Ranat Ek Online: 21-Bar Thai Xylophone
The ranat ek is the Thai xylophone that leads the piphat ensemble: wooden bars over a boat-shaped resonator, struck with two mallets. This ranat ek online has 21 bars in the real order, from the lowest on the left, ซ (sol), to the highest on the right, ฟ (fa), with the seven Thai notes repeating three times. Some instruments have 22 bars. The three ด bars are darker, so you can find your place at a glance.
How to use it
- Tap or click a bar to strike it. Several fingers work at once, and dragging across the bars runs the scale.
- On a computer keyboard, Z X C V B N M , . / play bars 1 to 10 from the left and Q W E R T Y U I O P [ play bars 11 to 21. Esc stops every sound.
- Under Key labels, choose Note names, Computer keyboard shortcuts or No labels.
- Press Record, play, and press it again to stop. Then use Play, ↓ WAV, ↓ MIDI or Share.
- On a phone, tap the full screen button and turn the phone sideways: the bars get bigger and easier to hit.
Help and explanations
The tuning is Thai, not the piano's: seven equal steps of about 171 cents per octave. The sound is a recorded wooden bar, played at the Thai pitch of each bar (a synthesized sound fills in while it loads). Strike with several fingers at once, the mouse or the computer keyboard, then record, download WAV or MIDI and share a link. Everything runs on your device; nothing is sent to a server.
Thai note names and the C D E labels
Thai notation writes the seven notes as ด ร ม ฟ ซ ล ท. On this page each bar shows its scale degree in your own note names: ด is C (or Do), ร is D, ม is E, ฟ is F, ซ is G, ล is A and ท is B. Bar 1 reads G, bars 4, 11 and 18 read C, and the top bar reads F. With a Thai score, just swap letter for letter.
These labels are degrees, not piano pitches. A piano splits the octave into 12 semitones of 100 cents; this ranat uses the Thai pitch table of the Fine Arts Department, seven equal steps of about 171 cents, with ด at about 342 Hz on bar 4, nearer a piano F than a C. Since many Thai notes fall between piano keys, this page has no chord or scale highlighter and no note challenge. Real instruments also vary from one to the next.
Tunes to practise
Three well-known Thai melodies make good first pieces: ลาวกระทบไม้ (Lao Krathop Mai), ค้างคาวกินกล้วย (Khang Khao Kin Kluai) and ลาวดวงเดือน (Lao Duang Duean). Get the notation from a teacher or a school book. Thai scores are written in boxes of four, with a dash where no new note is struck.
The WAV file keeps the Thai tuning you hear; the MIDI file rounds each bar to the nearest piano note, so it is only an approximation. For a xylophone in Western tuning, use the online xylophone.
Tips
- Find ด first: the dark bars are 4, 11 and 18, on the V, Q and I keys. Count up or down from there.
- Play the scale up and down slowly with the metronome, then raise the tempo a little at a time.
- Choose No labels and strike the notes a friend calls out, without looking.
Frequently asked questions
How do I play the ranat ek with a computer keyboard?
The bottom row, from Z to /, plays bars 1 to 10, and the top row, from Q to [, plays bars 11 to 21. The ด bars are on V, Q and I. Esc stops every sound.
How many bars does a ranat ek have?
Usually 21 or 22. This one has 21, from ซ on the far left to ฟ on the far right.
Why does the bar labelled C not sound like a piano C?
C stands for ด, the first degree of the Thai scale. With seven equal steps of about 171 cents, ด on bar 4 sounds at about 342 Hz, close to a piano F.
Is it free, and can I send what I play?
Yes, it is free, with no sign-up or app. Press Record, play and stop. Share creates a link with the notes inside it; ↓ WAV saves the audio in Thai tuning and ↓ MIDI saves the nearest piano notes.