Te na ku – Karen Harp 4

One of the most distinctive instruments in physical form and musical style and rarest in Southeast Asia is the Karen harp, te na ku. Its main body, which acts as a resonator, is hollowed from a block of soft wood in a curved canoe shape with an open top, traditionally covered in animal hide, though presently with a sheet of galvanized iron. The harp is often carved with a front stand or four legs, allowing it to stand independently.

A long, gracefully arched neck is secured to the resonator front and extends inside to the back, comparable to spike lutes and fiddles. This neck is fitted with five to twelve pegs that fine-tune the harp’s strings, which are anchored at equidistant points along the horizontal iron bar on the resonator top. Once made of gut, strings are now made of metal.

Karen craftsmen affectionately give te na ku zoomorphic markings, carving them as animals, and adorn them with inlays or signature motifs of flowers, fish, birds, or tattoo designs—meaningful images to the musicians who play them.

A musician tunes the strings of his harp to his vocal range using one of numerous standard tunings that correspond to specific Karen vocal repertoire. He plucks the strings of his te na ku with the fingers of both hands, blending improvised phrases that launch a song with the regular rhythms and chords that accompany it. Pitch is based on a pentatonic scale, whose range can be extended by doubling certain tones in octaves.

Note: Inspired by the reverence the Karen feel, for forests and great hornbills, Ten Pho, the Burmese craftsman and owner of this large te na ku, carved its resonator with the likeness of the majestic bird, not only for decoration, but also to serve as the harp’s stand.

Ten Pho so loved his instrument that he inscribed the date he made it and his sentiments on one side:
In Thai: “Always love you” and “Year 2476” (Year 1933)
In Karen: “Always love you”

Karen men perform lyrical melodies on their te na ku both for personal expression to reveal their yearnings or while away the hours, and during major gatherings—be it as an instrumental solo, as an accompaniment to singing, or with an ensemble of men playing the flute, wood drum, and bronze drum.

The te na ku is also a favored instrument heard during the courting season as a young suitor enchants his girlfriend over many days and weeks, cradling his instrument in his lap, plucking its strings, and singing poignant love songs.

Recording:
Song about Protecting Forests, accompanied by a te na ku harp (Karen S’gaw)

Chi Peu Leu, Ban Pha Mon, Chiang Mai, Thailand, March 2022

Ethnic Group: Karen

Local Name: Te na ku

Type: Plucked Arched Harp (eight strings)

Class: Plucked Chordophone

Tuning: Pentatonic scale, attuned to the vocal range of the singer

Age: 1933, inscribed on the harp’s side by owner Ten Pho

Materials: Wood, iron, metal

Dimensions: 106 x 27 x 15 cm / 41.7″ x 10.6″ x 6″

Location: Northwest Thailand

Owner / Instrument Maker: Ten Pho

Catalog Number: 6370