Wodehouse's little portable reed organ is a modest instrument with a surprising amount of tone and volume. It has a four-octave compass and a single set of reeds. A long, oblong wooden box with a top that covers the reeds can be lifted and shut via the metal lever above the foot pedals (see photo). Because of this the player using their right knee can create crescendo and decrescendo. The instrument has the obvious advantage of lightness and portability. It was most likely used as a home instrument, the repertoire consisting of hymns, simple ballads and arrangements of dance music (polkas, waltzes, etc.) Despite its small size, the reeds have a startlingly rich and pungent quality. Because the instrument has a small bellows the player can achieve only a limited amount of expressive control.