How the pin makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the pin belongs to the harps: strings run at an angle away from the soundboard, each plucked open.
More broadly it is one of the chordophones (string instruments), where sound comes from vibrating strings, amplified by a resonating body.
Press play above and watch the spectrum: the evenly spaced peaks are harmonics, and their relative strength is what gives the instrument its character.
From Wikipedia
The pin is a Cambodian arched harp, one of the most historically important instruments in Cambodian music. The instrument went extinct c. 16th century, and is now being restored in modern times. Its historical importance is emphasized by the very name for Cambodian classical music, pinpeat (Khmer: ពិណពាទ្យ). After the pin was no longer being used, Cambodians continued to use the instrument's name for classical music into the present era. When the pin was no longer being used, the tonal range of other instruments was expanded, possibly to compensate. Burmese saung gauk and roneats had more keys for the chromatic scale and the number of gongs in the kong von thom and kong toch "more than doubled in number since the musician depicted on the Angkorian carvings."
Other harps
Questions people ask
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Frequently asked questions
What does a pin sound like?
As one of the harps, its sound comes from the way strings run at an angle away from the soundboard, each plucked open.
What type of instrument is the pin?
It is classified as harps (Hornbostel–Sachs 322.11).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q60750638 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Pin (harp) – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Turaids – CC BY-SA 4.0