2002-2006 I.

MIssIn - etaIIs
KHAEN

The name khcen (or kcen, khen, khene, etc.) Is oIten appIIed to many dInerent
Southeast AsIan mouth organs, but It Is most assocIated wIth the raIt-shaped
Instruments oI Iaos and ortheast ThaIIand.
The Instrument consIsts oI a carved wooden wIndchest, through whIch are Inserted
a number oI bamboo pIpes packed cIoseIy together In two rows. The khcen hok has
sIx pIpes, the khcen jet has Iourteen pIpes, the khcen bcet has sIxteen pIpes and
the khcen gco has eIghteen pIpes. OI these, the khaen baet (an exampIe oI whIch Is
pIctured above) Is the most common. The pIpes are seaIed Into pIace wIth a bIack
Insect wax caIIed kissoot (or khisut) and bound together wIth a tough Lbrous grass
caIIed ych ncng. ach pIpe contaIns a smaII Iree reed made Irom oId coIns that
have been hammered Into very thIn sheets.
The reeds are very careIuIIy pIaced at the one-quarter poInt oI the enectIve Iength
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oI the pIpe, whIch gIves a partIcuIar tImbre to the note produced, strongIy
reInIorcIng the second harmonIc. There are tunIng sIots cuts Into the sIde oI the
pIpe that Iaces Inwards. The scaIe oI thIs partIcuIar Instrument corresponds wIth a
two octave A mInor scaIe and tradItIonaIIy there are Lve pentatonIc modes that are
used. G A C G, A C G A, C I G A C, G A and I G A I . There
Is aIso theoretIcaIIy a sIxth mode, G A , but thIs Is not tradItIonaIIy used as
It causes some LngerIng compIIcatIons. Iere Is a short (non-tradItIonaI) pIece In
thIs mode.
The sIx pIpe khcen hok Is oIten consIdered a chIIdren's toy, havIng a range oI one
pentatonIc octave.
The khaen Is oIten used In smaII ensembIes and as an accompanIment to vocaI
musIc, but there Is aIso an estabIIshed soIo repertoIre Ior the Instrument. t Is one
oI the Iew AsIan Iree reed Instruments to have had an ngIIsh Ianguage tuItIon
book wrItten Ior It (lntroduction to Flcying the Kcen, by Terry . MIIIer).
1or more nformaton:
TradItIonaI MusIc and Songs In Iaos. The VoIce oI the Iao Khen - audIo LIes
AcoustIcs oI the Khaen, by james CottIngham and Casey Ietzer
The Khene - Iao atIonaI MusIcaI nstrument and Its IoIe In Iao CuIture, by VIIIam
Ihraxayavong
A rIeI IIstory oI Mouth Iown Iree Ieed nstruments
What s A Iree Ieed?
OrIgIns OI The Iree Ieed
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astern Iree Ieed nstruments
A SeIectIve Iscography OI AsIan Iree Ieed nstruments
Western Iree Ieed nstruments
IbIIography
Ieturn to MaIn ndex
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