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The khlui (Thai: ขลุ่ย, Thai pronunciation: [kʰlùj]) is a vertical duct bamboo flute from Thailand, which originated before or during the Sukhothai period (1238–1583). It was officially recognized as a Thai instrument by King Trailokkanat (1431–1488), who set the official model of each traditional Thai instrument. It is generally made of bamboo, though instruments are also made from hardwood or plastic. After many generations of modifications, it survives to the present day in three main forms: the khlui phīang aw, khlui lip, and khlui ū, which are of different sizes.[1] The khlui is very similar to the Cambodian khloy.
The khlui generally has eight finger holes (seven on the front and one on the back for the left thumb), with the finger holes on the front traditionally spaced equidistantly in order to produce a tuning of seven more or less equal divisions of the octave.[1] It formerly also had an additional hole, placed low on the instrument, over which a buzzing membrane was stretched (similar to the dimo membrane used on the Chinese dizi, but in the modern day few khlui players use a membrane. The khlui was named after the first king of Thailand