Laos is dominated by the Lao, and includes minorities of Hmong and Mien, among others. The most distinctive Lao musical instrument is a type of bamboo pipe called a khaen. The instrument was supposedly invented by a woman trying to imitate the calls of the garawek bird. The woman took the new instrument to her king, and he told her it was fair, but that he wanted more. She modified the instrument and he replied "Tia nee khaen dee" (this time it was better). The Hmong, also known as Miao (Chinese: 苗: Miáo; Vietnamese: Mèo or Hmông; Thai: แม้ว (Maew) or ม้ง (Mong)), are an Asian ethnic group whose homeland is in the mountainous regions of southern China (especially Guizhou) that cross into northern Southeast Asia (northern Vietnam and Laos). ... The Yao nationality (瑶族, pinyin: Yáo zú) are an ethnic group. ... A musical instrument is a device that has been constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... Genera Many, see text Bamboos are a group of woody perennial evergreen plants in the grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae. ... The word pipe can refer to: The basic cylindrical pipe shape a tubular man-made channel, generally round in cross section, in steel or concrete for transporting or guiding a fluid substance see plumbing and pipeline transport used in construction as column, truss element or space frame in mechanical engineering... A khene player in Isan The khene (also spelled kaen) is a mouth-organ whose pipes are connected with a small, hollowed-out wooden reservoir into which air is blown. ... Orders Many - see section below. ...

Ensembles typically include two singers (mor lam, the same term referring to the genre of music), a khaen player (mor khaen), and other instruments including fiddles, flutes and bells. Music varies widely across Laos, with the lam saravane style being most popular, while the city of Luang Prabang is known for a slow form called khaplam wai. An extremely popular form developed in Thailand is called mor lam sing, and is faster and electrified. The violin is a stringed musical instrument that has four strings tuned a fifth apart. ... This article pertains to the musical instrument. ... Bell has a range of meanings: A bell is a simple sound-making device, including Tubular bells and cowbells. ... Royal palace museum of Luang Prabang. ... Mor lam sing (Thai/Isan หมอลำซิ่ง)is a fast-paced, racy, modernized version of the traditional Lao/Isan song form mor lam. ...

In the 1960s, Thai lam nu and lam ploen contributed to the development of lam luang, which is a form of loose song and dance, often with narrative lyrics. Events and trends The 1960s was a turbulent decade of change around the world. ...

References

• Clewley, John. "Beyond Our Khaen". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp 170-174. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0