Music of Thailand
Encyclopedia
The music of Thailand
reflects its geographic position at the intersection of China and India, and reflects trade routes that have historically included Persia, Africa, Greece and Rome. Thai musical instruments are varied and reflect ancient influence from far afield - including the klong thap and khim
(Persian origin), the jakhe
(Indian origin), the klong jin (Chinese origin), and the klong kaek
(Indonesian origin).
Though Thailand was never colonized by colonial powers, pop music
and other forms of modern Asia
n, Europe
an and American
music have become extremely influential. The two most popular styles of traditional Thai music are luk thung
and mor lam
; the latter in particular has close affinities with the Music of Laos
.
Aside from the Thai, ethnic minorities
such as the Lao
, Lawa
, Hmong
, Akha, Khmer
, Lisu, Karen
and Lahu
peoples have retained traditional musical forms.
Thai classical music is synonymous with those stylized court ensembles and repertoires that emerged in its present form within the royal centers of Central Thailand some 800 years ago. These ensembles, while being deeply influenced by Khmer and even older practices and repertoires from India, are today uniquely Thai expressions. While the three primary classical ensembles, the Piphat, Khruang Sai and Mahori differ in significant ways, they all share a basic instrumentation and theoretical approach. Each employ the small ching hand cymbals and the krap wooden sticks to mark the primary beat reference. Several kinds of small drums (klong) are employed in these ensembles to outline the basic rhythmic structure (natab) that is punctuated at the end by the striking of a suspended gong (mong). Seen in its most basic formulation, the classical Thai orchestras are very similar to the Cambodian (Khmer) pinpeat
and mahori
ensembles, and structurally similar to other orchestras found within the widespread Southeast Asian gong-chime musical culture, such as the large gamelan of Bali and Java, which most likely have their common roots in the diffusion of Vietnamese Dong-Son bronze drums beginning in the first century ACE.
Traditional Thai classical repertoire is anonymous, handed down through an oral tradition of performance in which the names of composers (if, indeed, pieces were historically created by single authors) are not known. However, since the beginning of the modern Bangkok period, composers' names have been known and, since around the turn of the century, many major composers have recorded their works in notation. Musicians, however, imagine these compositions and notations as generic forms which are realized in full in idiosyncratic variations and improvisations in the context of performance. While the composer Luang Pradit Phairau (1881–1954) used localized forms of cipher (number) notation, other composers such as Montri Tramote (1908–1995) used standard western staff notation. Several members of the Thai royal family have been deeply involved in composition, including King Prajatipok (Rama VII, 1883–1941) and King Bhumibol Adulyadej (1927–), whose compositions have been more often for jazz bands than classical Thai ensembles.
Classical Thai music is polyphonic and follows similar conventions to American Folk and Dixieland Music. Each instrument improvises within accepted idioms around basic lines of harmony or melody called paths. Rhythm
ically and metrically
Thai music is steady in tempo, regular in pulse, divisive, in simple duple meter, without swing, with little syncopation
(p. 3, 39), and with the emphasis on the final beat of a measure
or group of pulse
s and phrase
(p. 41), as opposed to the first as in European-influenced music. The Thai scale includes seven tempered notes, instead of a mixture of tones and semitones.
), an oboe (pi
), barrel drums (klong) and two circular sets of tuned horizontal gong-chimes (khong wong lek
and khong wong yai
). Piphat can be performed in either a loud outdoor style using hard mallets or in an indoor style using padded hammers. There are several types of piphat ensembles ranging in size and orchestration, each kind typically being associated with specific ceremonial purposes. The highly decorated piphat ensemble that features the ornately carved and painted semicircular vertical gong-chime is traditionally associated with the funeral and cremation ceremonies of the Mon ethnic group. Different versions of the piphat ensemble are employed to accompany specific forms of traditional Thai drama such as the large shadow puppet theater (nang yai) and the khon dance drama.
