View source for Music of Thailand

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[[Image:Siamese theater group around 1900.jpg|thumb|right|260px|Siamese theater group of "Nai Boosra Mahin" which performed in [[Berlin]], [[Germany]] in 1900.]]

{{Culture of Thailand}}
The '''music of Thailand''' includes a wide array of distinct genres, both traditional and modern.

[[Traditional Thai musical instruments]] are varied and reflect ancient influence from far afield – including the ''[[klong thap]]'' and ''[[khim]]'' ([[Iran|Persian]] origin), the ''[[chakhe]]'' (Indian origin), the ''klong chin'' (Chinese origin), and the ''[[klong khaek]]'' (Indonesian origin).

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 groups in Thailand|ethnic minorities]] such as the [[Lao people|Lao]], [[Lawa people|Lawa]], [[Hmong people|Hmong]], [[Akha people|Akha]], [[Khmer people|Khmer]], [[Lisu people|Lisu]], [[Karen people|Karen]] and [[Lahu people|Lahu]] peoples have retained traditional musical forms.

Though Thailand was never [[colonization|colonized]] by [[colonialism|colonial powers]], [[pop music]] and other forms of modern Asian, European and American music have become extremely influential.

==Traditional and folk music==
===Classical music===
{{More citations needed section|date=September 2022}}
{{listen
|filename=Kham Hom - Sweet Words.ogg
|title="Kham Hom" ("Sweet Words")
|description= [[Wax cylinder]] recording of "Kham Hom", or "Sweet Words", performed by the theater group above.}}
{{listen
|filename=Thai Royal Anthem - Phonograph cylinder recordings.ogg
|title="Sansoen Phra Barami" ("Royal Anthem")
|description= [[Wax cylinder]] recording of "[[Sansoen Phra Barami]]", the Thai Royal Anthem, performed by the theater group above.}}
{{listen
|filename     = Thai classical music scale.ogg
|title        = Thai classical music scale
|description = The seven-note [[musical scale|scale]] of Thai classical music played on the [[ranat ek]]
}}

Thai [[classical music]] is synonymous with those stylized court ensembles and repertoires that emerged in their present form within the royal centers of Central Thailand some 800 years ago. These ensembles, while being influenced by older practices and repertoires from India, are today uniquely Thai expressions. While the three primary classical ensembles, the [[Piphat]], [[Khrueang sai]] and [[Mahori]] differ in significant ways, they all share a basic instrumentation and theoretical approach. Each employs small ching hand [[cymbal]]s and [[krap]] wooden sticks to mark the primary beat reference. Thai classical music has had a wide influence on the musical traditions of neighboring countries. The traditional [[music of Myanmar]] was strongly influenced by the Thai music repertoire, called Yodaya (ယိုးဒယား), which was brought over from the [[Ayutthaya Kingdom]]. As Siam expanded its political and cultural influence to Laos and Cambodia during the early [[Rattanakosin Kingdom (1782–1932)|Rattanakosin period]], its music was quickly absorbed by the Cambodian and Lao courts. As Frédéric Maurel explains: "From the close of the eighteenth century and through the nineteenth century, a number of Khmer pages, classical women dancers, and musicians studied with Thai ajarn (masters or teachers) in Cambodia. The presence of this Thai elite in Cambodia contributed to the development of strong Thai cultural influence among the Khmer upper classes. Moreover, some members of the Khmer royal family went to the Thai court and developed close relations with well-educated Thai nobility, as well as several court poets. Such cultural links were so powerful that, in some fields, one might use the term 'Siamization' in referring to the processes of cultural absorption at the Khmer court at that time."<ref>{{Cite journal |jstor = 23749987|title = A Khmer "nirat", 'Travel in France during the Paris World Exhibition of 1900': Influences from the Thai?|journal = South East Asia Research|volume = 10|issue = 1|pages = 99–112|last1 = Maurel|first1 = Frédéric|year = 2002|doi = 10.5367/000000002101297026| s2cid=146881782 }}</ref>

Several kinds of small drums ([[Klong yao|''klong'']]) are employed in these ensembles to outline the basic rhythmic structure ({{Transliteration|th|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 have a very strong influence on the Cambodian (Khmer) [[pinpeat]] and [[mahori]] ensembles, and are structurally similar to other orchestras found within the widespread Southeast Asian gong-chime musical culture, such as the large [[gamelan]] ensembles of Bali and Java, which most likely have their common roots in the diffusion of [[Vietnam]]ese [[Dong Son drum|Dong-Son]] bronze drums beginning in the first century.

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 [[Rattanakosin Kingdom (1782–1932)|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 [[improvisation]]s in the context of performance.

===Piphat===
{{Main|Piphat}}
Piphat is the most common and iconic Thai classical music style. It symbolizes the dancing of Thailand's legendary dragons, and consists of a midsized orchestra including two xylophones ([[ranat]]), an oboe ([[Pi (instrument)|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 ([[Piphat|Piphat mai khaeng]]; ปี่พาทย์ไม้แข็ง) or in an indoor style using padded hammers ([[Piphat|Piphat mai nuam]]; ปี่พาทย์ไม้นวม).

