The chakhe or krapeu, also called takhe, is a fretted floor zither or lute with three strings used in Thai and Khmer music. The Thai and the Khmer versions of the instrument are virtually identical.[1]
It is made of hardwood in a stylized crocodile shape, approximately 20 cm high and 130–132 cm long. The "head" portion is 52 cm long, 28 cm wide and 9–12 cm deep; the "tail" portion 81 cm long and 11.5 cm wide. It has eleven (chakhe)[2] or twelve (krapeu) raised frets made of bamboo, ivory, bone, or wood,[3] graduated between 2 and 3.5 cm in height,[2] which are affixed to the fretboard with wax or glue. Its highest two strings are made of silk yarn, catgut, or nylon, while the lowest is made of metal.[3] They are tuned C–G–c.[2] The instrument is usually supported by three or five legs.[3]
The player, sitting beside the instrument, uses their left hand on the fretboard while plucking the string with their right hand using a 5- to 6-cm long, tapered plectrum made from ivory, bone, or water buffalo horn, which is tied to the player's index finger, and bracing it with the thumb and index finger.[2] The instrument produces a buzzing sound because the strings are raised slightly off the flat bridge by a sliver of bamboo or other thin material such as plastic.
Cambodian woman playing a krapeu ក្រពើ or takhe តាខេ. The drum that is audible is a skor daey goblet drums or another short Cambodian goblet drum.
A Cambodian woman plays a krapeu ក្រពើ or takhe តាខេ. She is using her left hand to press on the strings and specify notes while her right hand plucks with a plectrum.
In Thai music, the chakhe is part of the Mahori ensemble; in Khmer music, the krapeu is part of the equivalent Mohori. Among the Khmer classical instruments, the takhe is probably the most recently introduced; it is assumed to be adopted from Thai music.[3] It is used for wedding music, A-yai, and Chapei music, as well as modern music.
Chakhe and krapeu are also related to the Myanmar/Monmi gyaung(kyam), which has realistic zoological features and not just the abstract form of a crocodile.[2] More distantly, they are also related to the IndianVeena.[citation needed]