Tube zither

Tube zither

Modern form of tube zither among highland minority groups in Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. It may be held against the chest. This particular instrument is the kong ring គង់រេង, which can substitute for a chorus of gongs, quietly.
String instrument
Classification	String instrument Chordophone Plucked string instrument Bowed string instrument Percussion stringed instrument
Hornbostel–Sachs classification	List of chordophones by Hornbostel–Sachs number (312, simple chordophone, tube zither 312.11 tube zither, whole, idiochord 312.12 tube zither, whole, heterochord 312.121.71 heterochord tube zither, whole, no extra resonator, played with bow 312.21 half-tube zithers, idiochord 312.22 half-tube zithers, heterochord)
Developed	Developed in South Asia and/or Southeast Asia. Variation visible in art and literature for more than 1000 years.
Decay	bamboo strings, fast decay metal strings, decay is slower

The tube zither is a stringed musical instrument in which a tube functions both as an instrument's neck and its soundbox.^[1] As the neck, it holds strings taut and allows them to vibrate. As a soundbox, it modifies the sound and transfers it to the open air. The instruments are among the oldest of chordophones, being "a very early stage" in the development of chordophones,^[2] and predate some of the oldest chordophones, such as the Chinese Se, zithers built on a tube split in half.^[3] Most tube zithers are made of bamboo, played today in Madagascar, India, Southeast Asia and Taiwan. Tube zithers made from other materials have been found in Europe and the United States, made from materials such as cornstalks and cactus.

There are both round and half tube zithers, as well as tube zithers with the strings cut out of the bamboo body, idiochordic, or, rarely, have separate strings, heterochordic.