The ''mi gyaung'' ( my, မိကျောင်း ) or ''kyam'' ( mnw, ကျာံ, ; pronounced "chyam") is a crocodile-shaped fretted, plucked

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 ...

with three strings that is used as a traditional instrument in

Burma 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 Wells explai ...

. It is associated with the

Mon people The Mon ( mnw, ဂကူမည်; my, မွန်လူမျိုး‌, ; th, มอญ, ) are an ethnic group who inhabit Lower Myanmar's Mon State, Kayin State, Kayah State, Tanintharyi Region, Bago Region, the Irrawaddy Delta, and se ...

. Both Burmese and Mon names also mean 'crocodile.' Tube zither of Myanmar, carved of wood in the shape of a crocodile with extended head and tail. It has three metal strings which pass over eight to ten raised movable frets on the flat top of the instrument and fasten to tuning pegs near the tail. This zither is related to similar instruments distributed widely in Southeast Asia. While the crocodile shape is not always found elsewhere, the reptilian name remains in variants such as the Thai ''čhakchē'' (‘alligator’, wooden tube zither) and the Indonesian and Philippine ''kacapi'' (box zither). In southern Myanmar the ''mí-gyaùng'' is associated with the Mon (who know it as ''kyam''), an ethnic people linguistically related to the Mon-Khmer of Thailand and Cambodia. The instrument's body is made of wood that is carved out on the underside like a dugout

canoe A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle. In British English, the ter ...

. It has approximately 13 raised wooden frets that are diatonically rather than equidistantly or chromatically spaced. It has a carved crocodile's head and tail, as well as four legs. Its strings are tuned (from low to high) FCF. The lowest string is made of

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wit ...

and the two higher strings are made from

nylon Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic. Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from pe ...

. It is plucked with a short rod-shaped plectrum that tapers to a point, made of

horn Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

or hardwood. Unlike the Thai ''

jakhe 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 zithe ...

'', the plectrum is not tied onto the right index finger, but instead simply held in the hand. Tremolo technique is often used. 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. It is similar to the Thai ''

,'' the Cambodian ''

krapeu 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 zithe ...

'' ''(takhe)'', and Indonesian/Filipino ''

kacapi The kacapi ( su, ᮊᮎᮕᮤ) is a traditional zither of Sundanese people in Indonesia. This musical instrument is similiar to Chinese , Japanese ''koto'', the Mongolian , the Korean , the Vietnamese and the Kazakh jetigen. The kacapi played ...

''. However, while the ''mi gyaung'' has realistic zoological features, its Thai and Cambodian relatives' animal forms are much more abstract. File:Kyam at Mon Buddhist Temple Fort Wayne.jpg, A ''kyam'' at the Mon Buddhist Temple in Fort Wayne, Indiana File:Mon traditional music.webm, A demonstration of the Mon crocodile zither

References

External links

Photo of a ''kyam'' (''mi gyaung'')CD Baby Music Store

Listening

''Kyam'' (''mi gyaung'') audio samples
(track 6) Burmese musical instruments Zithers Mon people {{Myanmar-stub