The khaen of the Hmong people in Northern Laos

Abstract

The khaen free-reed wind instrument of the Hmong ethnic group in Northern Laos differs from khaens of other ethnic groups in Laos but also from other Asian mouth organs, like the Chinese hulusi or hulusheng, or the Japanese sheng, and so do the played styles and sound textures. The tone holes utilize two different principles of operation in the pipe. When opening the tone hole, the drone pipe alternates its pitch, while all other pipes become silent when opening the hole. The two drone tones differ by a whole tone, and these represent the highest tones in the instrument. The temperament is mainly pure tone, and the third, the fourth, the two fifths and the two octaves below the drone tones are tuned such that they almost synchronize with the respective drone tone.