The soft tones of the Khloy bamboo flute are an essential ingredient in Khmer music. The word khloy is Khmer for “flute” and references to this instrument go back centuries to temple carvings going back further than the 7th Century, AD.
The khloy is a duct flute, played from the end, and has two sizes: the smaller, higher-pitched (khloy ek) and larger, less shrill and lower-pitched (khloy thomm). It has six finger holes and a thumb hole, or seven finger holes and no thumb hole. A hole above the highest finger hole may be covered with a membrane made of rice paper or bamboo inner skins.
The khloy uses a pentatonic scale – five notes per octave – and this differs from the western instrument that use a heptatonic (seven notes) scale to make up an octave.
Khloy produce a light, breathy, ethereal tone and is a feature not only as part of the pinpeat orchestra, but performed solo.
To hear the khloy click here. Or here. And on the BBC website, a story set in the dark days of Pol Pot, about a young Cambodian whose playing of the khloy saved his life. Cambodian played flute to escape death in Khmer Rouge labour camp. Click here.
For more music related links in this blog, check out these stories:
Snap crackle and pop. Preserving Cambodia’s vinyl history.
Traditional Cambodian musical instruments.
Romvong. Traditional Cambodia dance.
The tragic story of the Queen of Cambodian pop.
The tragedy of the King of Cambodian pop.
Savong School Cambodia 