Antioch Institute (Inter-cultural) has multiplied my mind to
love Khmer musical instruments. After I had received bachelor degree of
Inter-Cultural (2007), I founded a group to study Khmer traditional
instruments. Every member of my group chose instrument to study already and
remained the Takhe for me. I called an instructor, Thea, who was a student of
the secondary school of fine arts, to teach my group.
Two months that I was learning Takhe, I found that it is difficult to study and impossible to play as plenty as the modern instruments can. Most of the songs that it can play are traditional songs because it does not have flat and sharp (# & b).
Accidently, the frets of Takhe which I bought from Toul Tum Pong market were in wrong pitched or interval and were glued with Adhesive Glue 512. When I pulled them out, every frets were broken. Then I made new frets with 9 more frets were added, totally 21 frets by keeping the same 3 strings and the note on the strings. After I had finished my work, either my instructor or I could not play the changed Takhe. With hopeless and tiredness of making the frets I kept the Takhe away and stopped learning it for a while. This time my invention was unsuccessful. (This is the first invention in February, 2008)
Two months that I was learning Takhe, I found that it is difficult to study and impossible to play as plenty as the modern instruments can. Most of the songs that it can play are traditional songs because it does not have flat and sharp (# & b).
Accidently, the frets of Takhe which I bought from Toul Tum Pong market were in wrong pitched or interval and were glued with Adhesive Glue 512. When I pulled them out, every frets were broken. Then I made new frets with 9 more frets were added, totally 21 frets by keeping the same 3 strings and the note on the strings. After I had finished my work, either my instructor or I could not play the changed Takhe. With hopeless and tiredness of making the frets I kept the Takhe away and stopped learning it for a while. This time my invention was unsuccessful. (This is the first invention in February, 2008)
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| The first changed of Takhe (21 frets with 3 strings) |
In the short vacation in April 2008, I was free from my job,
so I pulled the frets of Takhe again and putted them back into the original of
12 frets. My instructor started to teach me again with a song called “Chao
Pream”. Unfortunately, the instructor had a small traffic accident and he could
not teach then. During that time I keep away the Takhe again and can only look
at and wash it.
In 2010, I started study Takhe again at Association for Conservation of Arts and Culture (ACAC) with instructor, Soun Sarin. Through his skill and talent in teaching, I could learn Takhe quickly. During that time I tried my best to write the melodies of the songs as musical notes and other documental related to the musical instruments especially Takhe for the new generations of musical students and for conservation. I researched to the Takhe in detail by interviewing many craftsmen and artists.
After many months of researching, I started to have the idea of updating the Takhe again by standing in the way of preservation. This time I tested tuning the third string (Khse Bontor or the chorus string) up to one note high in the correct way of using 3 fingers and created new form of playing (play 3 strings and move fingers from back to front through the music) with 21 frets include flat and sharp (# & b). I took the song “Kra Sang Teap” for playing and I found that it is easy to play with this new form but when I play the higher note of Mi (E+), I need to change the position of my finger and when I played back to the lower note I need to change the position again, it can make some confusion. (This is my second invention)
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The second
changed of Takhe (21 frets, the 3rd string tuned up to one note high)
|
So I had a new idea to add 1 more string which tuned as Do
(C), easy to play than before because I do not need to change the position of
my fingers. Next, I decided to make the
new four strings chromatic Takhe. In September 2010, I bought a big jackfruit wood
from Sontouch pagoda, Kampong Chhnang province. Mr. Soun Sarin helped to take
me to a musical instrument craftsman at Phnom Penh Thmey (The craftsman named
Chrouk, the brother in law of Mr. Yun Vanna). The craftsman made the shape of
Takhe, circled the Prolout (Pegs) and the supporting legs but installation, pitching
the frets and spraying is on me because he used to do only the old three
strings Takhe. Finally, we finished the new four strings Takhe in November of
2010. (This is my third invention)
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| The third changed of Takhe or the invention of the chromatic Takhe (4 strings and21 frets) |
Then I practiced a few songs. Mr. Soun Sarin, saw that I can
play the new Takhe and he tried it. He told his friends and asked them for
comments about this new Takhe.
In the morning of 1st December of 2010, Mr. Soun Sarin took me and this new four strings Takhe to meet Mr. Keo Samonkavei because he is the one who transformed the Roneat. After Mr. Keo Samonkavei had checked, asked and suggested me to play a few songs which have flat and sharp (# & b), he smiled at me and complemented me. He said that it is better if I can keep Khmer pitched frets, he also gave me some opinion that “Can you make 7 strings, 3 strings for Khmer pitched frets which has 12 frets and 4 strings for Western pitched frets?” I explained him that it is possible but it will be too big and also difficult to pluck. I had another way because I had known already that most of Khmer traditional music instructors and musicians will disagree about this issue of losing Khmer pitched frets. I will create the new other Takhe that have both Khmer and Western pitched frets (Chromatic scale). He smiled at me again and encouraged me to be continued my invention and open the workshop to show to the public as well as all the musicians, do not just invented and keep it away. On the same day we went to have breakfast at the canteen of the secondary school of fine arts. At that time, there were many music instructors came to see, ask and complimented, some instructors did not satisfied because it lost Khmer pitched frets and some said that it cannot play Khmer traditional songs as well and so on.
After two weeks, I decided to cut off the rectangle area around the frets (fret board or fingerboard) and making twin fret boards (There are Khmer pitched frets on one side and Western pitched frets on the other side, can turn upside down for exchange the frets, 4 strings like the Takhe of the third invention). In the earlier January of 2011, I had finished it and named it as “Takhe Plous” which means “The twin Takhe”. (This is my fourth invention)
This is the picture of the fourth changed Tahke (the
invention of Takhe Plous):
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| 12 frets of Khmer fret board (Khmer pitched scale) |
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| 21 frets of Western fret board (Western pitched scale or chromatic scale) |
Note: The two pictures above are in the
same Takhe but can turn upside down in order to exchange the frets as Khmer or
Universal pitch.
In the morning of 10th February 2011, I and Mr. Soun Sarin brought the Takhe Plous (The twin Takhe) to the Secondary school of fine arts again in order to get some opinions and commentaries from music instructors and artists. This time I did not hear any complains but I hear only the compliment words and the supporting. There are some instructors encourage me and Mr. Soun Sarin to bring the Takhe Plous to H.E. Hun Sarin. On the same day at 10:30 am, we went to meet H.E. Hun Sarin at his house-Somnong 12, Phnom Penh. We got a lot of explanations about cultural, preservation, development, about Khmer intervals from one note to the next and encouragement such as “Music is a science too and experiment is not a mistake. He also admired me about the idea of researching and invention; they are the idea of intellectual. He advised me to write my invention on a book and remind me to practice it daily, if invent a music instrument very good but cannot play it is useless.
Finally in March 2nd 2011, I bought an old big jackfruit wood from Kien Svay province for making a new Takhe Plous with Khmer artistic bone carving (decoration) which finished on June of 2011.
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| The picture of a newer Takhe Plous with bone carving decoration |
Phnom Penh,
September 8th 2011
Sak Bophavann
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