[[File:Piphat_in_Wat_Khung_Taphao.ogg|left|thumb|Piphat in Wat Khung Taphao.]]

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.

===Khrueang sai===
[[File:Temple girls.jpg|thumb|Schoolgirls and boys playing ''khrueang sai'' in front of a temple]]
{{Main|Khrueang sai}}

The khrueang sai orchestra combines some of the percussion of wind instruments of the piphat with an expanded string section including the [[saw duang]] (a high-pitched two-string bowed lute), the lower pitched [[saw u]] (bowed lute) and the three-string [[chakee]] (a plucked zither). In addition to these instruments are the [[khlui]] (vertical fipple flute) in several sizes and ranges, a goblet drum ([[thon rammana|thon]]-[[rammana]]) and, occasionally, a small hammered Chinese dulcimer ([[khim]]). The khrueang sai ensemble is primarily used for instrumental indoor performances and for accompanying the Thai {{Transliteration|th|italic=no|hoon grabok}} (stick-puppet theater), a genre deeply influenced by Chinese [[puppetry]] styles. Accordingly, the addition of Chinese-sounding string instruments in the khrueang sai ensemble is imagined, by the Thai, to be a reference to the probable Chinese origins of this theater form.

===Mahori===
{{Main|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 [[Khrueang sai]] and [[Piphat]] ensembles but excluding the loud and rather shrill oboe [[Pi (instrument)|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.

[[File:Siamese orchestra in 1900.gif|thumb|A Thai orchestra in 1900]]

===Luk thung===
{{Main|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 Sombatcharoen]] were the genre's first big stars, incorporating influences from other parts of [[Asia]]. Many of the most popular artists have come from the central city of [[Suphanburi province|Suphanburi]], including megastar [[Pumpuang Duangjan]], who pioneered [[electronic luk thung]]. The late 1990s 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===
{{Main|Mor lam}}
Mor lam is the dominant folk music of Thailand's north-eastern [[Isan]] 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{{Who|date=July 2022}} have criticized these as the commercialization of traditional cultures.

{{See also|Music of Laos}}

===Kantrum===
Kantrum is played by [[Khmer people|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 (instrument)|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 (musician)|Darkie]] became the genre's biggest star, and he crossed into mainstream markets in the later 1990s.

==Musical instruments==
{{main|Traditional Thai musical instruments}}
<div align="center">
<gallery caption="Examples of traditional instruments" widths="200px" heights="200px" perrow="3">
File:Vatch music teacher 02.jpg|A music teacher in Mae On, near Chiang Mai, playing a ''[[Traditional Thai musical instruments|sueng]]''.
File:Ban Huahat09.jpg|A group of musicians playing traditional ''[[Traditional Thai musical instruments|Ranat]]''.
File:Siamese musical instrument -- the bell wheel (Khong wong lek).jpg|A [[Khong wong lek]] being played.
File:Ban Khung Taphao06.jpg|Medium [[Klong yao]] hand-drum, player in [[Laos]]
File:Khenesarong.jpg|[[Khaen]] player in a sarong and pakama.
File:Siamese orchestra, 1900.gif|A Thai orchestra or [[Traditional Thai musical ensembles]] in 1900
File:Traditional Laplae folk music 1.JPG|Thai traditional musical ensembles at [[Wat Khung Taphao|Wat Kungtapao Local Museum]]
</gallery>
</div>

==Arrival of Western music==
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 [[Prajadhipok|King Prajadhipok]] (Rama VII, 1883–1941) and [[Bhumibol Adulyadej|King Bhumibol Adulyadej]] (1927–2016), whose compositions have been more often for [[jazz band]]s than classical Thai ensembles.

Classical Thai music is polyphonic and follows similar conventions to [[American folk music|American folk]] and [[dixieland]] music. Each instrument improvises within accepted idioms around basic lines of harmony or melody called paths. [[Rhythm]]ically and [[metre (music)|metrically]] Thai music is steady in tempo, regular in pulse, [[divisive rhythm|divisive]], in [[simple duple meter]], without [[swung note|swing]], with little [[syncopation]] (p.&nbsp;3, 39), and with the emphasis on the final beat of a [[bar (music)|measure]] or group of [[Pulse (music)|pulse]]s and [[phrase (music)|phrase]] (p.&nbsp;41), as opposed to the first as in European-influenced music. The Thai scale includes [[7 equal temperament|seven tempered notes]], instead of a mixture of tones and semitones. Five of seven pitches are used as the principal pitches in any mode, introducing nonequidistant intervals.<ref>Morton, David (1980). "The Music of Thailand", ''Musics of Many Cultures'', p.70. May, Elizabeth, ed. {{ISBN|0-520-04778-8}}.</ref> {{audio|Thai_pentatonic_scale_mode_1.mid|Play}}

