The article is about the perception and playing of the Keng, a woodwind instrument, of the Hmong, in private places, e.g., funerals, and in public spaces, e.g., courting. Different regulations apply when playing the instrument in both places and the players must play and dance at the same time. In funerals, the player must play and have correct temporal body movements because the sound of the music signifies a journey to the ancestors’ world of the dead, which is incomprehensible to the living. This is different from playing for pleasure where the player has more freedom in his playing and more body movement. The author indicates that playing the correct song of death is necessary for being Hmong and it separates the ethnic group from others.