Tunes" The Holly Bush and Trim the the velvet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMgw9xI-OcY&feature=PlayList&p=195AEEBFACE04C05&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=49
Thought you guys might be interested in the great,great, grand father of reed instruments.
Pat Sky
That is really cool.
Dan is a nice guy and a great player! He can often be spotted in Miltown Malbay or Mullagh during WCSS.
The instrument isn’t really Chinese though - it’s associated more with north-east Thailand and perhaps Laos. China has a related instrument called the Sheng (of which a certain master uilleann pipemaker is an accomplished player…)
Bill
That particular khene is Thai, not Chinese. Dan is a mate of mine. 
He’s a lovely whistle player as well.
Wow! Uber-cool!!!
KAD
Bill is correct that they do also come from Laos (or Lao as pronounced in Laos). I lived in “Lao” for 6 months in 2003 teaching English and saw quite a few khenes while there. Most were cheap miniature khenes sold at tourist shops in Vientian, that barely played a note. However, one or two music shops had actual size authentic khenes that played well. I always wanted to learn but never took the time. BTW, the extreme heat and humidity there was not good for the pipes at all. Very difficult to play or practice.
all the best,
Thanks guys,
I stand corrected as the the country of origin, I’m the first admit that I know nothing about this instrument. I do know that I have become a big fan.
All the best,
Pat Sky
I second the Uber-Cool description! I have to say that I thought the video was a fake when I first viewed it. How could some bamboo produce such music, to say nothing of the performer? Pat, thanks for bringing this wonderful instrument to our attention! I’m khene to know when the Pat Sky practice khene will be available?
I occasionally busk at the local farmers market which is frequented by the area’s large Hmong community. I have noticed that the older Hmong gentlemen have made a point of stopping and listening to me playing the uilleann pipes. I suspect they are k’eng players and are reflecting on the harmonic and (somewhat) physical similarities the instruments share.
t
I especially like how the overtones affected the camera, causing it to go into occasional spasmodic green shifts 
A much simpler but similarly intriguing instrument I’ve encountered consists of a bamboo flute with a harmonica reed inserted in the embouchure hole. I played one once and the sound seemed to lie somewhere between that of an uilleann pipe chanter and a clarinet. One octave only, however, which makes it pretty limited for Irish music. That one really is from China; I’m not sure what it’s called.
Hi Brad, that would be called a bawu (巴乌), its usually associated with the music of the indigenous minority peoples of China.
I think this vid is certainly one of the coolest trad music videos I’ve seen in a long while..
I downloaded all that stuff a while back - that guy’s a great musician. Marvelous lilt he gets out of that yoke.
I wonder if he is using the circular breathing technic
like one uses on the didgeridoo
…must be.
tommykleen
Nope.
I have one of these instruments. It’s a free-reed mouth organ, and each pipe plays the same note on the “draw” and “press.” A note is sounded by covering the finger hole on a particular pipe and then blowing either out or in, the note being identical in each case. Thus, a drone can be sounded by covering a hole continuously, or by covering that hole with a bit of putty. The sound is not totally continuous, as it must be articulated when the player changes from blowing to drawing air.
Here’s an essay on the instrument, written by American professor of music Christopher Adler here in San Diego, describing the instrument and its capabilities and limitations from the perspective of a composer:
http://members.cox.net/christopheradler/khaen-for-composers.pdf
That makes two of us, Jumper.
My cousin was in N. Thailand for several years and brought one of these home as a gift for me since he knew I played the pan pipes. Of course they’re nothing like the pan pipes! I did learn to play a few slow tunes on it, but it’s very difficult to play. That guy on U2b is in great form. He’s holding the thumb hole(s) and littler finger down for the drone(s) I think…that’s what I use to do, and the other notes are activated by closing the holes while breathing either in or out.
The hollowed out wooden mouth piece, on mine, smelled much like what I imagined opium would smell like, but that may be way off, maybe it was the glue. Anyway the tiny reeds were made of sterling silver. The sounding length is another hole cut into the bamboo tube above the fingerholes. The fingerholes are merely vents and act like a cracked head on a flute leaking air, and by sealing the crack, or closing the finger holes, this allows the reed to buzz normally.
I may have to go get this instrument out again as I put it away in storage about several years ago. Learning to play the scale isn’t real easy, and learing to play a reel up to speed has my ultimate respect and admiration. WOW is all I can say. The instrument is like the uilleann pipes in a way in that one can play drones, chords, and melody at the same time.
This guy has other tunes on YouTube also. I especially like the way he plays The Gold Ring.