The phin (, ) (, ) is a type of
lute
A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck (music), neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted.
More specifically, the term "lu ...
with a pear-shaped body, originating in the
Isan
Northeast Thailand or Isan (Isan language, Isan/, ; ; also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issarn, Issan, Esan, or Esarn; from Pāli ''isāna'' or Sanskrit ईशान्य ''īśānya'' "northeast") consists of 20 provinces in northeastern Thai ...
region of
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
and played mostly by ethnic
Laotians
This article describes the demographic aspects of Laos.
Population
Lao statistics bureau estimates
Structure
UN estimates
Health
Total fertility rate (TFR) and Crude birth rate (CBR):
Total fertility rate and other ...
in Thailand and
Laos
Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...
. It has
fret
A fret is any of the thin strips of material, usually metal wire, inserted laterally at specific positions along the neck or fretboard of a stringed instrument. Frets usually extend across the full width of the neck. On some historical inst ...
s on the neck over which two or three metal strings run that are plucked by a pick held in the right hand while playing.
It is often played together with the
khene
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 ...
mouth organ in
mor lam
Mor lam (Lao language, Lao: ໝໍລຳ; Isan language, Isan: หมอลำ ; , , ) is a traditional Culture of Laos, Lao form of song, song originating in Laos that is also popular in Isan, where the majority of the population is ethnic Lao. ...
styled music, as well as
luk thung
Luk thung (, , ) is a genre of Thai music that emerged after World War II in the Central Thailand, central region of Thailand. The genre was derived from phleng Thai sakon, and developed in the early-20th century. Suphan Buri in particular beca ...
.
See also
*
Thai music
The music of Thailand includes a wide array of distinct genres, both traditional and modern.
Traditional Thai musical instruments are varied and reflect ancient influence from far afield – including the '' klong thap'' and '' khim'' (Persian ...
References
External links
YouTube - Phin performancePhin sound example
Thai musical instruments
Laotian musical instruments
{{lute-stub