Traditional Cambodian musical instruments are the musical instruments used in the traditional and classical music of

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

. They comprise a wide range of wind, string, and percussion instruments, used by both the Khmer majority as well as the nation's

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. File:Shoulder-mounted nipple gong at Angkor Wat.jpg, Soldiers carry drums and a shoulder-mounted nipple gong in relief at Angkor Wat. File:Kse diev at Angkor Wat, North Section, 16th Century.jpg, Kse diev at Angkor Wat, North Section, 16th Century. File:Kongpeat from Angkor Wat.jpg, Khmer gong chimes from Angkor Wat.

Woodwind

Flute

* Khloy () - vertical duct flute made of bamboo, hardwood, or plastic, with buzzing membrane ** Khloy ek - smaller in size ** Khloy thom - larger in size

Free-reed

Sneng The sneng or snaeng (, "horn") is an aerophone made from an ox horn or water buffalo horn. It is loud enough to call across a distance and has been used in rural environments to signal mealtimes, give warning, call for help or indicate a need ...

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water buffalo The water buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis''), also called domestic water buffalo, Asian water buffalo and Asiatic water buffalo, is a large bovid originating in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Today, it is also kept in Italy, the Balkans ...

or ox horn with a single free reedphoto
/sup> *

Pey pok The ''pei pok'' (Khmer: ប៉ីពក) is a Cambodian bamboo free-reed pipe. This instrument and the '' pey au'' (or ''pei ar'') are both used in the ''Krom phleng arak.'' External linksSound clip of pei pok.photo
/sup> * Ploy () (also called ''m'baut'') - mouth organ with gourd body and five to seven bamboo pipes; used by Mon-Khmer-speaking upland ethnic minorities * Ken/

Khaen The ''khaen'' (; spelled "Khaen", "Kaen", "Kehn" or "Ken" in English; , ; , , ; , ; – ''Ken''; Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: ''khèn'' or ''kheng'') is a Lao mouth organ whose pipes, which are usually made of bamboo, are connected with a s ...

() - free-reed mouth organ used in northwestern Cambodia * Angkuoch () (also called ''kangkuoch'') -

jaw harp The Jew's harp, also known as jaw harp, juice harp, or mouth harp, is a lamellophone instrument, consisting of a flexible metal or bamboo tongue or Reed (mouthpiece), reed attached to a frame. Despite the colloquial name, the Jew's harp most like ...

made of bamboo or metal

Quadruple Reed

Sralai The ''sralai'' () is a Cambodian wind instrument that uses a quadruple reed to produce sound. The instrument is used in the '' pinpeat'' orchestra, where it is the only wind instrument. The set of quadruple reeds are made of palm leaf. The bor ...

() - quadruple-reed oboe **Sralai toch () - small quadruple-reed oboe **Sralai thom ()- large quadruple-reed oboe * Pey ar () (also spelled ''beyaw'', and also called ''bey prabauh'') - oboe with cylindrical bore

Horns

* Saing -

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horn

Other

Slek The musical leaf is one of any leaves used to play music on. It goes by many names, including leaflute, leaf flute, leaf whistle, gum leaf, and leafophone. In Cambodia, it is called a ''slek'' () and is played by country people in Cambodia, mad ...

- tree leaf used as a wind instrument

String

Bowed

* Tro () - fiddle **

Tro Khmer The ''tro Khmer'' () is a traditional bowed string instrument from Cambodia. Its body is made from a special type of coconut covered on one end with snake skin, and it has three strings. Instruments are not standardized, and coconuts vary in si ...

() - three-string vertical spike fiddle with coconut shell body; used in classical music **

Tro che The ''tro'' () is Cambodia's traditional spike fiddle, a bowed string instrument that is held and played vertically. Spike fiddles have a handle that passes through the resonator, often forming a spike, on the bottom side where it emerges. The ...

() - high-pitched two-string vertical fiddle, with face covered with snakeskin **

Tro sau toch The ''tro'' () is Cambodia's traditional spike fiddle, a bowed string instrument that is held and played vertically. Spike fiddles have a handle that passes through the resonator, often forming a spike, on the bottom side where it emerges. The ...

() - two-string vertical fiddle with hardwood body; used in classical music **

Tro sau thom The ''tro'' () is Cambodia's traditional spike fiddle, a bowed string instrument that is held and played vertically. Spike fiddles have a handle that passes through the resonator, often forming a spike, on the bottom side where it emerges. The ...

() - two-string vertical fiddle with hardwood body; used in classical music **

Tro u The ''tro'' () is Cambodia's traditional spike fiddle, a bowed string instrument that is held and played vertically. Spike fiddles have a handle that passes through the resonator, often forming a spike, on the bottom side where it emerges. The ...

(also spelled ''tro ou'') () - lower two-string vertical fiddle with a coconut shell body, with face covered with calfskin or snakeskin; used in classical musicphoto
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Plucked

Chapei dong veng The Chapei Dang Veng ( Khmer: ចាប៉ីដងវែង) or chapey (ចាប៉ី) is a Cambodian two-stringed, long-necked guitar that is usually plucked. Chapei Dang Veng has two double courses of nylon strings. The top and bottom s ...

