What is the difference between a Suona and a Ken Bau

[DavidNguyen]

So I have become interested in the Ken Bau, a gourd Oboe from Vietnam. But the closest I can get to one is either a Shawm or Suona, so I must ask, what is the difference between a Ken Bau and a Suona, other than the construction? I know a Suona uses metal and a Ken Bau uses Gourd, but are there any other differences I should know?

[davidmdahl]

Welcome to the forum, David. I don't really know anything about the ken bau other what than the same sources on the Internet that I expect you have found have told me. The ken bau appears to be very similar to the suona. I would be concerned that the Vietnamese version has a scale particular to Hue music. If that is true, it might be hard to play a suona with the right tuning for Hue music, if that is what you want to play. However, maybe the pitch control with the lips is wide enough that the finger hole placement doesn't matter.

Best wishes,

David

[DavidNguyen]

Jun 21, 2014 20:39:40 GMT davidmdahl said:

Welcome to the forum, David. I don't really know anything about the ken bau other what than the same sources on the Internet that I expect you have found have told me. The ken bau appears to be very similar to the suona. I would be concerned that the Vietnamese version has a scale particular to Hue music. If that is true, it might be hard to play a suona with the right tuning for Hue music, if that is what you want to play. However, maybe the pitch control with the lips is wide enough that the finger hole placement doesn't matter.

Best wishes,

David

Thanks for informing me. I'll take it into account.

[davidmdahl]

Hello David,

I contacted a friend who knows a lot more about the suona and related instruments, and he replied "All traditional suona-type instruments throughout Asia have equidistant finger hole spacing and 7-tone equidistant tuning" (David Badagnani).

You might simply listen to Youtube performances of the ken bau and suona. The music will certainly be different, but maybe there is not much different between the instruments.

Best wishes,

David

[DavidNguyen]

Jun 21, 2014 21:38:03 GMT davidmdahl said:

Hello David,

I contacted a friend who knows a lot more about the suona and related instruments, and he replied "All traditional suona-type instruments throughout Asia have equidistant finger hole spacing and 7-tone equidistant tuning" (David Badagnani).

You might simply listen to Youtube performances of the ken bau and suona. The music will certainly be different, but maybe there is not much different between the instruments.

Best wishes,

David

Thank you very much .

[edcat7]

Hi David and welcome,

I know nothing about the ken bau. To me the suona is an acquired taste, it's very loud, typically played at weddings and funerals. Perhaps the difference between the two lies in the type of music they play.

Ed

[davidmdahl]

I followed up with David Badagnani, and he replied as follows.
>>
It's not really a reasonable substitute (despite the fact that I have used a Chinese suona to substitute for a ken when I didn't have a ken available) because every regional type of suona (and there are a lot even in China) has its own timbre and bore diameter/contour, and, most importantly, the material the reed is made from. These are actually different species of cane/reed between northern and southern China. The wooden bell of the ken bau is unique and also contributes a distinct timbre.
<<

Back to my comments...

As a practical matter, I have found that the Vietnamese, and in similar circumstances the Chinese, are not nearly as picky as Westerners about choosing the "right" version of the instrument. I have no firm basis for this other than past experience in similar situations, but I think that a Vietnamese musician would not think twice about using whatever is handy. I don't recall ever seeing a ken bau for sale. You might contact one or more of the online vendors of Vietnamese instruments, such as Thanh Cam Music and ask about a special order. Keep in mind that any of the folk oboes require constant maintenance of the reeds, so you should request plenty of spare reeds. I remember that those of my friends who play the Western oboe, have tool kits and supplies for working on their own reeds. I imagine that the suona and ken bau reeds also require a lot of maintenance.

Best wishes,

David

[DavidNguyen]

Jun 22, 2014 5:37:06 GMT davidmdahl said:

I followed up with David Badagnani, and he replied as follows.
>>
It's not really a reasonable substitute (despite the fact that I have used a Chinese suona to substitute for a ken when I didn't have a ken available) because every regional type of suona (and there are a lot even in China) has its own timbre and bore diameter/contour, and, most importantly, the material the reed is made from. These are actually different species of cane/reed between northern and southern China. The wooden bell of the ken bau is unique and also contributes a distinct timbre.
<<

Back to my comments...

As a practical matter, I have found that the Vietnamese, and in similar circumstances the Chinese, are not nearly as picky as Westerners about choosing the "right" version of the instrument. I have no firm basis for this other than past experience in similar situations, but I think that a Vietnamese musician would not think twice about using whatever is handy. I don't recall ever seeing a ken bau for sale. You might contact one or more of the online vendors of Vietnamese instruments, such as Thanh Cam Music and ask about a special order. Keep in mind that any of the folk oboes require constant maintenance of the reeds, so you should request plenty of spare reeds. I remember that those of my friends who play the Western oboe, have tool kits and supplies for working on their own reeds. I imagine that the suona and ken bau reeds also require a lot of maintenance.

Best wishes,

David

I think I might get a Zurna. The Turkish Zurna is probably the most similar to a Ken Bau. Even though the styles of music are different, you can still hear the very very similar timbre. Also just like a Ken Bau, it uses wood for the bell. It makes me wonder if the Ken Bau came directly from the Zurna, though it's very unlikely