The pong lang ( th, โปงลาง, , ) is a

xylophone The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Like the glockenspiel (which uses metal bars), the xylophone essentially consists of a set of tuned wooden keys arranged in the ...

from the

Isan Northeast Thailand or Isan (Isan/ th, อีสาน, ; lo, ອີສານ; also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issarn, Issan, Esan, or Esarn; from Pali ''īsānna'' or Sanskrit ईशान्य ''īśānya'' "northeast") consists of 20 provin ...

region of northeast

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. The instrument may be played as a standalone instrument, in pairs with one player playing melody and the other harmonizing, or as part of an orchestra. Players use carved two hardwood mallets. The instrument is not standardized and the number of tone bars and their size can vary. Unlike the

ranat ek lek The ''ranat ek lek'' ( th, ระนาดเอกเหล็ก, ) is a metallophone used in the classical music of Thailand. It is the smaller of the two sizes of Thai metallophone; the larger one is called ''ranat thum lek The ''ranat t ...

and

ranat thum lek The ''ranat thum lek'' ( th, ระนาดทุ้มเหล็ก, ) is a metallophone used in the classical music of Thailand. It is the larger of the two sizes of Thai metallophone; the smaller one is called ''ranat ek lek The ''ra ...

which are strung over a box, the pong lang is hung from a post or tree with the string of tone bars arcing down toward the ground. wide to short. The number of tone bars varies, and 12 or 15 tone bars may make up a set. The wider bars with lower pitch sit at the top of the string and the other end (with smaller high-pitched bars) may be hooked to the player's toe or to a belt around the player's waist. When there are two performers, they may sit on opposite sides of the post, facing one another. With two instruments, one plays the melody, the other plays a drone accompaniment or harmonics. The pong lang is mostly used for many occasions, especially for festivals and ceremonies. The instrument can be played solo or in an

ensemble Ensemble may refer to: Art * Architectural ensemble * ''Ensemble'' (album), Kendji Girac 2015 album * Ensemble (band), a project of Olivier Alary * Ensemble cast (drama, comedy) * Ensemble (musical theatre), also known as the chorus * ''En ...

References

External links

Sound clip of the pong lang.Photo of Thai instruments. Pong lang is bottom right in photo.
Thai musical instruments Keyboard percussion instruments Isan culture {{Mallet-stub

See also

References

External links