(a high-pitched two-string bowed lute), the lower pitched saw u
(bowed lute) and the three-string jakhe
(a plucked zither). In addition to these instruments are the khlui
(vertical fipple flute) in several sizes and ranges, a goblet drum (taphon
) and, occasionally, a small hammered Chinese dulcimer (khim
). The khruang sai ensemble is primarily used for instrumental indoor performances and for accompanying the Thai hoon grabok (stick-puppet theater), a genre deeply influenced by Chinese puppetry styles. Accordingly, the addition of Chinese-sounding string instruments in the khruang sai ensemble is imagined, by the Thai, to be a reference to the probable Chinese origins of this theater form.
and Piphat
ensembles but excluding the loud and rather shrill oboe pi
. The ensemble, which is performed in three sizes—small, medium and large—includes the three-string saw sam sai
fiddle, a delicate-sounding, middle-range bowed lute with silk strings. Within the context of the Mahori
ensemble, the so sam sai accompanies the vocalist, which plays a more prominent role in this ensemble than in any other classical Thai orchestra.
While Thai classical music was somewhat discouraged as being unmodern and backward looking during Thailand's aggressively nationalistic modernization policies of mid-20th century, the classical arts have benefited recently from increased governmental sponsorship and funding as well as popular interest as expressed in such films as Homrong: The Overture
(2003), a popular fictionalized biography of a famous traditional xylophone (ranat ek
) performer.
were the genre's first big stars, incorporating influences from, Asia
. Many of the most popular artists have come from the central city of Suphanburi
, including megastar Pumpuang Duangjan
, who pioneered electronic luk thung. The late 90's saw a commercial resurgence of Luk Thung, and the modern electrified, pop-influenced version of the genre remains the country's most popular music form.
region, which has a mainly Lao population. It has much in common with luk thung, such as its focus on the life of the rural poor. It is characterized by rapid-fire, rhythmic vocals and a funk
feel to the percussion. The lead singer, also called a mor lam, is most often accompanied by the khaen, also known as khene
.
There are about fifteen regional variations of mor lam, plus modern versions such as mor lam sing
. Some conservatives have criticized these as the commercialization of traditional cultures.
, which is much less famous than mor lam. Kantrum is played by Khmer
living near the border with Cambodia
. It is a swift and very traditional dance music
. In its purest form, cho-kantrum, singers, percussion and tro
(a type of fiddle) dominate the sound. A more modern form using electric instrumentation arose in the mid-1980s. Later in the decade, Darkie became the genre's biggest star, and he crossed into mainstream markets in the later 1990s.
and tango
were popular. Soon, jazz grew to dominate Thai popular music, and Khru Eua Sunthornsanan soon set up the first Thai jazz band. The music he soon helped to invent along with influential band Suntharaporn was called pleng Thai sakorn, which incorporated Thai melodies with Western classical music. This music continued to evolve into luk grung
, a romantic music that was popular with the upper-class. King Bhumibol is an accomplished jazz musician and composer
.
. The '70s also saw Rewat Buddhinan
beginning to use the Thai language
in rock music as well as the rise of protest songs called phleng pheua chiwit (songs for life
).
The earliest phleng pheua chiwit band was called Caravan
, and they were at the forefront of a movement for democracy. In 1976, police and right wing activists attacked students at Thammasat University
; Caravan, along with other bands and activists, fled for the rural hills. There, Caravan continued playing music for local farmers, and wrote songs that would appear on their later albums.
In the 1980s, phleng pheua chiwit re-entered the mainstream with a grant of amnesty to dissidents. Bands like Carabao
became best-sellers and incorporated sternly nationalistic
elements in their lyrics. By the 1990s, phleng pheua chiwit had largely fallen from the top of the Thai charts, though artists like Pongsit Kamphee
continued to command a large audience.
stars like Christina Aguilar
, Bird Thongchai McIntyre and Asanee-Wasan
became best-sellers. Simultaneously, Britpop
influenced alternative rock
artists like Modern Dog
, Loso
, Crub and Proud became popular in late 1990s. In 2006, famous Thai rock bands include Clash
, Big Ass
, Bodyslam
and Silly Fools
. The late 90's saw pop overshadowed by the remarkable commercial resurgence of Luk Thung, but modern Luk Thung has also adopted some elements from the pop acts.
, Big Gun
(now under Sony Music) http://www.bakerymusic.com; Smallroom http://www.smallroom.co.th; FAT radio http://www.thisisclick.com/1045/?group=4; City-Blue http://www.city-blue.net; Coolvoice http://www.coolvoice.com/; Dudesweet http://www.dudesweet.org; Idea-radio http://www.idea-radio.com Panda Records http://www.pandarecords.com; and SO::ON Dry Flower http://www.myspace.com/ghostednotes.
