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Javanese drum combination consists of two drums, an oboe, and a single gong, which are played by four persons (see plate XV).
The difference between the Malay drum and the Javanese drum is that the faces of the first are held together with leather lashes, it is larger and is struck with a wooden stick on one side and on the other with the hand, whereas the faces of the second are held together with rattan and it is struck with the hands on both sides.
The use of these two different instruments in Siam appears to be as follows:—
They must have been introduced into Siam at different periods on different occasions. The Malay drum came first, probably employed in royal processions, in which the Malays took part, such as the elephant processions, and later on in the cremation procession of kings and princes. Finally its exclusive use is the provision of music in connection with the dead. The Javanese drum was probably introduced into Siam in connection with certain dances, such as the sword dance and the club dance, and proceeded perhaps from its use in the kriss dance. It was employed in processions, like the tonsure procession, the royal procession of barges, the gong not being used.
We may suppose that originally the Malay drum was employed in those processions, but later on, when the same drum came to be employed on occasions connected with the dead, it became an inauspicious instrument and therefore was replaced by the Javanese drum without the gong.
The introduction of Javenese drum into the Siamese 'Pī Pāt' in all probability dated from the adaptation to the Siamese stage of the Javanese story of Inao, in Ayudhya, for instance during the representation of Javanese dances, such as the kriss dance. Later when the 'Pī Pāt' played airs of Javanese origin, such as the 'Pleng Baolut' and the 'Saraburang', the Javanese drum was employed in the 'Pī Pāt' as a substitute for the 'Thon' drum. Again, even for airs borrowed from the 'Mahorī' such as the 'Phra Thong', the Javanese drum was employed instead of the 'Thap' and the 'Rammanā'. Finally the Javanese drum became a permanent part of the 'Pī Pāt'.
