Khene

A khaen player in Isan

The khaen (Template:IPAc-en; spelled "Khaen", "Khene", "Kaen", "Kehn"<ref>Shepherd, J., et al. (2003). "Wind Instruments: Reeds and Woodwinds", Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World, Vol. II: Performance and Production. New York: Continumm. p. 486. Template:ISBN</ref> or "Ken" in English;<ref>Martin, Andrew R. and Mihalka, M. (2020). "Khene", Music Around the World: A Global Encyclopedia. California: ABC-CLIO LLC. p. 464. Template:ISBN

• Mansfield, S. Koh, M. and Nevins, D. (2018). Cultures of the World: Laos. (3rd Ed.). New York: Cavendish Square Publishing LLC. p. 98. Template:ISBN</ref> Template:Langx, Template:IPA; Template:Langx, Template:RTGS, Template:IPA; Template:Langx, Template:IPA; Template:Langx – Ken; Vietnamese: khèn or kheng) is a Lao mouth organ whose pipes, which are usually made of bamboo, are connected with a small, hollowed-out hardwood reservoir into which air is blown. The khaen is the national instrument of Laos.<ref>Whitaker, Donald P. et al., Foreign Area Studies, American University. (1972). Area Handbook for Laos : Laos, a country study. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 143-144. Template:LCCN
• Berval, René de. (1959). ສໍາພາດ ຣາຊອານາຈັກລາວ Kingdom of Laos: The Land of the Million Elephants and of the White Parasol. (Translated by Mrs. Teissier du Cros, et al.). Saigon: France-Asie. p. 217.
• Kislenko, A. (2009). Culture and Customs of Laos (eBook). California: ABC-CLIO LLC. p. 110. Template:ISBN
• Miller, Terry E. and Williams, S. (2017). The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: Vol. 4: Southeast Asia (eBook). New York: Routledge as imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group. Template:ISBN
• Rantala, Judy A. (2014). Laos, Caught In The Web (eBook). First Edition Design eBook Publishing. Template:ISBN
• Template:Cite web
• Template:Cite web</ref> The khene music is an integral part of Lao life that promotes family and social cohesion<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and it was inscribed in 2017 on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is used among the ethnic Lao Isan and Some tai ethnic groups such as Tai dam In north Vietnam and Lao population of the province of Stung Treng and is used in lakhon ken, a Cambodian dance drama genre that features the khaen as the main instrument<ref>http://www.jiras.se/lakhaon2010/kraythong/info.html>; pictures of performance with the instrument can be seen at <http://www.jiras.se/lakhaon2010/kraythong/index.html></ref><ref>Referred to as 'Ken Theatre' or lakhaon ken in <http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001352/135258eb.pdf></ref> In Vietnam, this instrument is used among the Tai peoples and the Muong people.

The khaen uses a free reed made of brass and/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.Template:Citation needed

The khaen has five different lai, or pentatonic modes with specific drone pitches, organized into two families (thang san and thang yao). The thang san family includes lai sutsanaen (G A C D E), lai po sai (C D F G A), and lai soi (D E G A B), while the thang yao family includes lai yai (A C D E G) and lai noi (D F G A C). Lai po sai is considered to be the oldest of the modes and lai sutsanaen the "Father of the Lai Khaen." Template:Citation needed Khaen can be played as a solo instrument (dio khene), as part of an ensemble (such as wong pong lang and khene wong), or as an accompaniment to a Lao or Isan solo singer (mor lam). It is often played in combination with a traditional fretted plucked lute called phin.

Composers who have written notated music for the instrument include Annea Lockwood, Christopher Adler, David Loeb, and Vera Ivanova.

Tuning

The khaen 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 khene can be made in a particular key but cannot be tuned after the reed is set and the pipes are cut.

Varieties

The khaen comes in several varieties:

• Khaen hok (Lao: ແຄນຫົກ Thai: แคนหก, hok meaning "six") – small khaen with 12 pipes in two rows of 6; usually used by children or beginners, or sold to tourists
• Khaen jet (Template:Langx Thai: แคนเจ็ด, jet meaning "seven") – medium-sized khaen with 14 pipes in two rows of 7
• Khaen pet (Lao: ແຄນແປດ Thai: แคนแปด, pet meaning "eight") – medium-sized khaen with 16 pipes in two rows of 8; the most commonly used variety
• Khaen gao (Lao: ແຄນເກົ້າ Thai: แคนเก้า, gao meaning "nine") – khaen with 18 pipes in two rows of 9; usually very long
• Khaen sip (Lao: ແຄນສິບ Thai: แคนสิบ, sip meaning "ten") – an "improved" version of the khaen paet; little used

Outside Southeast Asia

Khaen

In the United States, the top master khaen artist is a blind Laotian-born player, Bounseung Synanonh. Master Synanonh started playing the khaen at age twelve and later lost his eyesight at age 15. Master Synanonh immigrated to the U.S. as a refugee in the early 1980s.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1987, he performed for President Reagan at the White House.  He also recorded with the World Music Institute under the direction of Terry Miller, an ethnomusicologist.  In 2007, he performed at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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 familiarity 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. Stephen Molyneux (United States) has played the khaen on his releases The Arbitrary State (2010), The Stars Are the Light Show (2012), Wings and Circles (2016), and in select live performances. Molyneux bought a khaen in Bangkok in 2010 after developing an interest in the instrument while traveling in Laos and Thailand.

See also

• Water organ
• Sompoton
• Ploong
• Sheng (instrument)
• Lusheng
• Gourd mouth organ

Bibliography

• 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

• Educational Video about Khaen What is the khaen and how it is played
• Khaen Baet and Khaen Hok
• Khaen Repertories: The Developments of Lao Traditional Music in Northeast Thailand Accessed 13 May 2005.
• Audio samples
• Traditional Music and Songs in Laos: The Voice of the Lao Khen
• Template:Usurped Three contemporary American works featuring the instrument
• Jaron Lanier using his invented style of playing, extraordinary.
• Template:Youtube