Description: The gaeng, qeeg or kenh is a free reed aerophone found amongst the Hmong or Miao in Laos and in Vietnam. It is also played by the Viet people. Close relatives to the gaeng include the Chinese Sheng, Japanese Sho and the Keluri. In the Yunnan Province of Southern China the Miao people call the gaeng “hulusheng”. In the Hmong culture traditionally the gaeng is played during funeral rights to confuse the spirits of the deceased. The gaeng players may often demonstrate some level of athletic movement. In the Hmong culture only the men play the gaeng. The Hmong also tie a string to the gaeng. The gaeng found amongst the Hmong can have their bamboo tubes reaching up to a meter long or even longer in some rare cases and they often have a string tied from the top close to the mouth piece. Gaeng usually have up to six bamboo tubes. Each of the bamboo tubes has an individual finger-hole and a brass reed. All of the tubes are affixed into a carved wooden body. Cane or bamboo is favoured to construct the tube. The rings wrapped around are some kind of bark I'm not sure of what species for ornamentation.

 

Citations: Asza.com / Gaeng > Vietnamese Traditional Music / Kenh >