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Sor or Thai Fiddle, Thai musical instrument


           The Sor or Thai Fiddle is a type of traditional Thai musical instrument, stringed instrument. There are three types : 

             1. The skull of the grub made from a coconut shell, called "Coconut Sor, Sor Ôo or Alto Fiddle"  has a rounded shape, like that of a young woman's breast or elephant's head. There are 2 strings. Samutsongkhram province has many coconut trees, so this kind of fiddle is invented here.  

      
          The shell of the Coconut Sor is used as the fiddle body, to form the major structure of the fiddle, so-called "Kala Sor". The coconut shell acts as s sounding board to perfectly produce the notes of traditional Thai music. The Kala Sor is also decorated with intricate carving from a variety of patterns such as the PUDTAN patterns, Characters in Thai literature, Demi-God patttern, Thai Zodiac, or Initials, turning it into a beautiful work of art that produces melodious music like nothing else.

PUDTAN patterns

Demi-God patttern
Cr.Picture : http://www.siamganesh.com/data/dataknowledge/view.php?topic=1

            2. The skull of the grub originally made from a bamboo cylinder, but the present can use the actual wood or ivory work, called "Sor Dûang or Treble Fiddle" has a shape similar animal trap. There are 2 strings.
            3. The skull of the grub made from Coconut shell cut along the transverse side, called "Sor Săam Săai or Three-Stringed Fiddle" has a shape like a woman's face which is more beautiful than other types. There are 3 strings. It is a high-class musical instrument and uses in the royal court. King Rama II loved this kind of Fiddle, so he invented the idea to create it with exquisite and exemplary to this day.


            King Rama II, a devout lover and patron of the arts, thus, the a garden tax exemption in his reign. The tax based on the number of fruit that a person owned possessed.

         




            





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