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cymbalo (Kim Chīn) and the harmonium in the place of "Saw Duang" and "Saw Ū".
There are fewer women than men who take up Mahorī.
Pīpāt Band.
The 'Pī Pāt' modelled upon the system of ancient India comprised five instruments:
- Oboe playing the melody (Sushira);
- Drum with one face (Āyata);
- Drum with two skins connected by means of straps (Vitata);
- Two-faced drum with skins nailed down (Ativitata);
- Gong marking the cadence (Ghana).
The combination is known as "The Five Instruments".
The 'Pī Pāt' of five instruments, derived from the above, has been in use from early times, and is of two distinct types: one called 'light' serves to accompany indigenous 'Lakhon' performances (still in use in the Southern provinces in the 'Norā' theatre); the other known as 'heavy' serves to accompany the 'Khon' or masked drama of men. Each of these consists of five players, but differs as follows:—
The 'Light Pī Pāt' consists of an oboe playing the melody, two 'Thaps' and a 'Klong' for accompaniment, and a pair of gongs for marking the time: it corresponds exactly to the older combination, "the Five Instruments", with this difference that one of the 'Thaps' replaces the 'Thon'.
The 'Heavy Pī Pāt' consists of an oboe, a xylophone, and a set of gongs playing the melody, and a 'Klong' and a 'Thon' (Tapon) which serves to play the melody and also to mark time. Where the 'Thon' is not included, the drummer strikes the alto cymbals ('Chhing') and marks time.
The difference between the 'Light Pī Pāt' and the 'Heavy Pī Pāt' is probably due to the fact that in the 'Lakhon' the signing and dialogues alternate with the playing of the band, whereas in the 'Khon', the band executes long passages necessitating more instru-
