Art : Mien musical instruments

     The musical instruments of Mien people are not complicated, but the only chance to hear Mien instruments is during big and important ceremonies and worship – they are not played just for leisure. Instruments are used in the Mien wedding, ordainment, funeral and Chew-Ta-Hyua (calling a spirit back from hell) ceremonies. Some ceremonies do not have the whole set of musical instruments – it depends on the ceremony in question and the person hosting the ceremony. For example, music in a funeral ceremony that do not be ordained cannot use the flute, while in the ceremony to call the spirit back from hell, a cymbal and drum are used. We can not hear the music from Mien people if they do not have the ceremonies or we can not hear the voice even they practice the Mien music.

The beat and melody of Mien music vary depending on the ceremony. In the wedding ceremony, when the bridal pair pays its respects to the ancestor spirits, the sky and the earth, the music will have its own melody and beat, while when the guests eat, the music adopts a new beat and the melody. Those who understand the meaning of the beat and melody are able to understand the story or the situation without seeing anything. Since Mien is unique among the tribes in only playing music on special occasions, they do not have the same forms of entertainment as other tribes.

Mien musical instruments come in two categories:      There is one wind instrument: a flute or Jyud in Mien language. Miens have only one flute. It is made from copper and brass.      1.There are three kinds of Mien percussion instruments: drums, gongs and cymbals.      2.Drum: The Mien calls this Choy or Lor-Choy. It has two faces. The drumhead is made from cowhide. Around 300 small sticks decorate the drum.      Gong: Mien calls their gong Mung. It is made from a metal alloy and is similar to the Thai gong. Cymbal: Mien calls their cymbal Chao-Juey orChaw. It is made from brass. It is similar to the Thai cymbal and has two pieces, which are hit together.

http://mien.hilltribe.org/english/