Roneat Ek

  The Roneat Ek is a percussion instrument, which is tuned to pitch and is rather similar to the western equivalent of a xylophone. It is found in the “Pin Peat” and “Mohowrri” orchestras. The function of the Roneat in the ensemble is to keep the harmony going throughout.

  The Roneat Ek is built in the shape of a curved, rectangular boat. This serves as the sound box, and is approximately 1.10-cm long and over 11 cm wide. The sound box is made of a hardwood called “Beng” or “Neang Nung” and consists of two long walls and two short walls, called "Snok Khawls.” The base of the sound box is called “Cherng Pean.”

  Originally these instruments were highly decorated with inlay and carvings on the sides of the sound box, now they are simpler. The sound bars are made of bamboo or wood and are suspended from strings attached to the two walls, “Khawls”; this helps the resonance of the bars.

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Roneat Thoung

  The Roneat Thoung is a tuned percussion instrument made of wood. This instrument plays an important part in the “Pin Peat” and “Mohowrri” orchestras. The Roneat Thoung is placed on the left of the “Roneat Ek” and is considered to be the male and the Roneat Ek to be the female.

  The sound box of the Roneat Thoung is made of tropical hardwood, using woods such as “Khnor”, “Neang Nung” or “Sralao”. These particular woods when carved into a sound box have good resonance. The sound box known as the “Snouk” is carved into a rectangular boat-shape and is approximately 97-cm long and 26 cm wide.

  The sound bars are also made of tropical hardwood such as rose wood or hard bamboo. These are usually sixteen bars, ranging from “D” to “E” in pitch. To adjust the pitch, pieces of lead and bees wax are placed underneath the bars. To raise the pitch of a sound bar, the amount of wax is increased or lessened according to the pitch required. For example for a higher pitch, wax is added, and for a lower one, wax is removed from the bar.

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Roneat Dek Ek

  The Roneat Dek was once called the  “Gold Roneat Ek”. The Roneat Dek is made of metal and is an ancient percussion instrument used in the “Pin Peat” orchestra. It is believed to have originated from the Royal Courts before the Angkor period.

  This instrument is by far the plainest of all the Roneats and is rarely covered with ornamentation on either the bars or the sound box.

  The sound box is supported by four legs and is made of hardwood such as “Neang Nung” or “Beng” and is around 90 cm long, 18 cm wide and 35 cm in height. The Roneat Dek had twenty-one sound bars, all of which are made of bronze, hence the name “Gold Roneat”. Around 4 cm wide, the bars range from the lowest sounding, a round 30-cm long, to the highest in pitch, which is 23 cm long.

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Roneat Towng

The Roneat Towng is a very rare instrument to be seen in this modern day. Information about this particular instrument is very little due to it extinction. The Roneat Towng was also known as the "Gold Roneat Thoung". It was too made of real gold and gives out a similar  sound of the Roneat Thoung, but medal. For the reason musician choose to left it out of the Pinpeat orchestra was because it was to heavy and very hard to carry to perform from place to place without transportation. Few hundred years ago, the material use in making this instrument were a handful, now it is hard to find and hard to make. Even with substitution, the sound quality is not the same. It is now only seen in the royal courts.

Kong Vong Tuch

  The Kong Vong Tuch is a tuned percussion instrument, with a distinctive cart-wheel shape and it is used in the "Pin Peat" orchestra.  

  The instrument frame is made of four strips of cane, hardwood or ivory. The four strips are cut and heated over a flame in order to bend them to the right shape. Supporting the two main semi- circular frames are the "Chierng Tien" or struts. The Chierng Tien area also used to make enough space for the gongs to hang without touching the frame or the other gongs. At either end of the frame is an ornamental carved piece of wood known as "Khawl" or "Khbang".

  Within the center of each gong plate is rounded raised bump, known as the "Doh`" meaning breast or nipple. There are sixteen gongs on the Kong Vong Tuch with the smallest on the right and the largest on the left. The gongs are hung from the frame using cow skin strings, which are threaded through four holes on the edge of the gong plate.

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Kong Vong Thom

  The Kong Vong Thom is used in the "Pin Peat" orchestra. There are both large and small versions of this instrument.

  The circular frame of the Kong is made of bamboo and the round gongs are hung horizontally by cane strings across two bamboo frames on the upper of the structures. There are sixteen gongs made of brass, which produce a pleasant, mellow sound. The pitch varies according to the size of the gong plate. The larger lower- pitched plates are placed on the left, while the smaller higher sounding plates are on the right.

  Each gong plate has four holes through which are laced pieces of string made of cow or other animal skin. In the center of each plate is a small knob which is often referred to as the "Doh`" (breast or nipple).

  Within the hollow of each "Doh`" is pushed a mixture of lead and bees wax. The mixture of lead and bees wax is made using the following process:

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Sralai Tuch & Sralai Thom

  The Sralai Tuch and the Sralai Thom are both wind instruments, which use a split reed in the mouthpiece. These musical instruments are used in the “Pin Peat” orchestra, (for religious occasions and classical dance).

  In the past, the Sralai Tuch and the Sralai Thom often led the Pin Peat orchestra. This is because of the two instruments performing the introduction were preferred to a solo instrument. Despite being played together, however, these instruments have different pitches and timbres and do not follow the same melodic line, but rather complement each other. Both instruments are difficult to blow or finger.

  Both Sralai use the circular breathing technique meaning that air is continually reserved within the cheeks so that the melody line remains unbroken. In comparison, most other wind instrument players break the phrase to take air through the mouth.

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Skor Thom & Samphor

  The Samphor is used in the "Pin Peat" music to lead the orchestra. This instrument is made of hardwood such as "Khnor" of "Kor Koh" (Reng or Beng). The barrel shape is always held horizontally and has two heads, with one slightly larger than the other. It is measured the large side at 55cm wide and the small side 35cm width. The Samphor, which is placed in a horizontal position on a small support to make it high enough for a seated musician. It is played using the palm of the hands.

  The Samphor is considered to be a sacred drum and indeed when the drum skin is full ready to place across the Samphor, some people claim that the skin may only be fixed on Thursday. When the process does take place, prayer and offerings are given asking the spirits to give the Samphor the best sound.

  Cow or horse skin is used for the drum head and the process of the preparation is called either "Peas Sbek" or "Das Sbek". This constantly is soaking the skin in water which has salt and camphor mixed in it. the help to remove the hair and toughen the skin.

Ching

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Pann or Crap

   The Pann instrument is used in "Bassac" theatre music and can be use in the Pinpeat ensembles. Although it si a simple wooden instrument, it is an important one. In "Bassac" it is use to que the Bassac singers to enter the scene.

   The Pann is made of wood and is rectangular in shape. At one end the hole is drilled through which is passed a cord. The clear "Dok' dok" sound is produced by striking the Pann with wooden stick.