Baan Praya Sor or Praya Sor House, Bang Khon thi, Samutsongkhram

       

(Somporn Ketkaew, the owner) 

      Baan Praya Sor or Praya Sor House is the house of the wood craftsman who produces Kala Fiddle or Coconut Alto Fiddle, Thais call "Sor Ôo". Sor is a traditional Thai musical instrument, a stringed instrument. Somporn Ketkaew is Praya Sor House owner. 

             
     Somporn Ketkaew fascinates the sound of "Sor Ôo" and love to play "Sor Ôo" until bringing him interested in "Sor Ôo" production. He owns a coconut plantation. Coconut skull which makes "Sor Ôo or Kala Fiddle" is different from the ordinary coconuts, called "Sor Coconut". Their shape is a triangle shape and making the sound better. Sor Coconut is a valuable, expensive coconut and suitable for making musical instruments. The price of Sor Coconut starts at 500 to 100,000 baht. The small Sor Coconut often use to make "Sor Saan Saai", the big Sor Coconut use to make "Sor Ôo or Kala Fiddle". The cheap Kala Fiddles or which sell in a department store, JJ mall usually made of the ordinary coconut.

(coconut trees for making the Kala Fiddle) 

          As the history, Sor coconut is usually grown in brackish water. The lower of Maeklong River basin is a coconut grove which is the Located in Bang Khon Thi District, Samutsongkhram province, but Sor Coconut is not easy to grow and not everyone can grow it. A long time ago, this area began to have lychee and grapefruit that gives the better income, so the people forgot about Sor Coconut. Today, There are only four Sor Coconut trees in Samutsongkhram which have two coconut trees in Praya Sor House, each coconut tree in Bang Nok Khwaek sub-district and Yaai Paeng sub-district.

         In his life, he has produced only around 4-5 thousand. His Kala Fiddle identity is the raw material, make of Sor Coconut only, and carving patterns.

"He wants to create the memorable culture product, 

 this product must not be just the cultural junk."