Khlui

The khlui is probably the first wind instrument which the Thai devised themselves although the shape of the instrument is very similar to Indian flute. The khluiis also similar to the Japanese flute. In the old days, the khlui was made of a long length of one variety of bamboo, cut so that there would be a "node 1" from the lower end. This node, however, was pierced so that there was an open shaft throughout the entire length of the instrument. This is still the basic model used today. After cutting and hollowing, the instrument is carefully dried out over a fire.

This makes the instrument less bare and more attractive. On the front side, small, round holes are made in a row. Fingers are used to open and close the holes to change the pitch of the sound. No reed of any kind is used. The mouthpiece consists of a piece of wood, almost the size of the opening in the end of the bamboo. It is inserted into this opening and made smooth across the end. The underneath side of this "peg" (called daak in Thai) is cut diagonally away from one side toward the center of the peg, including a small portion of the round top, leaving, when it is inserted into the bamboo, a small space through which air is blown when the instrument is played.