Transcript Music of Cambodia

Music of
Cambodia
An example of the “music
and culture project” West
Point Jr High
Where is Cambodia?
Where is Cambodia?


Cambodia is part of the Asian continent and
is mushed between Thailand and Vietnam.
Cambodia is now an independent nation but
was ruled over by the communist party known
as the Khmer Rouge for many years. Under
their cruel control about 2 million
Cambodians were killed in just a four year
period. The country was directly involved in
the Vietnam war and America’s effort to stop
the spread of communism in that part of the
world.
What is their music culture?
 Cambodians
use music in religious
dances, many of which depict stories and
myths.
 Dance and music are nearly always
connected when performing live music
but as more western influences enter the
country pop and modern music is
becoming more common.
What makes their music
unique?
 Cambodian
music is unique because it
has a very wide range of musical timbres.
Some of those timbres might sound harsh
to western ears but with an appreciative
ear the listener can enjoy the colors each
sound brings to the performance.
How does their music
compare to ours?
Cambodian music primarily uses string,
percussion and wind instruments- just like
western music! But, the notes they choose are
often very different from what we hear in
western compositions. Cambodians are also
known to bend pitches to create unique sounds
and also use very different instruments from
those used in western music. Their music is often
not written and read in the manner we see but
is more free flowing and interpreted by the
musicians.
Example of Traditional
Cambodian Music
 Hear
for yourself! What are some things
you can see that are similar or different
from the music you listen to? What do you
think a Cambodian might think of YOUR
music choices?
 Traditional Cambodian Music
Some of their unique
instruments
Because there are many instruments that
could be described as “unique” I will share
one wind, one percussion, and one string
instrument.
Gourd Mouth Organ
The gourd mouth organ
uses a dried out squash
(a gourd) with several
pipes of various lengths
fitted with reeds inside
that are used to change
the pitch.
Goard Organ Demonstration
Tro Khmer
The Tro Khmer is a two stringed instrument
attached to a coconut or gourd as a
resonating chamber. The strings are bowed
or plucked and the pitch is changed by the
performer pressing the string and changing
its pitch.
Tro Khmer Demonstration
Roneat Thung
The Roneat Thung is a percussion instrument
using wooden slates cut at various lengths
to create different pitches. This might be
thought of as being similar to the xylophone
although the note placement and order of
the notes are very different. It is usually
played with 2 soft mallets.
Roneat Thung Demonstration
Concluding thoughts
 Cambodian
music is full of traits that
make it special. They have a wide variety
of instruments and musical timbres and
love to combine dance with their music.
While there are many differences in their
music from what we hear in many of our
homes, there are also many things that
are common among them too.