Rachel’s Travels

Honestly I’ve had the most amazing day. I have loads of pics of the dochla pass, the divine madman’s village and the temple (see below) and the wonderful dzong at Punakha.

However the part I enjoyed the most was inside the temple when the monks were chanting and then playing their instruments. I have no pictures as you are not allowed to video or take pictures.

There were approximately ten monks. They chanted using small notebooks with all the chants in. The chants were fairly fast and the chanting went up or down one tone.

Sometimes the drums beat so the chanting was in time with that. Sometimes not.

At the end of each section, the instruments played: two large ‘dtung’ playing low fundamental notes plus a fifth up. C – G- G- C. Smaller horns also sounded drone like notes in the middle register. Two ‘o-bees’ (double reed oboe type instruments) played a higher melody with some trills and decorations. There were two drums played with ‘crook’ like beaters and one pair of cymbals playing low non-crashing sounds.

It sounded like no groups of beat but linear playing with the text (just drums) and then improvisational sections. It was hard to say who was leading – perhaps no one, perhaps the low dtung as their notes signaled the next section? Sometimes it looked like cymbals giving signals, sometimes maybe the ‘o-bee’.

It was very interesting to see and hear. I would be interested to hear some Thai religious music and compare it. I bet it’s not a world away.

I enjoyed it so much I bought my very own ‘dtung’!!