From khim to keyboard: Fern in Pathum Thani compares the Thai hammered dulcimer with the piano's hidden hammers

Fern is twelve and lives in a quiet moo baan near Lam Luk Ka in Pathum Thani. At school she plays the khim in the Thai music ensemble, sitting cross-legged in front of a trapezoid box strung with brass wires, striking them with two thin bamboo beaters. At home she practises an upright piano that belonged to her aunt. For a long time she thought the two had nothing in common.

The khim reached Thailand in the early twentieth century, adapted from a Chinese instrument, which itself descended from Persian dulcimers. It has around forty-two strings in groups of three, tuned to the Thai scale. Players use beaters with soft tips to produce a shimmering, bell-like tone, often with rapid tremolos that make notes ring and sustain.

Two instruments, one secret mechanism

One afternoon her piano teacher lifted the top of the upright and asked Fern to press a key while watching inside. A small felt hammer leapt forward, struck three strings, and fell back. Fern gasped: it was a khim, hidden inside a cabinet and operated by levers instead of bamboo. That moment changed how she approached touch.

Now she begins with a habit. Fern lays her school pencil flat on the stand and breathes out slowly through her nose until her wrists feel loose. On the khim, a stiff wrist makes the beaters bounce badly; her ensemble teacher had drilled flexibility into her. The same looseness, she realised, frees her fingers to throw the piano's hammers cleanly.

Striking well on either instrument depends on speed rather than force. A quick, light motion makes the string ring brightly; a heavy press muffles it. Fern started practising scales with the idea of flicking each hammer rather than pushing it, and her tone grew clearer. She heard it described as playing into the string, then letting go.

Damping also differs. On the khim, players often let notes ring or stop them with their fingers. On the piano, felt dampers rest on the strings and lift when a key or the right foot is pressed. Fern experimented with letting chords ring and then releasing them, listening to how the sound faded, just as she does with her bamboo beaters.

Thai music uses a different tuning from Western scales, with seven roughly equal steps in an octave. Fern noticed that some Thai melodies sounded slightly 'off' on the piano. Her teacher explained the reason and encouraged her to choose tunes that adapt well, like a simplified Lao Duang Duen, which she now plays for her grandparents.

Evening practice includes a session with TiGA AI. The app listens as she plays a short melody and shows a bar for each note's volume. Early recordings showed spiky, uneven bars because she sometimes jabbed the keys. The AI piano teacher suggested lighter, faster strokes and slower practice. After ten days, the bars looked as even as her khim tremolos.

Her father, who loves old Thai songs, plays recordings from his youth during dinner. Fern then tries picking out the tunes on the upright, comparing them with the khim versions. These evening listening games have made the family table a little concert hall, and her father has started humming along.

Fern also completes online piano learning homework each weekend: a video comparing instruments around the world, followed by a recording challenge. She enjoyed one lesson showing the cimbalom of Hungary and the santur of Iran, cousins of her own khim.

Students who learn piano alongside a traditional instrument develop a broader ear. A flexible piano course can welcome that background, linking local music with classical technique rather than treating them as separate worlds.

Fern also notices that she can play piano with more confidence in ensembles now. She listens to other players as she does in the Thai group, adjusting her volume so no one is drowned out. Her tutor believes that skill takes some students years to learn.

Kids who play music from their own culture gain pride as well as skill. Fern recently performed a Thai melody on piano at a school assembly, then switched to the khim for the second verse. Classmates cheered for both, and she felt the two instruments shaking hands.

Families in Pathum Thani who prefer in-studio music lessons can find teachers who welcome traditional backgrounds. Regular piano lessons, combined with daily feedback at home, help a child like Fern grow on both instruments at once.

Frequently asked questions

Q: What is a khim? A: The khim is a hammered dulcimer used in Thai and Cambodian music. Players strike its strings with two flexible bamboo sticks tipped with soft leather or cloth.

Q: Is a piano a string instrument or a percussion instrument? A: Both, in a sense. Keys move felt hammers that strike strings, so it is often described as a struck-string instrument.

Q: Can learning another instrument help piano progress? A: Yes. Any instrument trains ear, rhythm and coordination, and comparing them deepens understanding of sound.

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