Listen to the saung
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
How the saung makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the saung 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 saung (Burmese: စောင်း, MLCTS caung; also known as the saung-gauk (စောင်းကောက်): IPA: [sáʊɰ̃ɡaʊʔ], Burmese harp, Burma harp, or Myanmar harp), is an arched harp used in traditional Burmese music. The saung is regarded as a national musical instrument of Burma. The saung is unique in that it is a very ancient harp tradition and is said to be the only surviving harp in Asia.
Other harps
More instruments from Myanmar
Frequently asked questions
What does a saung sound like?
Listen to 2 recordings on this page. 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 saung?
It is classified as harps (Hornbostel–Sachs 322.11).
Where does the saung come from?
The saung originates from Myanmar.
Sources & credits
- Rm-sursilv-la ligiongia da saung by Speaker: Erwin Ardüser – CC0 1.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Rm-sursilv-la pressiun dil saung by Speaker: Erwin Ardüser – CC0 1.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q339306 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Saung – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by ReflectedSerendipity from United Kingdom – CC BY-SA 2.0