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
reflects its geographic position at the intersection of China and India, and reflects trade routes that have historically included Persia, Africa, Greece and Rome. Thai musical instruments are varied and reflect ancient influence from far afield - including the klong thap and khim
Khim
The khim is a hammered dulcimer from Thailand and Cambodia. It is made of wood and trapezoidal in shape, with brass strings that are laid across the instrument. There are 14 groups of strings on the khim, and each group has 3 strings. Overall, the khim has a total of 42 strings. It is played...
(Persian origin), the jakhe
Jakhe
The jakhe is a plucked zither used in Thai music. It is made of wood in a stylized crocodile shape and is approximately 20 cm high and 140 cm long. Its highest two strings are made of silk yarn or nylon and lowest is made of brass...
(Indian origin), the klong jin (Chinese origin), and the klong kaek
Glong khaek
Glong khaek is a type of double-headed barrel drum used in Thai music.The instrument's name comes from glong and khaek . There are two types of glong khaek: glong khaek tua phu and glong khaek tua mia...
(Indonesian origin).
Though Thailand was never colonized by colonial powers, pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and other forms of modern Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
music have become extremely influential. The two most popular styles of traditional Thai music are luk thung
Luk thung
Luk Thung refers to the most popular form of a style of music found in Thailand. The term is short for pleng luk thung .Luk Thung songs typically reflect the hardship of everyday life among the rural poor. Tempos tend to be slow, and singers use an expressive singing style with a lot of vibrato...
and mor lam
Mor lam
Mor lam is a traditional Lao form of song in Laos and Isan.Mor lam means expert song, or expert singer, referring to the music or artist respectively. Other romanisations used include mo lam, maw lam, maw lum, moh lam and mhor lum...
; the latter in particular has close affinities with the Music of Laos
Music of Laos
Laos is dominated by the Lao but includes minorities of Hmong, Mien, Kmhmu, among many others. The most distinctive Lao musical instrument is a bamboo mouth organ called a khene. The instrument was supposedly invented by a woman trying to imitate the calls of the garawek bird. The woman took the...
.
Aside from the Thai, ethnic minorities
Ethnic groups in Thailand
Thailand is a country with many distinct ethnic groups, just like other countries, including the majority Thai and numerous hill tribes living primarily in the mountains of the north...
such as the Lao
Lao people
The Lao are an ethnic subgroup of Tai/Dai in Southeast Asia.-Names:The etymology of the word Lao is uncertain, although it may be related to tribes known as the Ai Lao who appear in Han Dynasty records in China and Vietnam as a people of what is now Yunan Province...
, Lawa
Lawa people
Lawa are an ethnic group in Laos and northern Thailand. They lived there before Thai people arrived. Today they live often in their traditional way of life, often professing animism. As the other mountain ethnic groups of Thailand, they are known for extraordinary craft skills...
, Hmong
Hmong people
The Hmong , are an Asian ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Hmong are also one of the sub-groups of the Miao ethnicity in southern China...
, Akha, Khmer
Khmer people
Khmer people are the predominant ethnic group in Cambodia, accounting for approximately 90% of the 14.8 million people in the country. They speak the Khmer language, which is part of the larger Mon–Khmer language family found throughout Southeast Asia...
, Lisu, Karen
Karen people
The Karen or Kayin people , are a Sino-Tibetan language speaking ethnic group which resides primarily in southern and southeastern Burma . The Karen make up approximately 7 percent of the total Burmese population of approximately 50 million people...
and Lahu
Lahu people
The Lahu are an ethnic group of Southeast Asia and China.They are one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China, where about 450,000 live in Yunnan province. An estimated 150,000 live in Burma. In Thailand, Lahu are one of the six main hill tribes; their...
peoples have retained traditional musical forms.
