 A side-blown Cambodian musical instrument called a Sneng ស្នែង, made from a cow's horn, sits in front of an end-blown sneng, made from a water buffalo horn. The side-blown instrument's mouthpiece is visible on the side of the horn. | |
| Other names | saamleng sneng |
|---|---|
| Classification |
side-blown: woodwind end-blown: brass |
| Hornbostel–Sachs classification | side-blown: 422.33 end-blown: 423.121.21 (side-blown: horns with free reed end-blown: labrosones with curved tubes without mouthpiece) |
| Related instruments | |
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The sneng or snaeng (Khmer: ស្នែង, "horn") is an aerophone made from an ox horn or water buffalo horn. It is loud enough to call across a distance and has been used in rural environments to signal mealtimes, give warning, call for help or indicate a need to return to the village. It was also used to call domestic elephants in from the field, and hunters communicated with it.[1]
Two different types of sneng exist:
- The more common one is a side-blown instrument with a rectangular hole on the side of the horn, where a bamboo single-free-reed mouthpiece is fastened with wax.[1][2] The reed there can be either blown or sucked to produce a tone.[1] Both ends of the horn are open and function as finger holes to change the pitch,[1] the pointed end covered by the left index finger and the wide end covered by the right palm.[2] This type is capable of two notes, tuned a fourth apart.[1]
- Another type is an end-blown instrument with the tip of the horn cut off and without the bamboo mouthpiece, like the conventional blowing horn. It is less common because it produces only one note.[2]