A piphat is a kind of ensemble in the classical music of Thailand. The smallest piphat, called "Piphat khruang ha", is composed of six instruments: pi nai (oboe); ranad ek (xylophone); khong wong yai (gong circle); taphon or other Thai drums; khlong thad, another kind of Thai drums, and ching (small cymbals).

A slightly bigger piphat ensemble is called piphat khruang khu, and consists of eight musical instruments. The other two instruments are the ranad thum (xylophone), which produces a deeper sound than the ranad ek, and khong wong lek, a gong circle that is higher in pitch than the khong wong yai.

The largest form of piphat ensemble is the piphat khruang yai, which consists of ten musical intruments. Another ones are ranat ek lek and ranat thum lek; these are almost the same as their ancestors, the ranad ek and ranad thum, but they have keys made from metal instead of wood.

The Cambodian equivalent of the piphat is called pinpeat.

External links

Listening

• Pi Phat Ensemble page from SEAsite

Pi Phat