Traditional Cambodian musical instruments

Traditional Cambodian musical instruments are the musical instruments used in the traditional and classical music of Cambodia. They comprise a wide range of wind, string, and percussion instruments, used by both the Khmer majority as well as the nation's ethnic minorities.

Woodwind

Flute

Khloy - vertical duct flute made of bamboo, hardwood, or plastic, with buzzing membrane
*Khloy ek - smaller in size
*Khloy thom - larger in size

Free-reed

Sneng - water buffalo or ox horn with a single free reed
Pey pok - free-reed pipe
Ploy - mouth organ with gourd body and five to seven bamboo pipes; used by Mon-Khmer-speaking upland ethnic minorities
Ken/Khaen - free-reed mouth organ used in northwestern Cambodia
Angkuoch - jaw harp made of bamboo or metal

Quadruple Reed

Sralai - quadruple-reed oboe
*Sralai toch - small quadruple-reed oboe
*Sralai thom - large quadruple-reed oboe
Pey ar - oboe with cylindrical bore

Horns

Saing - conch horn

Other

Slek - tree leaf used as a wind instrument

String

Bowed

Tro - fiddle
*Tro Khmer - three-string vertical spike fiddle with coconut shell body; used in classical music
*Tro che - high-pitched two-string vertical fiddle, with face covered with snakeskin
*Tro sau toch - two-string vertical fiddle with hardwood body; used in classical music
*Tro sau thom - two-string vertical fiddle with hardwood body; used in classical music
*Tro u - lower two-string vertical fiddle with a coconut shell body, with face covered with calfskin or snakeskin; used in classical music

Plucked

Chapei dong veng - plucked fretted lute
Kong ring - bamboo tube zither, can play thet drum's part
Krapeu - crocodile-shaped fretted floor zither with three strings
Kse diev or - chest-resonated stick zither)
Pin - Cambodian harp, ancient instrument reborn in modern times

Struck

Khim - hammered dulcimer

Percussion

Drums

Sampho - barrel drum, played with the hands
Skor - long skor drum
*Skor thom - pair of large barrel drums, played with sticks
*Skor yike - flat skor drum, played with hands and used in Yike dance drama
Thon, Skor daey and skor arak - goblet-shaped drums, played with the hands
Rumana - frame drum, played with the hands

Gong chimes

Kong vong toch - small gong circle
Kong vong thom - large gong circle
Kong mon - small gong chime shaped curved

Xylophone

Roneat - trough-resonated keyboard percussion instrument; generally played with two mallets and used in Khmer classical and theater music

*Roneat ek - smaller xylophone
*Roneat thung - larger xylophone
*Roneat dek - smaller metallophone
*Roneat thong larger metallophone; no longer used

Gongs

Kong vong or kong thom - single suspended gong

Clappers

Krap - pair of flat bamboo or hardwood sticks

Cymbals

Ching - pair of small cymbals used to mark time
Chap - pair of flat cymbals

Woodblocks

Pan - woodblock
Nay pay - pellow
Sindang - small size woodblocks

Occasions

Traditional Cambodian musical instruments play a significant role in the Cambodian culture. These instruments are typically used during royal events, weddings, and festivals. For weddings and royal events, the musicians playing the instruments would wear traditional Cambodian attire. Just like the Chinese, with regard to playing context, there is no conductor in traditional Cambodian music because musicians generally learned and memorized how to play the instruments aurally. These instruments provide a sense of identity for the Cambodian people.