Classical music
Pinpeat
The pinpeat orchestra or musical ensemble performs the ceremonial music of the royal cours and temples of Cambodia. The orchestra consists of approximately nine or ten instruments, mainly wind and percussion . It accompanies court dances, masked plays, shadow plays, and religious ceremonies...
and mahori
Mahori
The mahori is a form of Thai and Cambodian classical ensemble which was traditionally played by women in the courts of both Central Thailand and Cambodia...
ensembles, and structurally similar to other orchestras found within the widespread Southeast Asian gong-chime musical culture, such as the large gamelan of Bali and Java, which most likely have their common roots in the diffusion of Vietnamese Dong-Son bronze drums beginning in the first century ACE.
Traditional Thai classical repertoire is anonymous, handed down through an oral tradition of performance in which the names of composers (if, indeed, pieces were historically created by single authors) are not known. However, since the beginning of the modern Bangkok period, composers' names have been known and, since around the turn of the century, many major composers have recorded their works in notation. Musicians, however, imagine these compositions and notations as generic forms which are realized in full in idiosyncratic variations and improvisations in the context of performance. While the composer Luang Pradit Phairau (1881–1954) used localized forms of cipher (number) notation, other composers such as Montri Tramote (1908–1995) used standard western staff notation. Several members of the Thai royal family have been deeply involved in composition, including King Prajatipok (Rama VII, 1883–1941) and King Bhumibol Adulyadej (1927–), whose compositions have been more often for jazz bands than classical Thai ensembles.
Classical Thai music is polyphonic and follows similar conventions to American Folk and Dixieland Music. Each instrument improvises within accepted idioms around basic lines of harmony or melody called paths. Rhythm
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
ically and metrically
Metre (music)
Meter or metre is a term that music has inherited from the rhythmic element of poetry where it means the number of lines in a verse, the number of syllables in each line and the arrangement of those syllables as long or short, accented or unaccented...
Thai music is steady in tempo, regular in pulse, divisive, in simple duple meter, without swing, with little syncopation
Syncopation
In music, syncopation includes a variety of rhythms which are in some way unexpected in that they deviate from the strict succession of regularly spaced strong and weak but also powerful beats in a meter . These include a stress on a normally unstressed beat or a rest where one would normally be...
(p. 3, 39), and with the emphasis on the final beat of a measure
Bar (music)
In musical notation, a bar is a segment of time defined by a given number of beats of a given duration. Typically, a piece consists of several bars of the same length, and in modern musical notation the number of beats in each bar is specified at the beginning of the score by the top number of a...
or group of pulse
Pulse (music)
In music and music theory, the pulse or tactus consists of beats in a series of identical yet distinct periodic short-duration stimuli perceived as points in time occurring at the mensural level...
s and phrase
Phrase (music)
In music and music theory, phrase and phrasing are concepts and practices related to grouping consecutive melodic notes, both in their composition and performance...
(p. 41), as opposed to the first as in European-influenced music. The Thai scale includes seven tempered notes, instead of a mixture of tones and semitones.
Piphat
The most common and iconic Thai classical music that symbolizes the dancing of the Thailand's legendary dragons, a midsized orchestra including two xylophones (ranatRanat
Ranat is the generic name for keyboard percussion instruments used in the music of Thailand. The bars of the various types of ranat may be made from hardwood or bamboo , metal , or, much more rarely, glass .-External...
), an oboe (pi
Pi (instrument)
Pi is the generic term for any of a variety of quadruple reed oboes used in the traditional music of Thailand. It is very similar in construction and playing technique to the Cambodian sralai.-Varieties:*Pi chawa *Pi klang...
), barrel drums (klong) and two circular sets of tuned horizontal gong-chimes (khong wong lek
Khong wong lek
The khong wong lek is a gong circle used in Thai classical music. It has 18 tuned bossed gongs, and is smaller and higher in pitch than the khong wong yai...
and khong wong yai
Khong wong yai
The khong wong yai is a circle with gongs used in the music of Thailand. It has 16 tuned bossed gongs in a rattan frame and is played with two beaters.The player sits in the middle of the circle. It is used in the piphat ensemble to provide the skeletal melody the other instruments of the...
). Piphat can be performed in either a loud outdoor style using hard mallets or in an indoor style using padded hammers. There are several types of piphat ensembles ranging in size and orchestration, each kind typically being associated with specific ceremonial purposes. The highly decorated piphat ensemble that features the ornately carved and painted semicircular vertical gong-chime is traditionally associated with the funeral and cremation ceremonies of the Mon ethnic group. Different versions of the piphat ensemble are employed to accompany specific forms of traditional Thai drama such as the large shadow puppet theater (nang yai) and the khon dance drama.
