''Pi'' ( th, ปี่, ) is the generic term for any of a variety of

quadruple reed A quadruple reed is a type of reed by means of which the sound is originated in various wind instruments. The term "quadruple reed" comes from the fact that there are four pieces of dried palm leaf vibrating against each other, in pairs. A quad ...

oboes The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...

used in the traditional

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

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 ...

, ''

piphat A ''piphat'' is a kind of ensemble in the classical music of Thailand, which features wind and percussion instruments. It is considered the primary form of ensemble for the interpretation of the most sacred and "high-class" compositions of the ...

''. It is very similar in construction and playing technique to Burmese

Hne The ''hne'' ( my, နှဲ; also spelled ''hnè'') is a conical shawm of double reed used in the music of Myanmar. Etymology The earliest extant written occurrence of the word ''hne'' dates to 1491 AD and is likely a Middle Mon loan word, der ...

and Cambodian ''

sralai The ''sralai'' ( km, ស្រឡៃ) is a Cambodian wind instrument that uses a quadruple reed to produce sound. The instrument is used in the ''pinpeat'' orchestra, where it is the only wind instrument. The set of quadruple reeds are made of pal ...

''.

Varieties

An entirely different instrument, a bamboo

free reed A free reed aerophone is a musical instrument that produces sound as air flows past a vibrating reed in a frame. Air pressure is typically generated by breath or with a bellows. In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, it is number: 412.13 (a member ...

pipe called ''pi chum'' (ปี่จุม), is used by the

Lanna The Lan Na Kingdom ( nod, , , "Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields"; th, อาณาจักรล้านนา, , ), also known as Lannathai, and most commonly called Lanna or Lanna Kingdom, was an Indianized state centered in present-day ...

Northern Thailand Northern Thailand, or more specifically Lanna, is geographically characterised by several mountain ranges, which continue from the Shan Hills in bordering Myanmar to Laos, and the river valleys which cut through them. Though like most of Thailand ...

Pi nok

The ''pi nok'' is smallest among pi nok, klang, and nai. Pi noks have been played since the ancient times.

Pi nai

The ''pi nai'' (41–42×4.5 cm) is commonly seen in

Thai literature 300px, ''Samut Thai'', a traditional medium for recordation and transmission of Thai and other literature in mainland Southeast Asia Thai literature is the literature of the Thai people, almost exclusively written in the Thai language (althoug ...

such as ''Phra Aphai Mani''.

Pi cha nai

The ''pi chanai'' is ''pi song thon'' (ปี่สองท่อน, ''pi'' that consists of two parts). The body part is called ''lao pi'' (เลาปี่), the mouthpiece part is called "lamphong" (ลำโพง). Both parts are made from wood or ivory. It is presumed that the Thais obtained this musical influence from

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 ...

due to its similarity to the Indian

shehnai The ''shehnai'' is a musical instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is made of wood, with a double reed at one end and a metal or wooden flared bell at the other end.Sukhothai period. At present, it is played together with the ''pi chawa'' in parades and in concerts.

Pi chawa

The ''pi chawa'' is ''pi song thon'' (ปี่สองท่อน) (pi that consist of two parts) like the ''pi chanai'', but longer. It is made from wood or ivory. It is presumed Thais took on introducing the pi chawa as same time as the

glong khaek ''Klong khaek'' ( th, กลองแขก, ) is a type of double-headed barrel drum used in Thai music. The term literally means "Indian drum" from the words ''klong'' (กลอง) meaning drum and '' Khaek'' (แขก) meaning Indian or ...

. From some evidence, they used pi chawa in ''Krabuan Phayuhayattra'' (กระบวนพยุหยาตรา, military march) in the pre-Ayutthaya period. The ''pi chawa'' today is used mostly during funeral rites.

Pi chum

A pi chum ( th, ปี่จุม) is a musical instrument from northern Thailand. It is like an oboe. It is found in the provinces of

Chiang Mai Chiang Mai (, from th, เชียงใหม่ , nod, , เจียงใหม่ ), sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the second largest city in ...

Chiang Rai Chiang Rai ( th, เชียงราย, ; nod, , เจียงฮาย, ) is the northernmost major city in Thailand, with a population of about 200,000 people. It is located in Mueang Chiang Rai District, Chiang Rai Province. Chiang Rai ...

, Lampoon and Lampang. People play a pi chum for their activity. The word "chum" in Thai means "group", so when people play a pi chum, they play as a group.

Construction

The body of the pi chum is made from bamboo. The pipe and the reed are made from copper. A pi chum has seven holes on the body that are used to set the tone of played. There are four types of pi chum that are separated by size, length and voice. The first one is the pi mae (

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 ...

: ปี่แม่) which has a length of 70–80 cm. It is larger than other pi chums and has a bass voice. The second one is the pi krang (

: ปี่กลาง), which is smaller than the pi mae. It has a length of 60–65 cm. and it has a balance voice. The third one is pi koy (

: ปี่ก้อย), which is smaller than the pi krang but bigger than the pi tad. It has a length of 45–55 cm. The voice of the pi koy is treble. The last type is the pi tad (Thai: ปี่ตัด) or pi lek (

: ปี่เล็ก), which is the smallest pi chum. It has a length 35–40 cm. The voice of pi tad is treble but higher than the pi koy. A group that has all four instruments is called a ‘pi chum si’ (

: ปี่จุมสี่) and a group that has three instruments is called a ‘pi chum sarm’ (

: ปี่จุมสาม).

Pi mon

The ''pi mon'' is ''pi song thon'' (ปี่สองท่อน, pi that consist of two parts) like pi chawa but greater. ''Lao pi'' (เลาปี่, the body of ''pi'') is made from wood. ''Lamphong'' (ลำโพง, the mouth of ''pi'') is made from metal. The ''pi mon'' is played usually in the ''

piphat mon A ''piphat'' is a kind of ensemble in the classical music of Thailand, which features wind and percussion instruments. It is considered the primary form of ensemble for the interpretation of the most sacred and "high-class" compositions of the ...

'' ensemble or in the old called ''pi phat raman'' ensemble. เครื่องดนตรีประเภทเครื่องเป่า

Pi nae

The ''pi nae'' is the northern Thai equivalent of the Burmese

. It is often played in ensembles in northern Thailand that are similar to the ''piphat, piphat mon,'' and ''

Hsaing waing The ''hsaing waing'' ( my, ဆိုင်းဝိုင်း, ; also spelt ''saing waing''), commonly dubbed the Burmese traditional orchestra (မြန်မာ့ဆိုင်း), is a traditional Burmese folk musical ensemble that accompan ...

'' traditions.

References

External links

Sound sampleNorthern Thai piphat ensemble using a Pi Nae
Quadruple-reed instruments Thai musical instruments {{woodwind-instrument-stub