeds in all the pipes. Instruments made during the early 1950s commonly had 17 pipes and 17 reeds and semi-chromatic capability. For the solo repertoire from 1958 onward […], additional pipes were added to increase the range. In its inside the circle, the 21-pipe sheng (some models have 22 and 24 pipes) contains 4 extra pipes that include some low-range pipes "folded" in half ([叠管] ➺ Diéguǎn*) to allow for greater length. In contemporary practice, metal tubes ([扩音管] kuòyīn guǎn*) are commonly attached to the outside of the pipes for amplification (Gao 1986)".