Welcome to Traditional Thai Music
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Country and Culture
Thailand, located in Southeast Asia, was formerly known as Siam. It is bordered by Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, the Gulf of Thailand, and the Andaman Sea. Its capital city is Bangkok and it has a population of approximately 66 million. Evidence of humans in Thailand dates back 40,000 years. Like other areas in Southeast Asia, Thailand was influenced significantly by religions and cultures of India, China, but has many aspects that are uniquely Thai.
Thailand is often called the Land of Smiles, the people are incredibly happy and giving. 95% of the population practices Theravada Buddhism and it plays a huge role in their daily lives. Thais hold respect, self-control, and a non-confrontational approach to life in high regard. Traditional Thai music and Thai dancing are taught in schools and well preserved throughout the country. The music is wonderful and dancing and costumes are absolutely stunning.
The Sound of Thailand
Traditional Thai music is produced by Thai musical instruments, which can be divided into four categories: plucked instruments, bowed string instruments, percussion instruments and woodwind instruments. Traditional Thai music is pleasant to the ear and has outstanding rhythmic tinkling sound, which is what you will remember most vividly afterwards. Most traditional Thai music has a slower, more relaxing tempo with many textures created by the ranat and other percussion instruments. The ranat and pi nai provide the melody for many traditional songs. To acquaint you with traditional Thai music, please enjoy this video:
Traditional Thai Instruments
There are many different varieties of Instruments from Thailand. They have 3 families of instruments, the wind, percussion, and string instruments. There are 2 main types of string instruments, plucked and bowed. The Percussion family is separated into 3 main groups, the drums, keyboards, and gongs or cymbals. Also, many Thai instruments are very similar, just in different sizes to produce higher or lower pitches.
Ranat: Similar to a xylophone made of wooden keys in various sizes to create different tones. The keys are suspended above the base.
Grajabpi: Similar to a lute, made of jackfruit or teak wood and has four strings that are plucked. It is considered one of the oldest Thai instruments.
Saw Duang: Stringed instrument that is played with a bow. The box is made of bamboo, the sound chamber is made from snake skin, and the strings from silk.
Taphon: A large dual headed drum that is played with the hands, not with mallets.
Thon-Rammana: These are hand drums that are played as a pair. The thon gives a lower pitch while the rammana gives a higher pitch.
Khong Wong Lek: A very unique instrument made up of 18 small gongs in a circle that are played with mallets by a musician sitting in the center.
Pi Nai: Similar to an oboe, usually made from bamboo, it has six holes and produces 22 pitches. The reed is made from a palm leaf.
Jakhe: Another unique instrument, it has two strings made from silk, and two strings made from brass. In order to play this instrument, your left hand goes on the frets, to change the pitching, while your right hand strikes the strings with an ivory plectrum tied to your index finger.