From: deviant@yang.earlham.edu
Newsgroups: soc.culture.thai
Subject: Re: Tune kim+
Date: 15 Nov 92 16:21:00 GMT
Organization: Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana

In article <1992Nov13.210851.14884@aifh.ed.ac.uk>, kitt@aisb.ed.ac.uk writes:
> tstil@Auspex.COM write
> 
>>Does anybody know this...
..
..
>  >     How do Thais tune their kim+?  Thai music is based on scales of 7 full
>  >      tones?  Do Thais use tuning forks?  Which ones?  Western music is
>  >      based on scales of 6 full tones with 2 half tones.  Tuning forks are
>  >      available.  Usually C, F or G or Bb (B flat).
> 
> Dear tim,
> 
>   I am not a qualified Kim+ player.  I have been at kim+ for only 5 years.
> I am not a musician either, so I can not talk with your language.
> However, I will describe how I tune kim+.
> 
>   I start with the second from the lowest bank on the left hand, use
> that 'sound' as standard  (this standard is to be tuned to the
> 'orchestra' (the band we played with)) by your ears.  It is Sol? (or Fa?).
>>From that, now use the same bank but the right hand side to tune
> the other bank (the second from the top, left hand) and from that one
> use its right bank to tune the next... etc.  The trouble one is
> the highest and lowest note (as you can expect).  I can not offer
> you any good solution.  I do by trial and error, i.e. if it sounds
> bad (as consequent from the standard from the set up of very first bank)
> I just go back and lower or higher it.
> 
>   In this manner, all banks will be in tune to each other.
> 
>   And yes, my teacher said, I have to practice tuning by ears so that
> I can 'hear' if anything wrong in my music when I play.
> 
>   My explanation is very bad but that is what I have in my head right now.
> Perhaps if you want to know better (or if no other qualified kim+ player
> offer you a proper explanation) I will try to 'rationalise' this
> with my musician friend and let you know. (in your language)
> 
> Piak

Piak and Tim,

Though I too am not a fully qualified kim+ player, my kim+ teacher made 
certain I learned how to tune my kim+ before I left.  Unfortunately he 
always turned the initial cords from a 'standard' not on his flute and I 
didn't bring one of those back with me (I'll refrain from attempting to 
spell it here due to the similarity with another word that should not be 
used to tune a kim+).  But he rationalized my concern by saying there were 
no real 'exact' means of tuning instruments in the manner that western  
instruments are tuned.

That makes the tuning difficult to the western 'scientific' aproach to 
intonation.  And as Piak said, one has to learn to tune by ear.  I often 
observed that the actual pitch would vary between instruments or even 
times that the music was played.  But after playing the music enough, one 
begins to realize when the pitch is 'incorrect'.  That's why I usually 
test my tuning by playing portions of songs.

Tim, if you need the relative pitch assignments and a little more 
information about that I could send them to you. I've got a few 'books' of 
Thai songs for kim+ that also has some instructions for tuning kim+.  I'd 
have to translate them but that wouldn't be a problem.

Regards,
Jeff

-- 

ala the Deviant@Yang.Earlham.Edu
   "You think you are ever so clever, however, you won't trap me there.
     Its turtles all the way down."
Newsgroups: soc.culture.thai