Reviewing the Lao Khaen in Contemporary Storytelling Thongbang Homsombat [ທອງບາງ ຫອມສົມບັດ] ASIAN-EUROPEAN MUSIC RESEARCH JOURNAL 17 (2026) https://doi.org/10.30819/aemr.17-13     pp: 148-153     2026-06-03

Reviewing the Lao Khaen in Contemporary Storytelling

Stichworte/keywords: Lao cultures, khaen, narrations, art forms, sutsanen

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Abstract
A workshop that I attended concluded that intangible heritage can only be sustained if people care more for their past. Traditional supplementary art has to help sustain musical items. So, I came to narrate the story of the Lao Khaen, a free reed musical instrument that is dispersed over a large territory in Southeast Asia. I also have to narrate the whole story behind the technicalities and the construction of the musical instrument. It is hard to tell things to kids and people who don’t know anything about it yet. But I tried and wrote a short story that can be read and easily distributed. The narration model was first picked up by my mentor Kongdeuane Nettavong, who wrote some small books to propagate awareness, for example, about environmental issues in Laos. I learned from her how to put things into words that I could observe in daily practice. This short review essay, which also introduces inspiring literature, is about the story of telling common knowledge regarding this special reed instrument. I can also make the different components visible that are needed to compose such a story. For this reason, I go a step away from a primary text analysis. As a result, this can stimulate a discussion on methods and integrated art forms.