The song I chose for this week’s song share is titled “Low Key Gliding” by Hal Walker, who hails from Kent, Ohio, but somehow found success in playing the khaen.  The khaen is of course a mouth organ that is considered a native instrument to Laos and Northeast Thailand.  Hal grew up playing the harmonica and is a proficient player of the instrument which helped pique his interest  in the “grandmother of the harmonica” which is the Khaen.  Interestingly enough, a scholar of the Khaen lived in his hometown and influenced Hal to travel to remote villages of Northeast Thailand where he met the makers of the instrument.  Walker gained popularity through social media through posting himself playing the Khaen on Instagram and TikTok.  His most recognized melody played on the Khaen is the melody in the song I have shared, and that melody is what propelled him to become a viral sensation for a short time being.  Over the past 2-3 years he has amassed a large social media following which includes 219 thousand Instagram followers and 2.3 million followers on TikTok with multiple videos that have millions of likes.  Social media actually happens to be the reason that I stumbled upon Hal Walker and his talents, as I found the famous video of him playing the Khaen to this melody around 2 years ago.  The song and the way he plays the instrument though, is really special in my opinion.  After watching videos of his performances, it is very apparent that this instrument is difficult to play as Walker utilizes the circular breathing method as he plays the organ for seven minutes nonstop.  The khaen plays such a unique melody that is very peaceful to listen to, and in my experience in listening to the song, it almost puts me in a trance at times.  Walker also puts his own spin on how it is played in Northeast Thailand, and uses his experience with the harmonica to guide his playing.  With all being said, this song has a very unique instrument played by a very unique performer.