Holy Moley!! Irish tunes on the ancient Chinese Khene

[patsky]

Tunes" The Holly Bush and Trim the the velvet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMgw9xI- ... L&index=49


Thought you guys might be interested in the great,great, grand father of reed instruments.

Pat Sky

[Pyper]

That is really cool.

[billh]

Dan is a nice guy and a great player! He can often be spotted in Miltown Malbay or Mullagh during WCSS.

The instrument isn't really Chinese though - it's associated more with north-east Thailand and perhaps Laos. China has a related instrument called the Sheng (of which a certain master uilleann pipemaker is an accomplished player...)

Bill

[TheSilverSpear]

That particular khene is Thai, not Chinese. Dan is a mate of mine. He's a lovely whistle player as well.

[KAD]

Wow! Uber-cool!!!!!!

KAD

[Joseph]

Bill is correct that they do also come from Laos (or Lao as pronounced in Laos). I lived in "Lao" for 6 months in 2003 teaching English and saw quite a few khenes while there. Most were cheap miniature khenes sold at tourist shops in Vientian, that barely played a note. However, one or two music shops had actual size authentic khenes that played well. I always wanted to learn but never took the time. BTW, the extreme heat and humidity there was not good for the pipes at all. Very difficult to play or practice.
all the best,

[patsky]

Thanks guys,
I stand corrected as the the country of origin, I'm the first admit that I know nothing about this instrument. I do know that I have become a big fan.


All the best,
Pat Sky

[CowPiper]

Wow! Uber-cool!!!!!!

KAD

I second the Uber-Cool description! I have to say that I thought the video was a fake when I first viewed it. How could some bamboo produce such music, to say nothing of the performer? Pat, thanks for bringing this wonderful instrument to our attention! I'm khene to know when the Pat Sky practice khene will be available?

[tommykleen]

I occasionally busk at the local farmers market which is frequented by the area's large Hmong community. I have noticed that the older Hmong gentlemen have made a point of stopping and listening to me playing the uilleann pipes. I suspect they are k'eng players and are reflecting on the harmonic and (somewhat) physical similarities the instruments share.

t

[bradhurley]

I especially like how the overtones affected the camera, causing it to go into occasional spasmodic green shifts

A much simpler but similarly intriguing instrument I've encountered consists of a bamboo flute with a harmonica reed inserted in the embouchure hole. I played one once and the sound seemed to lie somewhere between that of an uilleann pipe chanter and a clarinet. One octave only, however, which makes it pretty limited for Irish music. That one really is from China; I'm not sure what it's called.

[Eldarion]

Hi Brad, that would be called a bawu (巴乌), its usually associated with the music of the indigenous minority peoples of China.

I think this vid is certainly one of the coolest trad music videos I've seen in a long while..

[Kevin L. Rietmann]

I downloaded all that stuff a while back - that guy's a great musician. Marvelous lilt he gets out of that yoke.

[carel]

I wonder if he is using the circular breathing technic
like one uses on the didgeridoo

[tommykleen]

I wonder if he is using the circular breathing technic
like one uses on the didgeridoo

...must be.

tommykleen

[Jumper]

I wonder if he is using the circular breathing technic

Nope.

I have one of these instruments. It's a free-reed mouth organ, and each pipe plays the same note on the "draw" and "press." A note is sounded by covering the finger hole on a particular pipe and then blowing either out or in, the note being identical in each case. Thus, a drone can be sounded by covering a hole continuously, or by covering that hole with a bit of putty. The sound is not totally continuous, as it must be articulated when the player changes from blowing to drawing air.

Here's an essay on the instrument, written by American professor of music Christopher Adler here in San Diego, describing the instrument and its capabilities and limitations from the perspective of a composer:

http://members.cox.net/christopheradler ... posers.pdf