| Hne | |
| Classification: | Wind instrument |
| Related: | Shawm Pi (instrument) |
The hne (Burmese: နှဲ; also spelled hnè) is a conical shawm of double reed used in the music of Myanmar.
The earliest extant written occurrence of the word hne dates to 1491 AD and is likely a Middle Mon loan word, derived from sanoy. This sanoy derived from Persian loan word "Shanai".
The hne (Burmese: နှဲ)has a sextuple reed (called hnegan), made from the young leaf of the toddy palm, which is soaked for six months.[1] The body of the hne is made of wood, with a conical bore and seven finger holes at the front, set in a straight line, with a bell (chu) hung at the top.[1] It has a flaring metal bell and has a loud tone, and is used in an ensemble together with xylophone, tuned gongs, and tuned drums. There are two distinct forms: the smaller form is called the hne galay, while the larger is called the hne gyi . The former is used for songs in the ordinary key of the diatonic major scale, while the latter is used for grand style songs in the subdominant mode.[2]