Ger Xiong uses a banana leaf to blow a variety of melodies and bird calls in a clip from "Speaking Musically: An Introduction to Traditional Hmong Music."
The leaf (nplooj) was the ultimate in portable music making for young people growing up in Laos. It was an instant instrument that could be made from almost any nearby plant or tree. The loud, high-pitched sound it produced could be heard throughout the forest and could even carry between mountaintops. During times of war, bird calls could be used as signals in combat and secret messages could be communicated with words played as melodies.
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