Khaen
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The Khaen is a large mouth organ from southeastern Asia. This example, from Thailand, has 16 bamboo pipes arranged in two raft-shaped rows of eight, each with a brass free reed set in its side. To produce a steady sound from the khaen, the air in the windchamber must be maintained with a form of nasal breathing. Because the khaen can play both chords and a melody line at the same time, the instrument is a kind of ensemble in itself.
| Family |
| Woodwinds |
| Pitch range |
| Two octaves. |
| Material |
| Bamboo. |
| Size |
| Variable : this example is 3 ft (0.9 m) long, but larger examples may measure almost 7 ft (2.20 m). |
| Origins |
| The khaen is related to the Chinese sheng and Japanese sho. It is quite common in parts of northern Thailand, Laos, and Burma. |
| Classification |
| Aerophone: an instrument that produces its sound by the vibration of a column of air. |
| And also... |
| The khaen is one of the more complicated folk instruments in South-east Asia. Some players perform an elaborate dance while playing the khaen. |
