Traditional Cambodian music can be heard at a number of occasions — for example, spiritual rites, weddings, Buddhist festivals, and performances of shadow theatre (a kind of shadow puppetry). In Cambodia: Traditional Music, Vol. 1, the Phleng Khmer Ensemble and Pinpeat Ensemble play instruments such as the khse diev (one–string lute), phlom slek (“blow leaf”), pai–ar (bamboo flute), chhing (hand cymbals), and skor arak (small drum). The musicians improvise words and vocables around an underlying structure and follow their fellow performers to create complex layers of rhythm.

RELATED LESSON PLAN
"Celebrate Cambodia: Khmer Festival and Wedding Music"

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