===Phleng phra racha nipon===
{{Main|Compositions by Bhumibol Adulyadej}}
From the 1940s to the 1970s King [[Bhumibol Adulyadej]] wrote a total of 48 compositions. It was during this time that he decided to specialize in wind instruments, especially the [[saxophone]] and the [[clarinet]].<ref name="Music">{{cite web|title=King Bhumibol Adulyajej and Music|url=http://thailand.prd.go.th/ebook2/king_music/king_music.html|website=King Bhumibol Adulyajej A Musical Self-Portrait|access-date=15 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304104630/http://thailand.prd.go.th/ebook2/king_music/king_music.html|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> By the time Bhumibol turned 18, he started to compose his own music with the first song being ''Candlelight Blues''.<ref name="Music"/> He continued to compose even during his reign following his coronation in 1946. Bhumibol performed with [[Preservation Hall Jazz Band]], [[Benny Goodman]], [[Stan Getz]], [[Lionel Hampton]], and [[Benny Carter]].<ref name=WP26Jun06>{{cite news|last1=Tang|first1=Alisa|title=Thailand's monarch is ruler, jazz musician|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/13/AR2006061300147.html|access-date=27 May 2014|newspaper=Washington Post|agency=Associated Press|date=2006-06-13}}</ref><ref name=BPJan06>{{cite news |url=http://www.bangkokpost.com/60yrsthrone/jazzy/|title=The Jazzy King|work=Bangkok Post|date=10 January 2006|access-date=27 May 2014}}</ref> Throughout his life, Bhumibol wrote a total of 49 compositions. Much of it is jazz swing but he also composed [[March (music)|marches]], [[waltz]]es, and Thai patriotic songs. His most popular compositions were ''Candlelight Blues'', ''Love at Sundown'', and ''Falling Rain'' which were all composed in 1946.<ref name=WP26Jun06/> Bhumibol's musical influences included [[Louis Armstrong]], [[Sidney Bechet]], [[Benny Carter]], and [[Johnny Hodges]].<ref name=WP26Jun06/> Bhumibol also performed with his band at Thai universities, composing anthems for the universities of [[Chulalongkorn University|Chulalongkorn]], [[Thammasat University|Thammasat]], and [[Kasetsart University|Kasetsart.]]<ref name=BPJan06/>

===Rock===
{{see also|Thai rock}}
By the 1930s, however, Western [[european classical music|classical music]], [[showtune]]s, [[jazz]] and [[tango music|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. [[Bhumibol Adulyadej#Private life|King Bhumibol]] was an accomplished jazz musician and [[composer]].

===Phleng phuea chiwit===
{{Main|Phleng phuea 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 (Thai pop)|string]]. Among the groups that emerged from this period was [[The Impossibles (Thai band)|The Impossibles]]. 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 phuea chiwit (''[[songs for life]]'').

The earliest phleng phuea chiwit band was called [[Caravan (Thai band)|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 phuea chiwit re-entered the mainstream with a grant of amnesty to dissidents. Bands like [[Carabao (band)|Carabao]] became best-sellers and incorporated [[nationalism|nationalistic]] elements in their lyrics. By the 1990s, phleng phuea chiwit had largely fallen from the top of the Thai charts, though artists like [[Pongsit Kamphee]] continued to command a large audience.

===String===
{{main|String (Thai pop)}}
String pop took over mainstream listeners in Thailand in the 1990s, and exponents 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 (band)|Clash]], [[Big Ass]], [[Bodyslam (band)|Bodyslam]] and [[Silly Fools]]. The late 1990s 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 popular in early 90s. Many heavy metal bands in this era included [[Hi-Rock]], [[Stone Metal Fire]], [[I-Scream]], Uranium and Big Gun.

===Hip hop===
{{see also|Thai hip hop}}

=== T-pop ===
{{see also|Thai pop music}}

==Indie==
A group of independent artists and records which produces music for non-commercial purpose also found in Thailand: [[Bakery Music]] (now under [[Sony Music]]) [http://www.bakerymusic.com]; Smallroom [https://www.smallroom.co.th]; FAT radio [http://www.thisisclick.com/1045/?group=4]; City-Blue [https://web.archive.org/web/20070706154845/http://www.city-blue.net/]; Coolvoice [http://www.coolvoice.com/]; Dudesweet [https://www.dudesweet.org]; Idea-radio [https://web.archive.org/web/20061029224918/http://www.idea-radio.com/] Panda Records [http://www.pandarecords.com]; and SO::ON Dry Flower [http://www.myspace.com/ghostednotes].

==See also==
{{commons category|Music of Thailand}}
* [[Korphai ensemble]]
* [[Traditional Thai musical instruments]]
* [[BEC-TERO]]
* [[GMM Grammy]]
* [[RS Public Company Limited#RS Music|RS Music]]
* [[Thai Elephant Orchestra]]

==Sources==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*Clewley, John. "Songs for Living". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), ''World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific'', pp 241–253. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. {{ISBN|1-85828-636-0}}
*Morton, David (1976). ''The Traditional Music of Thailand''. University of California Press. {{ISBN|0-520-01876-1}}.

==External links==
* [https://www.istov.de/htmls/thailand/thailand_start.html The traditional music of Thailand]

{{Thai musical instruments}}
{{ThaiMusicalEnsembles}}
{{Thailand topics}}
{{Music of Asia}}

[[Category:Music of Thailand| ]]