5 Fascinating Things About Scotland’s Bagpipes

At the end of my first day hiking the West Highland Way in Scotland, I ended up in the small village of Drymen. On Thursdays throughout the summer, the Strathendrick Pipe Band plays on the village green and as luck would have it, I was there on a Thursday evening. It was my second day in the country and I was delighted to have a chance at this little cultural treat.

You’ve probably heard bagpipes before; maybe even a moving performance of “Amazing Grace.” But I bet there’s some things about this little oddball instrument you didn’t know.

more “5 Fascinating Things About Scotland’s Bagpipes”

3 Kinds of Folk Music in Thailand

Much like classical music in Europe at the time, Thai classical music was and is generally reserved for and enjoyed by the upper classes. However, that of course didn’t stop the commoners from using their local instruments to create their own musical stylings. Often this is referred to as folk music. There are three major genres of Thai folk music: luk thung (ลูกทุ่ง), mor lam (หมอลำ) and kantrum (กันตรึม).

more “3 Kinds of Folk Music in Thailand”