Goblet drum

In Cambodia, cup drums have a unique laced membrane. Today, they are made of wood, but in the past they were made of clay. This technology has been abandoned because it was too fragile. On the sculptures, goblet drums never appear in their entirety because the foot of the instrument is hidden between the musician's thighs.

One of the most beautiful representations once belonged to a high relief lintel of Vat Baset, now in Musée Guimet (Paris). It is a scene from the Reamker. The flared head of the drum, along which the skin's tension ties run, is clearly visible; one can also see the lower and upper rings around which the ties turn, as well as the waist carrying device.

A scene from the Reamker (1) in the northwest corner pavilion of Angkor Wat also shows two monkeys playing a goblet drum.

In Angkor Wat, in scenes from the Battle of Lanka (2), some of these drums appear in a martial situation, with the same carrying device.

In the north gallery of Angkor Wat, these drums are also shown in a martial context. (3)

In Cambodia, the wooden skor daey, formerly commonly made of clay, is the descendant of Angkorian iconographic representations. There are, however, other goblet drums in this country with differentiated shapes for various uses (skor thon, skor arak, skor chaiyam).