The Selection-Purchase of Wot and Kaen: A Case Study at Bang Tha Ruea, Nakhon Phanom

Abstract

In Northeast Thailand, the wot and the kaen are very popular
indigenous musical instruments that are widely available for sale. This case study on
the selection-purchase process of these two instruments at Bang Tha Ruea, Na Wa District, Nakhon Phanom, was conducted by two student researchers and one lecturer. The field study was conducted between February 2560 and May 2560 to collect data from documents, field research and field work,
employing personal interviews with experts, suppliers, manufacturers and buyers. The collected data is then analyzed with the following results.
There are two kinds of Wot available for sale : ordinary Wot and high quality Wot.
1. General Characteristics of ordinary Wot.
1.1 The wooden ball is made from quality wood, with thickness between 0.6 to 1 mm.
1.2 The beeswax plugs should look rigid and at the same time, ensure the smooth passage of air through the pipes.
1.3 The sound is clear and not distorted, and blowing with no hissing sound.
1.4 The price of one Wot is around 150 baht.
2. The features of the high quality Wot are as follows:
2.1 The top of the wooden mouthpiece must be smooth.
2.2 The appearance must be aesthetically pleasing, with no visible signs of breakage or deformation.
2.3 The sound quality produced should be clear and brilliant, with no need to adjust the sound level.
2.4 The price of a high quality Wot is from 180 baht or higher.
1. General Characteristics of ordinary Kaen.
1.1 The blowing chamber of Kaen is made of quality wood and has an average thickness of 0.9 mm. The blowing tongue is made of copper with a thickness of 0.3 mm.
1.2 The beeswax plugs are soft but tough and resilient.
1.3 When blowing on the pipes, no additional noise or
distortion should be produced; the same must be so with the reverse
sucking sound.
1.4 The price of an ordinary Kaen is 800 baht or more.
2. The high quality Kaen has the following features:
2.1 The blowing chamber is made of silver metal, which
requires less wind power to blow.
2.2 The mechanism should be easy to blow to produce all the notes and resonances.
2.3. The price of a good quality Kaen will cost about
2,500 Baht
The price factor in the production of the instrument is always related to quality. It is therefore recommended that quality musical instruments must be purchased directly from the maker or otherwise, from reliable suppliers.

There are two kinds of Kaen available for sale : ordinary Kaen and high quality Kaen.