Hmong Free Reed Pipe 2

Hmong instrument-makers fabricate the single free-reed pipe, raj nplaim (traa nplai), from a narrow tranche of bamboo that varies in length from several inches to over five feet.  One end is lanced with a rectangular opening into which a small bamboo or brass reed with a vibrating tongue is inserted and sealed with beeswax. To the other end, a bell-shaped gourd is attached to amplify the instrument’s buzzing timbre.

The raj nplaim is a popular instrument played solo by Hmong boys and men, who hold it either in a horizontal or vertical position. A musician vibrates the reed with his breath using one of three techniques: sealing the reed with his lips; inserting the entire end hole and reed into his mouth; or, unusually, sealing the end hole and reed with a gourd cut with a blow hole so the instrument is sounded indirectly, giving it a more subdued tone.

What makes the raj nplaim remarkable among most free-reed instruments is the presence of multiple finger holes, five to seven of them, along the length, with a thumbhole on the back. This makes it possible for the raj nplaim, with its single pipe and reed, to create full melodies, rather than just one note. Because overblowing is not possible on this instrument, its tones sound only within an octave range.

NB: This raj nplaim is unique due to its supplemental embouchure made from a small glass bottle with a removable stopper on the blow hole.  This glass piece can easily be removed so the musician can blow the instrument directly.

The raj nplaim, along with all other bamboo raj instruments, uses pitch, rhythm, and timbre as a speech surrogate, imitating the singsong nuances of the Hmong language’s eight tones to convey coded Hmong expressions, narratives, parrables, and poetry. For this reason, the raj repertoire encompasses a wealth of pieces that fall into distinct genres based on specific themes. Hmong raj ntsia musicians specifically perform these to express inner feelings and outer experiences connected to a life informed by family, community, nature, and faith.

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 nplaim free reed pipe (Hmoob Dawb)

Nom Txheej Lis, Ban Ka Lae, Thailand, December 2008

Ethnic Group: Hmoob Ntsuab (Blue Hmong)

Local Name: Raj nplaim (traa nplai)

Type: Free-reed Pipe

Class: Free-reed Aerophone

Tuning: One octave scale

Age: Circa 1970

Materials: Bamboo (xyob qeej), brass, wood, glass

Dimensions: 58 x 4.5 dia. cm / 22.75″ x 1.75″ dia.

Location:
Ban Hin Fon
Mae Chaem, Thailand

Owner:  Ayii (68 years)

Catalog Number: 5625