Hmong End-blown Flute 1

The Hmong perform on three types of end-blown flutes, made of bamboo or cane, which vary in size and timbre—the longer the flute, the lower the pitch.  The largest, most common end-blown flute, known as raj pum liv (traa pou li) by the White Hmong, is fabricated with six finger holes and a thumbhole, and can measure up to forty-five centimeters (17.5 inches).

Like the shorter, narrower raj ntsia (traa njia)—with five finger holes and a thumbhole—and the smallest, highest-pitched raj nplooj (traa nplong)—with three finger holes and a thumbhole—the large raj pum liv displays a duct (fipple) mouthpiece capped with a block into which a thin channel has been cut. This allows a musician to split the airstream against the sharp edge of the ventral hole, causing the air column within the tube to vibrate.

A musician controls the pitch, volume, and tone quality of the raj pum liv by modulating his breath pressure, air speed, and air direction. Additionally, a craftsman may cut several extra holes near the flute’s end to increase its volume.

The raj pum liv tuning is based on a pentatonic scale, a five-note pitch range found in a single octave. The four primary pitches—transcribed in Western notation as E-F#-G#-B—are supplemented with an auxiliary low note, C. A series of high-pitched overtones can be added to these fundamentals by blowing with varying strengths, thereby increasing the instrument’s melodic range. Musicians frequently perform raj pum liv using signature flourishes, as when ending a phrase with a rising glissando, to create a personal style.

NB: This distinctive end-blown flute displays decorative black bands that encircle its length between the finger holes.

The raj pum liv, along with all other Hmong end- and side-blown flutes, is known as a ‘speaking’ instrument, as a musician is able to shape its dulcet tones in a way that mimic all vowels, most consonants, all eight tonal inflections, and the sing-song cadence of Hmong speech patterns, allowing him to convey traditional Hmong poetry and narratives in a ‘coded’ language to all who listen.

For this reason, the raj repertoire encompasses a wealth of pieces that fall into distinct genres springing from arc-of-life and cycle-of-seasons experiences. Indeed, Hmong raj pum liv musicians may perform these to express deep-seated longings that they dare not express in words. The greatest number of raj songs, called raj sib hlub (traa shi hlou), is devoted to love, in all its manifestations, from flirting, unrequited love, to courtship; from breaking up, loneliness, to grief.

Recording

Raj Sib Hlub, courting song played on a raj pum liv end-blown flute (Hmoob Dawb)

Nyiaj Huas Lis, Ban Samyord, Luang Nam Tha Province, Laos, December 2006

Ethnic Group: Hmoob Dawb (Hmong Der) – White Hmong

Local Name: Raj pum liv (traa pou li)

Type: End-blown Duct Flute

Class: Aerophone

Tuning: Pentatonic scale

Age: Late 20th c.

Materials: Bamboo (xyob qeej), adhesive tape

Dimensions: 46 x 2.75 cm / 18″ x 1.1″ dia.

Location: Northern Thailand

Owner:

Catalog Number: 5539