Process Of Making Ranad Thum Keys By Master Cha-od Boonkhan

Abstract

The objectives of this research are to study the procedures of making the keys of ranad thum or a lower-pitched xylophone by an instrument maker Cha-od Bunkhan and to examine factors that affect the quality of ranad thum keys made by him. It was found that the making of ranad thum keys contained following important but distinct steps: 1) selecting phai tong – a kind of bamboo wood – shafts of 8 inches in diameter with no imperfections on its texture, 2) Each bamboo key must contain a node on either end, 3) the measurements must follow a predetermined proportion, 4) Thread positions were located by knocking one finger against the most resonant part of a key, 5) The holes were to be drilled so that they matched exactly the size of the thread, 6) Slicing off key’s bottom to lower the pitch must not damage the key’s upper surface, and 7) Tuning waxes were to be pasted at the right amount. The factors that affected the quality of the ranad thum keys the most were the results of Cha-od’s accumulated experience as a carpenter, combined with his personal finesse in each of the ranad thum making steps. He also maintained his expertise through constant trials and errors, experimentation, and innovation.