The Ranad-Tum Lek is a melodic percussive instrument which produces beautiful soft resonant musical sounds. It was created under the royal command of King Pinklao (the Second King of the King Rama IV) in order to imitate the wooden Ranad-Tum, following the creation of the Ranad-Ek Lek (the metallic Ranad-Ek).
         The Ranad-Tum Lek has 3 main component parts.
         1. Luk Ranad (musical slats) are made of metal. Originally they were made of brass or bronze beaten or molded into the desired shape with different sizes in a total number of 16-17 slats. The pitch is tuned by filing or shaving away the underside of each slat. The Luk Ranad that produces the lowest pitch (called Luk Tuan) is about 35 centimeters long and 6 centimeters wide. While the Luk Ranad that produces the highest pitch (called Luk Yod) is about 29 centimeters long and 5.5 centimeters wide.
         2. Rang Ranad (the trough stand) is made of various kinds of hard wood. Usually the same material as used to produce the stand of the wooden Ranad-Tum is used for beauty and fitting in a set. The Rang Ranad is made into a rectangular box with the wider upper part laid over with tracks made of soft wood. However, at present thin rubber strips are widely used along the length of the box to support the Luk Ranad (musical slats) instead of tying the musical slats with cords as in the wooden Ranad-Tum. The feet of the Rang Ranad are fixed with small wheels for easy transportation of the heavy metallic Ranad.
         3. The playing sticks: The handle is made of mature bamboo stick, the same as the playing sticks of the Ranad-Ek, but with bigger size. One end of the handle is inserted into a thick circular leather plate, similar to the playing stick of the Kong (Gong) but is thinner.
         The Ranad-Tum Lek has its own unique playing styles. It normally presents a simple melodic line beautifully in alternating tunes with the wooden Ranad-Tum.