() - plucked fretted lute *

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- bamboo

tube zither The tube zither is a stringed musical instrument in which a tube functions both as an instrument's neck and its soundbox. As the neck, it holds strings taut and allows them to vibrate. As a soundbox, it acoustic resonance, modifies the sound and ...

, can play thet drum's part *

Krapeu The ''chakhe'' (, , also spelled ''jakhe'' or ''ja-khe''; , ), or ''krapeu'' (; also called ''takhe'' , ''takhe'', ''takkhe'' or ''charakhe''), is a fretted floor zither or lute with three strings used in Thai and Khmer music. The Thai and the ...

(also called ''takhe'') - crocodile-shaped fretted floor zither with three strings * Kse diev () or () - chest-resonated stick zither)photo
/sup> * Pin - Cambodian harp, ancient instrument reborn in modern times

Struck

Khim The ''khim'' ( ; ; ) is a stringed musical instrument derived from the Mesopotamian or Persian Santur. It is similar to the Hammered dulcimer, Hammered Dulcimer or Cimbalom. This ''khim'' was introduced to Laos Thailand from China, where a s ...

() -

hammered dulcimer The hammered dulcimer (also called the hammer dulcimer) is a percussion-string instrument which consists of String (music), strings typically stretched over a trapezoidal resonant sound board (music), sound board. The hammered dulcimer is set bef ...

Percussion

Drums

Sampho The ''samphor'' (; also romanized as ''sampho'') is a small, 2-headed barrel drum indigenous to Cambodia, approximately .35 meter wide by .5 meter long. It has two heads, with one drumhead being larger than the other and is played with both hand ...

(សម្ភោរ)- barrel drum, played with the hands * Skor (also spelled ''sko'') - long skor drum ** Skor thom (ស្គរធំ)- pair of large barrel drums, played with sticks ** Skor yike (ស្គរយីកេ) - flat skor drum, played with hands and used in Yike dance drama *

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, Skor daey and skor arak - goblet-shaped drums, played with the handsphoto
/sup> * Rumana - frame drum, played with the hands

Gong chimes

* Kong vong toch (also called ''kong toch'') - small gong circle * Kong vong thom (also called ''kong thom'') - large gong circle * Kong mon (also called ''kong mon'') - small gong chime shaped curved

Xylophone

Roneat ()- trough-resonated keyboard percussion instrument; generally played with two mallets and used in Khmer classical and theater music ** Roneat ek - smaller xylophone **

Roneat thung The ''roneat thung'' or ''roneat thum'' () is a low-pitched xylophone used in the Khmer classical music of Cambodia. It is built in the shape of a curved, rectangular boat. This instrument plays an important part in the '' Pinpeat'' ensemble. The ...

- larger xylophone **

Roneat dek The ''roneat dek'' () is a Cambodian metallophone, comparable to the Roneat ek. It is an ancient instrument made of 21 blackened-iron bars. It may be used in the ''Pinpeat'' ensemble and Mahori, Mahaori orchestra. It is believed to have originated f ...

- smaller metallophone **

Roneat thong The ''roneat dek'' () is a Cambodian metallophone, comparable to the Roneat ek. It is an ancient instrument made of 21 blackened-iron bars. It may be used in the '' Pinpeat'' ensemble and Mahaori orchestra. It is believed to have originated from t ...

larger metallophone; no longer used

Gongs

* Kong vong or kong thom () - single suspended gong

Clappers

Krap KRAP (1350 AM) is a radio station licensed to Washington, Missouri. Station and programming Originally put on the air by then-owner Ken Kuenzie as KSLQ in 1985, the station changed its callsign to KWMO in July 1998 under the new owner Brad H ...

() - pair of flat bamboo or hardwood sticks

Cymbals

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( ឈិង) - pair of small cymbals used to mark time * Chap - pair of flat cymbals

Woodblocks

* Pan - woodblock * Nay pay - pellow * Sindang - small size woodblocks

Occasions

Traditional Cambodian musical instruments play a significant role in the Cambodian culture.May M. Ebihara, Carol Anne Mortland, Judy Ledgerwood. "Cambodian Culture Since 1975: Homeland and Exile". Cornell University Press, 1994 These instruments are typically used during royal events, weddings, and festivals. For weddings and royal events, the musicians playing the instruments would wear traditional Cambodian attire. Just like the Chinese, with regard to playing context, there is no conductor in traditional Cambodian music because musicians generally learned and memorized how to play the instruments aurally. These instruments provide a sense of identity for the Cambodian people.

References

External links

The traditional music and instruments of CambodiaRebuilding the musical instruments of the ancient Khmer
26 February 2016. tuk-tuk.tv
Mysteries of the Khmer harp
9 April 2016. tuk-tuk.tv {{DEFAULTSORT:Traditional Cambodian Musical Instruments