The ''chakhe'' ( Lao: ຈະເຂ້, , th, จะเข้, , also spelled ''jakhe'' or ''ja-khe''), or ''krapeu'' ( km, ក្រពើ; also called ''takhe'', km, តាខេ, ''takhe'', ''takkhe'' or ''charakhe''), is a fretted floor

zither Zithers (; , from the Greek word ''cithara'') are a class of stringed instruments. Historically, the name has been applied to any instrument of the psaltery family, or to an instrument consisting of many strings stretched across a thin, flat ...

lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lute" can ref ...

with three strings used in

Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...

and Khmer music. The Thai and the Khmer instrument are virtually identical. It is made of

hardwood Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes from ...

in a stylized crocodile shape and is approximately 20 cm high and 130–132 cm long. The "head" portion is 52 cm long, 28 cm wide and 9–12 cm deep; the "tail" portion 81 cm long and 11.5 cm wide. It has eleven ''(chakhe)'' or twelve ''(krapeu)'' raised frets made of bamboo, ivory, bone or wood, graduated between 2 and 3.5 cm in height, which are affixed to the

fretboard The fingerboard (also known as a fretboard on fretted instruments) is an important component of most stringed instruments. It is a thin, long strip of material, usually wood, that is laminated to the front of the neck of an instrument. The st ...

with wax or glue. Its highest two strings are made of silk yarn,

catgut Catgut (also known as gut) is a type of cord that is prepared from the natural fiber found in the walls of animal Gut (anatomy), intestines. Catgut makers usually use sheep or goat intestines, but occasionally use the intestines of cattle, Domest ...

or nylon while the lowest is made of metal. They are tuned C–G–c. The instrument is usually supported by three or five legs. The player—sitting beside the instrument—uses his or her left hand on the fretboard while plucking the string with his right hand with a 5- to 6-cm long, tapered plectrum made from ivory, bone or

water buffalo The water buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis''), also called the domestic water buffalo or Asian water buffalo, is a large bovid originating in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Today, it is also found in Europe, Australia, North America, So ...

horn, which is tied to the player's index finger, and bracing it with the thumb and index finger. The instrument has a buzzing sound because the strings are raised just off the flat bridge by a sliver of bamboo or other thin material such as plastic. In Thai music, the ''chakhe'' is part of the

Mahori The ''mahori'' ( th, มโหรี) is a form of Thai classical ensemble traditionally played in the royal courts for the purpose of secular entertainment. It combines the xylophones and gong circles (but not the pi, or oboe) of the ''piphat' ...

ensemble, in Khmer music, the ''krapeu'' is part of the equivalent Mohori. Among the Khmer classical instruments, the ''takhe'' is probably the most recently introduced; it is assumed to be adopted from Thai music. It is used for wedding music, ''A-yai'', and ''Chapei'' music as well as modern music. The name ''chakhe'' is derived from ''chorakhe'' (), meaning "crocodile". The word ''krapeu'' means "

alligator An alligator is a large reptile in the Crocodilia order in the genus ''Alligator'' of the family Alligatoridae. The two extant species are the American alligator (''A. mississippiensis'') and the Chinese alligator (''A. sinensis''). Additiona ...

" or " crocodile" in the

Khmer language Khmer (; , ) is an Austroasiatic languages, Austroasiatic language spoken by the Khmer people, and the Official language, official and national language of Cambodia. Khmer has been influenced considerably by Sanskrit and Pāli, Pali, especiall ...

, as well. ''Chakhe'' and ''krapeu'' are also related to the

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

/ Mon ''

mi gyaung The ''mi gyaung'' ( my, မိကျောင်း ) or ''kyam'' ( mnw, ကျာံ, ; pronounced "chyam") is a crocodile-shaped fretted, plucked zither with three strings that is used as a traditional instrument in Burma. It is associated w ...

'' ''(kyam)'', which has however realistic zoological features and not just the abstract form of a crocodile. More distantly, they are also related to the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Veena The ''veena'', also spelled ''vina'' ( sa, वीणा IAST: vīṇā), comprises various chordophone instruments from the Indian subcontinent. Ancient musical instruments evolved into many variations, such as lutes, zithers and arched harps ...

References

External links

Sound sample''Jakhe'' page
Cambodian musical instruments Thai musical instruments Zithers {{Lute-stub

See also

References

External links