How does the khaen work?

How does the khaen work?

The khaen is held between the hands and air is blown into, and drawn through, the central wooden windchest which holds all the pipes. Each bamboo pipe contains a small metal free reed. When air moves in either direction through the pipe, it escapes through the finger hole and the pipe does not sound.

Where did the khaen come from?

The khaen is a free-reed mouth organ of the Lao people who live primarily in lowland Laos and the Northeastern region of Thailand (also called Isaan). The instrument consists of two rows of bamboo pipes that are mounted in a wooden windchest.

What is a khaen made of?

The khene (also spelled khaen, kaen and khen) is a mouth organ of Lao origin whose pipes, which are usually made of bamboo, are connected with a small, hollowed-out hardwood reservoir into which air is blown, creating a sound similar to that of the violin.

What type of instrument is Kendang?

drum
Kendang or Gendang (Javanese: ꦏꦼꦤ꧀ꦝꦁ, romanized: Kendhang, Sundanese: ᮊᮨᮔ᮪ᮓᮀ, romanized: Kendang, Tausug/Bajau Maranao: Gandang, Bugis: Gendrang and Makassar: Gandrang or Ganrang ) is a two-headed drum used by people from the Indonesian Archipelago.

When was khaen invented?

The khaen has been in existence since at least the late 1700’s. Until the early part of this century, however, there were no recorded descriptions of khaen making or playing.

How does khene produce sound?

The Khene produces chords which are all layers of parts of the pentatonic scale. Depending on the mode“lai” two holes get covered with wax in order to produce steady drones which represent a basement for the melodies, which are also strictly bound to the scales of the “lai”.

When was the khaen created?

18th century
It is related to Western free-reed instruments such as the harmonium, concertina, accordion, harmonica, and bandoneon, which were developed beginning in the 18th century from the Chinese sheng, a related instrument, a specimen of which had been carried to St. Petersburg, Russia.

What kind of instrument is khene?

Lao mouth organ
The khene is a Lao mouth organ whose pipes, which are usually made of bamboo, are connected with a small, hollowed-out hardwood reservoir into which air is blown. The khene is the national instrument of Laos.

What is the purpose of kendang?

The kendang usually has the function of keeping the tempo (laya) while changing the density (irama), and signaling some of the transitions (paralihan) to sections and the end of the piece (suwuk).

What is the brief description of kendang?

: any of various double-headed drums of Indonesia and Malaysia The kendang is always the leading instrument in gamelan orchestras, regulating tempos and cueing transitions.—

What is a khaen?

The name khaen (or kaen, khen, khene, etc.) is often applied to many different Southeast Asian mouth organs, but it is most associated with the raft-shaped instruments of Laos and Northeast Thailand. The instrument consists of a carved wooden windchest, through which are inserted a number of bamboo pipes packed closely together in two rows.

How many notes can you play on a khaen?

When a finger hole is covered, the pipe sounds. It is therefore possible to play as many as ten notes simultaneously, or more if putty is used to activate drone pipes. The khaen should therefore be considered a polyphonic instrument like the accordion or pipe organ. 2. Pitches and layout

What is the tuning of the khaen?

The khaen plays a two-octave diatonic minor scale at a variable pitch level. The tuning is near-equal temperament and varies slightly from instrument to instrument. Since the pitch level is not standardized, it is preferred to notate khaen music in A minor and allow the instrument to transpose.

Is there an English book on playing the khaen?

It is one of the few Asian free reed instruments to have had an English language instruction book written for it ( Introduction to Playing the Kaen, by Terry E. Miller). A YouTube Playlist devoted to the khaen.