gyaling

• Name — Gyaling • Classification — Double reed • Related — *Sorna • Rhaita • Suona • Sopila • Shawm • Zurna • Duduk

The gyaling is oboe-like in appearance with a long hardwood body and copper brass bell. The instrument is generally covered with ornate embellishments of colored glass. The double reed, which is made from a single stem of marsh grass, is placed upon a small metal channel that protrudes out of the top. There are eight (8) fingerholes on a standard gyaling. To play a gyaling requires a technique called circular breathing, in which the instrument is played continuously, even while the musician breathes. The reed is placed fully in the player’s mouth but does not touch it; the lips are pressed against the flat metal channel below the reed. Airflow affects the gyaling's tuning. Gyaling technique varies depending on the lineage and ritual.

A typical Tibetan Buddhist ritual orchestra consists of a gyaling, dungchen, kangling, dungkar (conch shells), drillbu (handbells), silnyen (vertical cymbals), and most importantly, chanting. Together, the music creates a state of mind to invite or summon deities. Often, the style of performance is similar to that of a bagpipe, with many short and fast neighbor tones.

• Illustration — Gyaling at the National Museum of World Cultures and the World Museum. • Illustration — Monk at Key Monastery Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, India. • Illustration — Tharlam Monastery, Boudha, Kathmandu, Nepal • Illustration — Playing gyaling at Lingshed Monastery