Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

Kèn

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The kèn is an instrument used in traditional Vietnamese music. It has a double reed and a conical wooden body. It produces a powerful and penetrating high-pitched sound, similar to the Chinese suona, the Korean taepyeongso, and the Persian/Indian shehnai.

The best-known player of the kèn is the award-winning musician Nguyễn Ngọc Khánh (b. 1956), who is acknowledged as a "national treasure" in Vietnam, where he is known as "Khánh of the kèn."

Varieties

  • Kèn bầu - with a wooden bell carved in a gourd shape; comes in several sizes
  • Kèn đám ma - with a metal bell; used for funerals in northern Vietnam

    • References

    Kèn Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA