~I~)~$1~1I Figure 2
Figure]
II
throughout a piece, instead just playing octave tremolos at the ends of phrases. Since Loeung is self-taught he developed this style on his own. Loeung also credits his hammers with allowing him to play without looking at his instrument. (He told me this allows him to greet customers when they walk into restaurants.) When he plays, the khim is tilted away from him so the soundboard is facing out. With his hammers so flexible, they simply hang down, and with the feel he has developed for the bridge spacing, he does not need to see the
heard and saw.) When Tvisited him with my 18-17 Lee Spears concert grand, he played it with no difficulty, even expanding the range of the tunes to take advantage of the larger range of my dulcimer. Today Loeung plays at weddings and occasionallakhoun ~ performances. He is the leader of the Khmer Mahori Ensemble that plays traditional Cambodian, as well as western music, at various events in Minnesota, including a recent opening of The King And T, A Taste Of Minnesota, and the Red Wing Arts Festival. He has also been the house musician at a Cambodian restaurant in Minneapolis. Working through Traditional Historic and Ethnic Arts (T.H.E.A.), and its director, Cliff Sloane, Loeung was awarded a Minnesota State Arts Board Fellowship in music in 1986, one of four
chosen from over 300 applicants. The fellowship provides financial support so he can give lessons and pass his knowledge of traditional music to other Cambodians. T.H.E.A. is also supporting the Khmer Mahori Ensemble's application for listing and funding with the Arts Midwest Touring Catalog. A cassette tape of Loeung's music, Cambodian Traditional Music In Minnesota, was recorded at New Year's parties
in 1982 and 1983. The tape, which was chosen by tile Library of Congress as one of the best folklife recordings of 1984, is available for $8 from World Music Enterprises, 717 Avondale, Canton, OH 44240. Stu Janis is a dulcimer player and teacher living in Sr. Paul, Minnesota. In real life he' s a statistician wiIJ13M.
strings. Tilting th e in strum ent away from
him also allows the sound to go more toward the audience. Loeung has not seen many American dulcimer players, but this does not prevent him from being able to play American instruments. (He did attend a John McCutcheon concert in Minneapolis once and, needless to say, liked what he
The design on the inSLrumcnt is the Angkor Temple in Cambodia. Phoro· Dick J-Iensold
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