The hsaing waing (Burmese: ဆိုင်းဝိုင်း, pronounced [sʰáiɰ̃ wáiɰ̃]; also spelled hsaing waing), known as the Burmese traditional orchestra (မြန်မာ့ဆိုင်း), is a musical group from Myanmar. It plays music for rituals, performances, and ceremonies. Musicians use scales similar to those in Indonesian gamelan. The main instruments are the pat waing, kyi waing, and hne. These instruments play different versions of the same melody.

Origins

The hsaing waing comes from native musical traditions in Myanmar. It has been influenced by music from nearby Southeast Asian countries. The main instrument in the hsaing waing ensemble is a drum circle called pat waing. This drum circle still uses tuning methods from India, and it is seen as the last example of Indian musical tools in Southeast Asia. Similar groups that use gongs and chimes are found in Thailand and Laos, where they are called piphat, and in Cambodia, where they are called pinpeat. However, these groups do not use a drum circle like the pat waing.

The earliest pictures of the hsaing waing ensemble date to the 1600s. This time period matches when the Burmese invaded the Ayutthaya Kingdom, which may have added new instruments, such as a gong chime called kyi waing. However, the Burmese hsaing waing has a much greater variety of instruments and different musical style compared to Thai folk ensembles. Many of the hsaing waing instruments are also found in the piphat mon ensemble from the Mon people, showing they may have shared origins.

During the British colonial period, a famous musician named Sein Beda made changes to the ensemble. These changes included adding traditional Burmese designs and glass mosaics to the ensemble’s stands, adding a jazz band to the performance, using spotlights, and giving musicians uniforms to wear.

Instrumentation

The hsaing waing ensemble includes many percussion and wind instruments, such as gongs and drums:

• Pat waing (ပတ်ဝိုင်း) or pat lon (ပတ်လုံး) – a circle of 18 to 21 drums that can play over three octaves
• Kyi waing (ကြေးဝိုင်း) – small bronze gongs arranged in a circular frame
• Maung hsaing (မောင်းဆိုင်း) – a gong chime made of larger bronze gongs in a rectangular frame
• Wa letkhot (ဝါးလက်ခုပ်, lit. "bamboo clapper") – wooden clappers
• Hne (နှဲ) – a double reed oboe
• Si (စည်း) – a bell
• Wa (ဝါး) – a clapper
• Si to (စည်းတို)
• Lingwin (လင်းကွင်း) – cymbals made of bronze
• Sakhun (စခွန့်) – a double-headed drum on a stand
• Chauk lon pat (ခြောက်လုံးပတ်, lit. "six drums") – a set of eight tuned drums
• Pat ma gyi (ပတ်မကြီး) – a large drum hanging from a pole frame that shows a mythical figure called pyinsarupa
• Min pauk (မင်းပေါက်, lit. "lord's entrance") – a panel entryway that forms the frame of a drum circle

In more formal and classical performances, the ensemble may include the saung gauk (a Burmese harp), the pattala (a Burmese xylophone), or the piano and violin, which were introduced during the colonial period. Brass instruments may also be added. The Mon version of the hsaing waing ensemble includes a crescent-shaped brass gong chime called la gyan hsaing in Burmese.

Music from the hsaing waing ensemble is used in singing, dancing, and dialogues during all types of theatrical performances. Burmese scholars recognize five main types of hsaing waing ensembles:

• Bala hsaing (ဗလာဆိုင်း) – performed at celebrations such as weddings, Buddhist ordination rituals (shinbyu), ear-piercing ceremonies, funerals, lethwei competitions, and pagoda commemorations
• Zat hsaing (ဇာတ်ဆိုင်း) – used to accompany traditional dramatic theatre and play performances
• Yokthe hsaing (ရုပ်သေးဆိုင်း) – used to accompany classical marionette (puppet) shows
• Nat hsaing (နတ်ဆိုင်း) – used to accompany spirit propitiation rituals
• Anyeint hsaing (အငြိမ့်ဆိုင်း) – used to accompany traditional anyeint performances

Each type of hsaing waing ensemble has its own unique set of recognizable tunes.

Musical styles

The music of hsaing waing has lively and sudden changes in rhythm, melody, and tempo. Compared to most classical music from other countries, hsaing waing music is more unpredictable and can be harder to follow. Most of the music includes a chorus, but the chorus does not always return near the end. The melody usually follows a regular pattern of 4 to 8 beats. Dances like anyeint, as well as performances with nat gadaw and marionette puppets, are played with hsaing waing music. The sudden changes in music are shown through the dancers' movements. The melody is created using tones, which include a system of pitches, main and secondary tones, ending phrases, and decorations. Vocal lines are connected to specific musical modes, which depend on the situation and express different emotions. The gong instruments repeat short musical patterns during performances.

In contrast, the classical singing of the Mahāgīta tradition, which comes from royal chamber music, has a quieter and more controlled style. It is accompanied by either a classical group or a single saung gauk instrument.