The smallest
piphat, called
piphat khrueang ha, is composed of six instruments:
pi nai (oboe);
ranat ek (xylophone);
khong wong yai (gong circle);
taphon or other Thai drums;
glong thad, a set of two large barrel drums beaten with sticks; and
ching (small cymbals). Often other small percussion instruments such as
krap or
chap are used. A slightly larger
piphat ensemble is called
piphat khrueang khu, and consists of eight musical instruments. The other two instruments are the
ranat thum (xylophone), which produces a deeper sound than the
ranat ek, and
khong wong lek, a gong circle that is higher in pitch than the
khong wong yai. The largest form of
piphat ensemble is the
piphat khrueang yai, which consists of ten musical instruments. Another ones are
ranat ek lek and
ranat thum lek; these are almost the same as their ancestors, the
ranat ek and
ranat thum, but they have keys made from metal instead of wood.
Piphat khrueang ha Wong piphat khrueang ha (, ) is an ensemble consisting of: • 1
pi nai - bass oboe • 1
taphon - secondary beat • 1
ching - main beat • 1
khong wong yai - bass gongs hung in a nearly full circular track • 2
glong thad - Thai
tympani • 1
ranat ek - treble xylophone
Piphat khrueang khu Wong piphat khrueang khu (, ) is developed from
piphat khrueang ha, by arranging instruments in pairs of treble-bass. It consists of: • 1
pi nai - bass oboe • 1
pi nok - treble oboe • 1
taphon - secondary timekeeper • 1
glong songna or 2
glong khaek • 2
glong thad - Thai
tympani • 1
ching - main timekeeper • 1 chap • 1
khong wong yai - bass gongs hung in semicircular track • 1
khong wong lek - treble version of gongs hung in semicircular track • 1
khong mong • 1
ranat ek - treble xylophone • 1
ranat thum - bass xylophone
Piphat khrueang yai Wong piphat khrueang yai (, ) is arranged by adding
ranat ek lek (ระนาดเอกเหล็ก; treble metallophone) and
ranat thum lek (ระนาดทุ้มเหล็ก; bass metallophone) to the
wong piphat khrueang khu.
Piphat nang hong Wong piphat nang hong (, ) is an ensemble used in funerals. It is arranged by replacing the
pi nai and
pi nok with a
pi chawa. The name
nang hong comes from name of its main music, which is intended for funeral ceremonies. A royal variant for
Thai royal funerals,
Wong piphat nang hong khruang yai (for the King) or
Wong piphat nang hong khrueang khu (for senior members of the Royal Family), introduced during the reign of King
Vajiravudh (Rama VI) for use in royal funerals of the
Chakri Dynasty, was reinstated during the reign of King
Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) in 1995, during the state funeral rites for
Srinagarindra, the Princess Mother, upon the initiative of
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the Princess Royal, after years of absence. If playing for the king, the royal funeral ensemble has 10 to 12 instruments played, a few more than the simple ensemble, for senior members 8 to 9 instruments are used. In some funerals in Thailand the
nang hong variant ensemble is supplemented by Western instruments like trumpets, saxophones, clarinets and even a drum kit, guitars and an electric piano. Some of these have also appeared in the normal ensembles.
Piphat duek dam ban Wong piphat duek dam ban (, , literally "ancient ensemble") was proposed by
Prince Naris. It consists of: • 1
ranat ek • 1
taphon • 1
ranat thum • 1
ranat thum lek • 1
khong wong yai • 1
ching • 1
taphon - "tympani" made by using two taphons arranged together. • 1
saw u • 1
khlui u - bass flute • 1
khlui phiang aw - medium • 1
wong khong chai - a set of 7
khong chai with different size hung on wooden bar.
Piphat mon , Paris The
piphat mon is believed to derive from the
Mon people, an ancient
Mon-Khmer-speaking people of mainland Southeast Asia, and uses special instruments such as an upright gong circle called
khong mon.
Wong piphat mon (, ) has three sizes:
Piphat mon khrueang ha Wong piphat mon khrueang ha (, ) consists of: • 1
ranat ek • 1
pi mon - bass oboe with horn-shaped end. • 1
khong mon wong yai - a set of bass gongs set in vertical frame (unlike khong wong yai, which gongs are set in horizontal semicircular frame). • 1
poengmang khok (เปิงมางคอก) or
khok poeng (คอกเปิง) -
Mon drums set in cage-shaped frame. • ching, chap and khong mong
Piphat mon khrueang khu Wong piphat mon khrueang khu (, ) is arranged by adding
ranat thum and
khong mon wong lek to the
piphat mon khrueang ha.
Piphat mon khrueang yai Wong piphat mon khrueang yai (, ) is arranged by adding
ranat ek lek and
ranat thum lek to the
piphat mon khrueang khu. The
piphat mon ensemble is usually used in funerals, but it can be used for other events as well. The
piphat ensemble can be mixed with the
khrueang sai ensemble to create a new ensemble called
khrueang sai prasom piphat (เครื่องสายประสมปี่พาทย์ or เครื่องสายผสมปี่พาทย์). This hybrid or combined ensemble can also accommodate Western instruments as well. ==Similar ensembles==