Khruang Sai
The Khruang Sai orchestra combines some of the percussion of wind instruments of the piphat with an expanded string section including the saw duangSaw duang
The saw duang is a bowed string instrument used in traditional Thai music. it has a higher pitch than a saw u. It has a hardwood soundbox covered on the playing end with python skin. It is held vertically and has two silk strings that are played with a bow. Like the saw u, the bow is between the...
(a high-pitched two-string bowed lute), the lower pitched saw u
Saw u
The saw u is a Thai bowed string instrument. It has a lower pitch than the saw duang and is the lowest sounding of the saw family. It has two strings and can produce 8 notes....
(bowed lute) and the three-string jakhe
Jakhe
The jakhe is a plucked zither used in Thai music. It is made of wood in a stylized crocodile shape and is approximately 20 cm high and 140 cm long. Its highest two strings are made of silk yarn or nylon and lowest is made of brass...
(a plucked zither). In addition to these instruments are the khlui
Khlui
The khlui is a vertical duct flute from Thailand. It is generally made of bamboo, though instruments are also made from hardwood or plastic...
(vertical fipple flute) in several sizes and ranges, a goblet drum (taphon
Taphon
thumb|200px|taphonThe taphon is a traditional drum of Thailand. It is barrel-shaped with two heads, and is played by the hands and fingers of both hands, much like the more popular congas....
) and, occasionally, a small hammered Chinese dulcimer (khim
Khim
The khim is a hammered dulcimer from Thailand and Cambodia. It is made of wood and trapezoidal in shape, with brass strings that are laid across the instrument. There are 14 groups of strings on the khim, and each group has 3 strings. Overall, the khim has a total of 42 strings. It is played...
). The khruang sai ensemble is primarily used for instrumental indoor performances and for accompanying the Thai hoon grabok (stick-puppet theater), a genre deeply influenced by Chinese puppetry styles. Accordingly, the addition of Chinese-sounding string instruments in the khruang sai ensemble is imagined, by the Thai, to be a reference to the probable Chinese origins of this theater form.
Mahori
The third major Thai classical ensemble is the Mahori, traditionally played by women in the courts of both Central Thailand and Cambodia. Historically the ensemble included smaller instruments more appropriate, it was thought, to the build of female performers. Today the ensemble employs regular sized instruments—a combination of instruments from both the Khruang SaiKhruang sai
Wong khrueang sai is a musical ensemble in Thai classical music which consists primarily of string instruments. A typical khrueang sai ensemble features two two-string fiddles, one high and one low , a three-string zither called jakhe, a vertical duct flute called khlui, hand drums, and various...
and Piphat
Piphat
A piphat is a kind of ensemble in the classical music of Thailand, which features wind and percussion instruments. It is considered the primary form of ensemble for the interpretation of the most sacred and "high-class" compositions of the Thai classical repertoire, including the Buddhist...
ensembles but excluding the loud and rather shrill oboe pi
Pi
' is a mathematical constant that is the ratio of any circle's circumference to its diameter. is approximately equal to 3.14. Many formulae in mathematics, science, and engineering involve , which makes it one of the most important mathematical constants...
. The ensemble, which is performed in three sizes—small, medium and large—includes the three-string saw sam sai
Saw sam sai
The saw sam sai is a traditional bowed string instrument of Thailand. Its body is made from a special type of coconut covered on one end with animal skin, and it has three silk strings...
fiddle, a delicate-sounding, middle-range bowed lute with silk strings. Within the context of the Mahori
Mahori
The mahori is a form of Thai and Cambodian classical ensemble which was traditionally played by women in the courts of both Central Thailand and Cambodia...
ensemble, the so sam sai accompanies the vocalist, which plays a more prominent role in this ensemble than in any other classical Thai orchestra.
While Thai classical music was somewhat discouraged as being unmodern and backward looking during Thailand's aggressively nationalistic modernization policies of mid-20th century, the classical arts have benefited recently from increased governmental sponsorship and funding as well as popular interest as expressed in such films as Homrong: The Overture
The Overture
The Overture is a 2004 Thai musical-drama film. A fictionalised account based on the life story of Thai palace musician Luang Pradit Phairoh , it follows the life of a Thai classical musician from the late 19th century to the 1940s...
