Im very interested in folk musik from around the world. My latest descovery is the Khlui flute (whistle) from Thailand. I´ve got couple of CD:s. The Khlui flute is a close relative to the irish whistle. It´s a fipple flute with eight holes. Seven on the front an one, fore the thumb, at the back. The fingering sysetem is a cross between the whistle and the european recorder. The tuning is native and very far from the equal temperament. And the music? it´s absolutely enchanting!
There is however one detail that is very interesting. Right handed players have changed position of their hands (compared to western instruments). They have their right hand where we have our left anc vice versa. It looks very awkward!
Until the 19th century and the advent of keywork hand position was very much an option in European woodwinds of any kind. Up till the Baroque little finger-holes were routinely made doubled, that is, one drilled on both sides, the unused one plugged with wax. The low joint on the baroque recorder has the original purpose of being rotateable to the side you want it. No original Baroque recorders have double fingerholes, by the way, the littlle fingerhole was always single.
Here is a short introduktion to khlui flute playing. The khlui flute is a fipple flute closely related to the whistle, so there should be no problem for a whistle player to adapt. Note that the khlui player (in the picture) holding his right hand above his left (for a right handed player). The sound of the khlui is enchanting. Apparently the khlui is made in different seizes.
I´m currently looking for a khlui flute. Please send me a mail if you know where I can buy one at a resonable price.
I´m looking forward to play a slow air on the low khlui!
I’ve tried one a few of these in different lengths in my Southeast Asian Music class where we had just one tutorial on Thai classical music. My tinwhistle-biased impression was that I found the khluis I played to be a bit weak at the bottom notes and a bit hard to hit on the 2nd octave. I don’t particularly fancy it that much I think. Central Thai music for me, is more fun on their percussion instruments like the gong circles and the xylophones.
According to what is known about that time’s usage, it was truly optional. The parallel that I’m aware of concerns Hungarian and related type bagpipe usage. These bagpipes have a double chanter, one having 6 fingerholes and a thumbhole, for an octave’s worth of notes, the other just one fingerhole, for the little finger, playing tonic/dominant variable drone. Maybe a third of them are made “the other way round”. And there is documentation of at least one lefty player who used to play a “right-handed” version by preference, changing his hands round.
I was in Thailand with various international visitors. An Aussie and I were listending to some trad Thai music. I was struck by the instruments. They had a fiddle (fewer strings and played like a cello), a tubular drum that was similar in sound to a bodhran, and a whistle. I told the Aussie that it sounded like a reel to me. He said “blimey, now that you mention it, it sounds like Heel Away, Haul Away”. And it did!
Amazing! I´ve experienced something similar to. I was listening to renaissance music with a friends, when she said: “The melody is almost Identical to The Lions sleeps Tonight”. And it truly was! at least for a couple of bars. Imagine it yourself - The Lions Sleeps Tonight, a little slower, with renaissance harmony.