Myanmar Music of the legendary "Golden Land" Instruments

bold****bold
Burmese musical instruments can be classified into six groups, namely:

Thaye : Instruments made of leather (drums)

Kyey: Metal instruments

Kyo: String instruments

Lei: Wind instruments

Let Khoke : Percussion instruments used for timing

Patala : Xylophone

1. Thaye : Instruments made of leather

Thaye instruments are typically drums and each drum has a different tone quality. These drums keep the liveliness of the song by filling it in with beats.

Oozi (pot drum)

oozi

The pot-drum (ou:zi) is a single-headed drum on a long hollow stalk which is flared at the bottom. The single head has a membrane tightly stretched over a round frame. The pot drum is tuned by sticking a piece of tuning dough (pa’sa) made of rice and ash to the head.

The pot-drum is the chief instrument for the lively pot-drum dance. The dancer would pass the pasoe between his legs and tuck it at the back, exposing a trouser-type dress beneath, which covers the knees. He would wear a short- sleeve jacket and dance joyously. However in other performances such as the grand drama, the dancers would be well dressed with some paraphernalia. The pot-drum is also played for group dancers in formation. Though the pot-drum is single-headed, it can be played to produce a complete set of sounds.

Dobat (Double-headed slung drum)

dobat

The double-headed slung drum dobat is most popular in the countryside. The dobat was played to bring in the harvest or to call for rain when the monsoon was late. The dobat may be seen at pagoda festivals, charities and at labour contribution functions when the villagers come out to build a road or to reap the harvest.

The double-headed slung drum can be played on both sides. The left side of the drum is called the female side and the opposite side is the male side. The female side is tuned to the fundamental (taya) while the male side is tuned to the dominant (tayo). The female side requires more tuning dough. The dobat is played briskly and joyously. The player uses both hands to strike the drum so that the left hand hits the female side, and the right hand strikes the male side. Fingers, palms, or the heels of palms, and sometimes elbows are used.

Patma (Principal drum)

patma

The principal drum or patma is part of the saing ensemble. It used to be hung on a horizontal beam placed on tripods, but now it is placed on a lengthy piece of hard bamboo with nodes at short intervals. The beam assumes five components of a pyinsa-rupa, a mythical animal with a serpent’s head, the antlers of a deer, the hooves of a horse, the wings of a birdlike creature (galon) and the tail of a carp (ngajin).

When the patma is played together with the large cymbals, it sounds most effective. The musician who plays the patma in the ensemble is also responsible for the six small graduated upright drums and the medium horizontal sakhun.

Sidaw (Royal Drum)

sidaw

The royal drum or sidaw was played on royal occasions, auspicious gatherings, and for favourable portents in the villages. Historically , the sidaw was played as part of palace rituals and during royal ceremonies and occasions. It was played during the entrance and exit of the king and queen into the Audience Hall, or when the monarchs were attending grand dramas or marionette shows. The sidaw was also played at ploughing ceremonies, city visits, and ceremonies marking the beginning and ending of the sitting of the Hluttaw. Gift presentation ceremonies were also marked by use of the sidaw, as was the beginning of the Thingyan Water Festival.

The advent of the sidaw ensemble induced the creation of the sidaw dance. The two big drums are hung side by side on a beam. The two dancers moved gracefully and swayed gently to strike the drums with their fists in time with the beat.

Sitou (short drum)

sitou

The short drum or sitou is a drum of two heads of the same size. It is placed at an angle on a stand and beaten with two sticks. The karaun beat is struck in tune for the dance of the ogre and when chasing the deer in the grand drama.

On non-dramatic occasions, the drum circle ensemble uses seven short drums of different pitches to provide a greater variety of sounds for the audience’s pleasure. The short drum is also played during the anyein, a non-dramatic performance of dance and comedy stints. The sound of the short drum is melodious and joyful, and it comes to the fore during truth-revealing scenes and duet dances in grand drama.

Chauklon Pat (six drums)

chauklonpat

The six drums are located in the patma corner of the percussion instruments. The six drum collection did not exist during the dynasty of the Konbaung Kings, and it was not until 1900 AD that the six drums were added to the patma corner.

Originally there were only four drums. Then two more drums were added to provide for a broader musical sound. In 1903 the sakhun was added to the six drums and short drum.

Bjo (long drum)

bjo

The long drum or bjo is the diminutive form of an earlier stage-drum or si bjo played on auspicious occasions and during ceremonies. The bjo is a double- headed drum slung from the neck and played by beating with two angled cane-sticks on a membrane stretched tight over the two heads. The drum requires no tuning dough.

Horizontal Drum (Sakhun)

sakhun

The horizontal drum or sakhun is a two- headed drum laid horizontally on two tripods, and located in the percussion corner of the ensemble. The body of the drum is made out of padauk or kokko wood. The membrane is made of tough ox hide, tightened by wetting the thongs that hold the membrane in place and pulling on the thongs. The sound of the drum may be dampened in a manner similar to the patma.

Pat wain (drum circle)

patwain

The center of each Burmese ensemble, giving name to the idea of instruments hung up in a circle “hsain wain”, is the pat wain drum circle. The instrument consists of 19 (traditionally), or 21(after 1920) tuned drums with heights ranging from 13 to 41 cm, hung from a circular wooden rack or stand with the player in the middle. One of the most fascinating aspects of South East Asian music is the early idea of the melodic use of percussive instruments, such as the drum circles, gong ensembles and xylophones. The drums in the pat wain get tuned by filling in “pa sa”, a paste of rice and ashes. The more pa sa is filled, the lower the drum will sound. The pat wain player is known as “hsain hsaya”, which means he is the “master of hsain” and thus the main leader and director of the complete ensemble.

Watch some close-up Pat Wain action here: