The
khene (also spelled "khaen", "kaen" and "khen";
Lao: ; , , ; ) is a
mouth organ of
Lao origin whose pipes, which are usually made of bamboo, are connected with a small, hollowed-out hardwood reservoir into which air is
blown, creating a sound similar to that of the violin. Today associated with the
Lao of
Laos and
Northeast Thailand, similar instruments date back to the
Bronze Age of
Southeast Asia. In Cambodia, it is used among the ethnic Lao population of the province of
Stung Treng and is used in
lakhon ken, a Cambodian dance drama genre that features the
khene as the premiere instrument. The Chinese adopted mouth organs at an early point, and the now-obsolete
yu may have been similar in construction to the modern
khaen. The Chinese today call their most widely used mouth organ
sheng.
The most interesting characteristic of the khene is its free reed, which is made of brass or silver. It is related to Western free-reed instruments such as the harmonium, concertina, accordion, harmonica, and bandoneon, which were developed beginning in the 18th century from the Chinese sheng, a related instrument, a specimen of which had been carried to St. Petersburg, Russia.
The khene uses a pentatonic scale in one of two modes (thang sun and thang yao), each mode having three possible keys. The khaen has five different lai, or modes: Lai Yai, Lai Noi, Lai Soutsanaen, Lai Po Sai, and Lai Soi. Lai Po Sai is considered to be the oldest of the Lai Khaen and Lai Soutsanaen the "Father of the Lai Khaen." Khaen can be played as a solo instrument (Dio Khaen), as part of an ensemble (Ponglang), or as an accompaniment to a Lao or Isan Folk Opera Singer mor lam.
Annea Lockwood composed music for this instrument.
Mythological origin
According to Lao legend, the
khene was created by a woman who was trying to reproduce the sound of the
garawek bird which she heard while on a walk one day. The journey was long and difficult, so she decided to invent an instrument that would bring the sound to her. When she returned to her village, she experimented with many different instruments, including percussion, wind and plucked and bowed strings. Finally she cut a piece of bamboo and inserted a reed into it. Upon playing it, she realized that it sounded much like the garawek bird. She continued to improve the sound until she felt it was worthy for the king's ears. When she was ready, she went to the palace and began playing for the king on her newly invented instrument, which was at this point nameless. At the end of the first song, she asked the king if he liked the piece. He said it was fair, and instructed her to continue playing. After her last song, she again asked the king if he was pleased. His reply was "Tia nee kaen dae," which means "This time it was better." He then instructed her to call the instrument, according to his words, the kaen.
Players
In Thailand, one of the top virtuoso khaen soloists is the blind musician Sombat Simla. The instrument has also attracted a few non-Asian performers, including
University of San Diego professor
Christopher Adler, who also composes for the instrument; English musician Clive Bell (UK); Vancouver-based composer/performer
Randy Raine-Reusch (Canada), who played khaen on Aerosmith's
Pump (1989), Cranberries'
To the Faithful Departed (1996), and Yes's
The Ladder (1999); and
Jaron Lanier (United States). Since the early 21st century, the California-born khaen player
Jonny Olsen has achieved notoriety in Laos and Thailand by appearing on numerous Thai and Lao TV Shows and performing live concerts in Thailand and the U.S. Olsen is the first foreigner to win a khaen championship in Khon Kaen, Thailand in 2005.
Tuning
It has seven tones per octave, with intervals similar to that of the Western diatonic natural A-minor scale: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. A khaen can be made in a particular key but can't be tuned after the reed is set and the pipes are cut. If the khaen is played along with other instruments the others have to tune to the khaen.
References
Notes
Bibliography
Khaen Repertories: The Developments of Lao Traditional Music in Northeast Thailand Accessed 13 May 2005.
Miller, Terry E. Traditional Music of the Lao: Kaen Playing and Mawlum Singing in Northeast Thailand (1985). Contributions in Intercultural and Comparative Studies, no. 13. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press.
Miller, Terry E. An Introduction to Playing the Kaen (1980). Kent, Ohio: Terry E. Miller.
Lilly, Joseph An Introduction to the Khaen of Laos:The Free-Reed Journal Articles and Essays Featuring Classical Free-Reed Instruments and Performers
External links
Khaen Baet and Khaen Hok
Listening
Audio samples
Traditional Music and Songs in Laos: The Voice of the Lao Khen
Art of the States: khaen Three contemporary American works featuring the instrument
Jaron Lanier using his invented style of playing, extraordinary.
Category:Laotian musical instruments
Category:Thai musical instruments
Category:Lam
Category:Free reed aerophones
Category:Sets of free reeds