(2003), a popular fictionalized biography of a famous traditional xylophone (ranat ek
Ranat ek
The ranad ek is a Thai xylophone. It has 21 or 22 wooden bars suspended by cords over a boat-shaped trough resonator, and is played with two mallets. It is used as a leading instrument in the piphat ensemble....
) performer.
Luk thung
Luk thung, or Thai country music, developed in the mid-20th century to reflect daily trials and tribulations of rural Thais. Pongsri Woranut and Suraphol SombatcharoenSuraphol Sombatcharoen
Suraphol Sombatcharoen was a Thai luk thung singer. Dubbed the "King of Luk Thung", he was one of the first major stars of Thailand's own country music genre...
were the genre's first big stars, incorporating influences from, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. Many of the most popular artists have come from the central city of Suphanburi
Suphanburi Province
Suphan Buri is one of the central provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Uthai Thani, Chai Nat, Sing Buri, Ang Thong, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Nakhon Pathom and Kanchanaburi.- Etymology :...
, including megastar Pumpuang Duangjan
Pumpuang Duangjan
Pumpuang 'Peung' Duangjan , or 'Poompuang Moon' as she was referred to in Thailand, was the professional name of a Thai megastar singer, actress who pioneered electronic Luk Thung. She is considered one of the most important Luk Thung vocalists in Thailand. The child of poor farmers, she came to...
, who pioneered electronic luk thung. The late 90's saw a commercial resurgence of Luk Thung, and the modern electrified, pop-influenced version of the genre remains the country's most popular music form.
Mor Lam
Mor lam is the dominant folk music of Thailand's north-eastern IsanIsan
Isan is the northeastern region of Thailand. It is located on the Khorat Plateau, bordered by the Mekong River to the north and east, by Cambodia to the southeast and the Prachinburi mountains south of Nakhon Ratchasima...
region, which has a mainly Lao population. It has much in common with luk thung, such as its focus on the life of the rural poor. It is characterized by rapid-fire, rhythmic vocals and a funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
feel to the percussion. The lead singer, also called a mor lam, is most often accompanied by the khaen, also known as khene
Khene
The khene is a mouth organ of Lao origin whose pipes, which are usually made of bamboo, are connected with a small, hollowed-out hardwood reservoir into which air is blown, creating a sound similar to that of the violin...
.
There are about fifteen regional variations of mor lam, plus modern versions such as mor lam sing
Mor lam sing
Mor lam sing is a fast-paced, racy, modernized version of the traditional Lao/Isan song form mor lam. Sing comes from the English word "racing"...
. Some conservatives have criticized these as the commercialization of traditional cultures.
Kantrum
The people of Isan are also known for kantrumKantrum
Kantrum is a type of folk music played by the Khmer in Isan, Thailand, living near the border with Cambodia. It is a fast, traditional dance music. In its purest form, cho-kantrum, singers, percussion and fiddles dominate the sound. A more modern form using electric instrumentation arose in the...
, which is much less famous than mor lam. Kantrum is played by Khmer
Khmer people
Khmer people are the predominant ethnic group in Cambodia, accounting for approximately 90% of the 14.8 million people in the country. They speak the Khmer language, which is part of the larger Mon–Khmer language family found throughout Southeast Asia...
living near the border with Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
. It is a swift and very traditional dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
. In its purest form, cho-kantrum, singers, percussion and tro
Tro (instrument)
Tro is the generic name for traditional bowed string instruments in Cambodia.Instruments in this family include the two-stringed tro u, tro sau toch, tro sau thom, and tro che, as well as the three-stringed tro Khmer spike fiddle....
(a type of fiddle) dominate the sound. A more modern form using electric instrumentation arose in the mid-1980s. Later in the decade, Darkie became the genre's biggest star, and he crossed into mainstream markets in the later 1990s.
