Pattala

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Pattala
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Percussion instrument
Other names Burmese xylophone
Classification Percussion instrument
Related instruments
Ranat ek, Roneat ek

The pattala (Burmese: ပတ္တလား patta.la:, Burmese pronunciation: [pattəlá]; Karen: paw ku[1] ) is a Burmese xylophone, consisting of 24 bamboo slats (called ywet / ရွက် or asan အဆံ) suspended over a boat-shaped resonating chamber.[2][3] It is played with two padded mallets.[2][3] The pattala is tuned similar to the diatonic scale.[2]

In pre-colonial Burma, the pattala was used in royal court music.[4] In fact, when the piano was first introduced to the Burmese court in the late 1800s, it was tuned to the scale of the pattala.[4]

In modern days, classical Burmese chamber music is accompanied by either the pattala or the saung (the Burmese harp), both of which are capable of performing a harmonic countermelody.[5] The pattala is also a key instrument in the Burmese ensemble orchestra, the hsaing waing.[6] The pattala is also prominently featured in Burmese drama, anyeint.[7]

Origins

The earliest historical mention of the pattala is in the Kalyani Inscriptions and dates to the CE 147.[7] The pattala is similar to other mainland Southeast Asian instruments, including the ranat ek and the Cambodian roneat ek.

Construction

File:Bodleian Ms. Burm. a. 5 fol 146.jpg
A Pattala being played. 19th century Burmese watercolour

The bamboo slats are typically made from the wood of giant bamboo (Dendrocalamus giganteus), which is durable and produces a stable sound.[2] Slats are occasionally made from brass or iron.[2] The mallets are made from hardwoods such as teak, padauk, black cutch, yindaik, or pyinkado.[2] The resonance box is made from teak and decorated with inlaid glass or gold leaf.[2]

See also

References

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my:ပတ္တလား

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