Traditional Cambodian musical instruments

Traditional Cambodian musical instruments are the musical instruments used in the traditional and classical musics of Cambodia. They comprise a wide range of wind, string, and percussion instruments, used by both the Khmer majority as well as the nation's ethnic minorities.

Wind

Flutes

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

Free-reed

*Sneng - water buffalo or ox horn with a single free reed ^{[http://www.cambodianlivingarts.org/i/uploaded/Yim_Saing_playing_flute_large.jpgphoto]}
*Pey pok - free-reed pipe ^{[http://www.asiasource.org/cambodia/img/camb9.gifphoto]}
*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 - free-reed mouth organ used in northwestern Cambodia
*Angkuoch (also called "kangkuoch") - Jew's harp made of bamboo or metal

Oboes

*Sralai - 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 - conch shell horn

Other

*Slek - tree leaf used as a wind instrument

tring

Bowed

*Tro - fiddle
**Tro Khmer - three-string vertical spike fiddle with coconut shell body; used in classical music
**Tro che - high-pitched two-string vertical fiddle, with face covered with snakeskin
**Tro sau toch - two-string vertical fiddle with hardwood body; used in classical music
**Tro sau thom - two-string vertical fiddle with hardwood body; used in classical music
**Tro u (also spelled "tro ou") - lower two-string vertical fiddle with a coconut shell body, with face covered with calfskin or snakeskin; used in classical music ^{[http://www.lightfromheaven.org/graphics/troh1.jpgphoto]}

Plucked

*Chapey dang veng - plucked fretted lute ^{[http://www.cambodianlivingarts.org/i/uploaded/2006-50-44_large.jpgphoto 1] [http://www.cambodianlivingarts.org/i/uploaded/IMG_0960_large.jpgphoto 2] [http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2003/thefluteplayer/i/hptocfeature2.jpgphoto 3]}
*Krapeu (also called "takhe") - crocodile-shaped fretted floor zither with three strings
*Kse diev (also spelled "se diev", and also called "khse muoy") - chest-resonated stick zither) ^{[http://cambodianlivingarts.org/i/uploaded/Sinat-at-Wat-Bo_large.jpgphoto]}

truck

*Khim - hammered dulcimer

Percussion

Drums

*Sampho - barrel drum, played with the hands
*Skor (also spelled "sko")
**Skor thom - pair of large barrel drums, played with sticks
*Thon - goblet-shaped drum, played with the hands ^{[http://www.cambodianlivingarts.org/i/uploaded/Master_Ieng_Sithul_playing_drum_large.jpgphoto]}
*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

Keyboard

*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 - larger xylophone
**Roneat dek - smaller metallophone
**Roneat thong larger metallophone; no longer used

Gongs

*Kong mong - single suspended gong

Clappers

*Krap - pair of flat bamboo or hardwood sticks

Cymbals

*Ching - pair of small cymbals used to mark time
*Chap - pair of flat cymbals

Woodblocks

*Pan - woodblock

External links

* [http://www.istov.de/htmls/cambodia/cambodia_start.html The traditional music and instruments of Cambodia]

ee also

*Music of Cambodia