The ''samphor'' ( km, សំភោរ; also romanized as ''sampho'') is a small, 2-headed barrel drum indigenous to

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...

, 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 hands. Depending on the ability of the musician, the samphor can make as many as 8 different pitches. The player of the sampho leads the ''

pinpeat The ''Pinpeat'' ( km, ពិណពាទ្យ, ) is the largest Khmer traditional musical ensemble. It has performed the ceremonial music of the royal courts and temples of Cambodia since ancient times. The orchestra consists of approximately ni ...

'' (a classical ensemble of wind and percussion instruments), setting the tempo and beat. It is also played at freestyle boxing evens, accompanying the

sralai The ''sralai'' ( km, ស្រឡៃ) 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 p ...

. The ''samphor'' is analogous to the ''

taphon 200px, ''taphon'' The taphon ( th, ตะโพน, ) is a traditional drum of Thailand. It is barrel-shaped with two heads, and is played by the hands and fingers of both hands, much like the more popular congas. Originally called the Sa Pho ...

'' used in

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

. The ''samphor'' is made by hollowing out a single block of wood into a barrel shape. Both ends are covered with calfskin, tightened by strips of leather or rattan. One head of the drum is larger than the other to allow differing tones. Traditionally, the maker "tunes" each head by applying a circle of paste made of rice and ashes (from a palm); however a new resin paste is available today. The pitch to which the skin head is tuned becomes lower with a thicker layer of ash. The drummer makes use of four distinct strokes: an open and closed stroke for each head. Each of these four sounds has a

n name: :Open stroke, small head (ting) :Closed stroke, small head (tip) :Open stroke, large head (theung) :Closed stroke, large head (tup)

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Video showing modern performance of "Apsara dance" music, with Pin harp, samphor drum (on table) and skor thom drums (on floor).
Hand drums {{Membranophone-instrument-stub

See also

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