Playing the Leaf - Tshuab Nplooj

Ger Xiong uses a banana leaf to blow a variety of melodies and bird calls in a clip from "Speaking Musically: An Introduction to Traditional Hmong Music" (2001).

The leaf (nplooj) was the ultimate in portable music making for young Hmong people growing up in Laos. It was an instant instrument that could be made from almost any nearby plant. The loud, high-pitched sound it produced could be heard throughout the forest and could even carry between mountaintops. During times of war, bird calls could be used as signals in combat and secret messages could be communicated with words played as melodies.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• hmoob
• hmong
• music
• ethnomusicology

[AtarashiNOhi]

The bird calls are cool. I wish I could do that.

[normalperson]

indeed great!

[4dao]

very awesome

showing Hmong Club indeed ;)

[niamtxiv]

I love this. Reminds me of my mother when she used to always blow a variety of melodies using leaf.