The ''samphor'' (; also romanized as ''sampho'') is a small, 2-headed

barrel drum Barrel drums are a class of membranophone, or drum, characterized by a barrel-shape with a bulge in the middle. They can be one-headed and open at the bottom, or two-headed at opposite ends. Examples include the Vietnamese ''trong chau'' and the ...

indigenous to

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 ...

, 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'' (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'' () 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 ...

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

taphon 200px, ''taphon'' The taphon (, ) 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 Phon, the taphon is used ...

'' used in

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 ...

. 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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