Pop and rock
By the 1930s, however, Western classical music, showtunes, jazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and tango
Tango music
Tango is a style of ballroom dance music in 2/4 or 4/4 time that originated among European immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay . It is traditionally played by a sextet, known as the orquesta típica, which includes two violins, piano, double bass, and two bandoneons...
were popular. Soon, jazz grew to dominate Thai popular music, and Khru Eua Sunthornsanan soon set up the first Thai jazz band. The music he soon helped to invent along with influential band Suntharaporn was called pleng Thai sakorn, which incorporated Thai melodies with Western classical music. This music continued to evolve into luk grung
Luk grung
Luk krung or "look krung" , also called phleng luk krung , is a genre of Thai popular music...
, a romantic music that was popular with the upper-class. King Bhumibol is an accomplished jazz musician and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Phleng pheua chiwit
By the 1960s, Western rock was popular and Thai artists began imitating bands like Cliff Richard & the Shadows; this music was called wong shadow, and it soon evolved into a form of Thai pop called string. Among the groups that emerged from this period was The ImpossiblesThe Impossibles (Thai band)
The Impossibles was a well known Thai music or String band that was active in the 1970s.The group's hits included "O Rak Kan Nhor" , "Nai Wa Ja Jam" , "Chuen Rak" , "Thalay Mai Khoey Lap" , "Rak Chua Niran" , "Khoy Nhong" , "Nueng Nai Duang Jai" The Impossibles was a well known Thai music or...
. The '70s also saw Rewat Buddhinan
Rewat Buddhinan
Rewat 'Ter' Buddhinan was a pioneer in the Thai pop music industry. An ex-singer with The Impossibles band, he used the Thai language in rock music during the 1970s....
beginning to use the Thai language
Thai language
Thai , also known as Central Thai and Siamese, is the national and official language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai–Kadai language family. Historical linguists have been unable to definitively...
in rock music as well as the rise of protest songs called phleng pheua chiwit (songs for life
Songs for Life
Phleng phuea chiwit is a music genre first developed in thailand strongly influenced by elements of folk and rock music with a protest theme mainly centred around the hardship of working class people...
).
The earliest phleng pheua chiwit band was called Caravan
Caravan (Thai band)
Caravan is a Thai folk-rock band that formed out of the 1973 democracy movement. It launched the Phleng pheua chiwit genre that has since been popularized by Carabao.-Personnel:...
, and they were at the forefront of a movement for democracy. In 1976, police and right wing activists attacked students at Thammasat University
Thammasat University
Thammasat University , or in brief TU , is Thailand's second oldest university. Officially established on 27 June 1934, the university was originally named by founder Pridi Banomyong, University of Moral Science and Politics , reflecting the political fervor of the time...
; Caravan, along with other bands and activists, fled for the rural hills. There, Caravan continued playing music for local farmers, and wrote songs that would appear on their later albums.
In the 1980s, phleng pheua chiwit re-entered the mainstream with a grant of amnesty to dissidents. Bands like Carabao
Carabao (band)
Carabao are a Thai rock band which is very popular in Thailand and other Asian countries. The group was formed in 1976 by university students Yuenyong Opakul and Kirati Promsaka Na Sakon Nakhon who met while studying in the Philippines...
became best-sellers and incorporated sternly nationalistic
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
elements in their lyrics. By the 1990s, phleng pheua chiwit had largely fallen from the top of the Thai charts, though artists like Pongsit Kamphee
Pongsit Kamphee
Pongsit Kamphee is a Thai rock singer and producer popular in the Phleng pheua chiwit genre. Inspired by Preecha Chanapai Carabao and Surachai Jantimathawn Caravan...
continued to command a large audience.
String
String pop took over mainstream listeners in Thailand in the 90s, and bubblegum popBubblegum pop
Bubblegum pop is a genre of pop music with an upbeat sound contrived and marketed to appeal to pre-teens and teenagers, produced in an assembly-line process, driven by producers, often using unknown singers.Bubblegum's classic period ran from 1967 to 1972...
stars like Christina Aguilar
Christina Aguilar
Christina Aguilar is a Filipino-Thai descent and one of Thailand's biggest artists. With her debut album "Ninja", Aguilar was the first female artist in Thailand to sell over 1,000,000 copies. Following with several albums, Thais name her as the Thai "Dancing Queen". She is always considered as a...
