Myanmar Musical Orchestra

The Myanma Musical Orchestra will consist of the leader who will be playing the circular drums, the oboe player, the brass gong player, the small gong player, the main drum player, the symbol player who plays the rhythm beat, on whose rhythm, the whole orchestra relies on for the melody.

The music ensemble of Myanmar is somewhat different from that of European orchestra. It is dominated by percussion instruments, and the strings are absent here, its centre base is a circle of 21 drums called drum circle, which is the main function of Saing Waing or Myanmar orchestra. In other words, it can be called Putwainggyi or big circle drum because small orchestra or Putwainglay has only 9 drums. 
Around this gong-circle of Kyeewaing which is a full-scale instrument like the drum circle. These are a single large drum or Putmagyi (six-side drum of Chaukloneput), stick struck drum of Seedo, bamboo flute (Palway), oboe (Hne`), bamboo clappers or Warlatkhote, cymbals or lakgwin. In Myanmar music, its beats and rhythm are pounded by Se and War.

All these companion support the Saing Waing or drum circle systematically. Every player has to know by heart the left hand and right hand combinations and permutations of the notes of the composition just as much as the player of the drum circle. In deed, the gongs have to supply the notes omitted by the drums in their re-occupation with rhythm and emphasis.

Myanmar singing most in key is the required direction in curves and loops, deeps and loose in free variation of rhythm and embellishment. It is free to pause on the pen artefact note for as long as the singer and the instrumentalist think fit. Such crescendo would be unthinkable in a European orchestra. So, we'd like to invite you to study at least one's performance of Myanmar orchestra.