, Bird Thongchai McIntyre and Asanee-Wasan
Asanee-Wasan
Asanee-Wasan is a Thai rock band fronted by brothers Asanee "Pom" and Wasan "Toe" Chotikul. Among the band's hits is a 1989 song that puts into verse the lengthy ceremonial name for Bangkok, "Krung Thep Mahanakhon" . The elder brother, Asanee, is known for his guitar solos and his wild, "rock...
became best-sellers. Simultaneously, Britpop
Britpop
Britpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s...
influenced alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
artists like Modern Dog
Modern Dog
Modern Dog is a Thai rock band, formed in 1992. They issued their first album in 1994, selling 500,000 copies. The band has issued five studio albums, selling a total of 2 million copies....
, Loso
Loso
Loso is a Thai rock band fronted by singer–guitarist–composer Seksan Sukpimai . The band was formed in the mid-1990s in Bangkok, Thailand. Its name is derived from a play on hi-so, Thai slang for socialites and the upper class , and is meant to reflect the group's humble origins...
, Crub and Proud became popular in late 1990s. In 2006, famous Thai rock bands include Clash
Clash (band)
Clash is a rock band from Thailand, It was founded in 2001 by Preeti Barameeanant , Thanapon Rokesomput , Thapana Na Bangchang , Sukrit Sripaoraya , and Anan Dapphetthikon...
, Big Ass
Big Ass
Big Ass is a Thai rock band. It was originally a pop rock band but the music moved toward hardcore punk in some of the band's recent works. Big Ass latest release is Love, their sixth album.-History:...
, Bodyslam
Bodyslam (band)
Bodyslam is a Thai rock band. The band is best known by the unique voice of the leading vocal, Athiwara Khongmalai, and the band's live performance. As of 2010, Bodyslam has released five albums, the latest one is Kraam.-History:...
and Silly Fools
Silly Fools
Silly Fools is a Thai rock band . Their music can be described as modern rock.The band worked with Bakery Music, an independent label, and released an EP named Sampler. The band then moved to More Music and released their first full length album, I.Q...
. The late 90's saw pop overshadowed by the remarkable commercial resurgence of Luk Thung, but modern Luk Thung has also adopted some elements from the pop acts.
Heavy Metal
Heavy Metal music in thailand was very poppular in early 90s'.many band in this era play Heavy Metal such like H-Rock, Stone Metal Fire, I-Scream, UraniumUranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
, Big Gun
Big Gun
"Big Gun" is a song by AC/DC. It was released as a single in 1993 and can be heard on the soundtrack to the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie Last Action Hero, as well as during reruns of the Savage Nation talk show as bumper music. It was later released on the 2009 box set Backtracks. It became the...
Indie
A group of independent artists and records which produces music for non-commercial purpose also found in Thailand: Bakery MusicBakery Music
Bakery Music is a Thai record label founded in 1994. It pioneered the independent music industry in the 1990s, being the most successful of its time, and inspiring the creation of many other indie labels. The company is now a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Thailand.-History:Bakery Music was...
(now under Sony Music) http://www.bakerymusic.com; Smallroom http://www.smallroom.co.th; FAT radio http://www.thisisclick.com/1045/?group=4; City-Blue http://www.city-blue.net; Coolvoice http://www.coolvoice.com/; Dudesweet http://www.dudesweet.org; Idea-radio http://www.idea-radio.com Panda Records http://www.pandarecords.com; and SO::ON Dry Flower http://www.myspace.com/ghostednotes.
See also
- Korphai ensemble
- Traditional Thai musical instrumentsTraditional Thai musical instrumentsTraditional Thai musical instruments are the musical instruments used in the traditional and classical music of Thailand. They comprise a wide range of wind, string, and percussion instruments played by both the Thai majority as well as the nation's ethnic minorities.In the traditional Thai system...
- BEC-TEROBEC-TEROBEC-TERO Entertainment Public Co. Ltd. is an entertainment conglomerate in Thailand that organizes and promotes concerts, owns record labels and produces films and television shows. It is a subsidiary of BEC World Public Co. Ltd., which also owns Bangkok Entertainment Co. Ltd., operator of Thai TV...
- GMM GrammyGMM GrammyGMM Grammy Public Company Limited is the largest media conglomerate entertainment company in Thailand. It claims a 70% share of the Thai entertainment industry. Artists on Grammy include Bird McIntyre and Loso...
- RS Music