It seems like Thais are always looking for an excuse to party. (Not that I’m complaining!) A lot of these celebrations, like monk ordinations, include everyone in the village parading through the streets and dancing. The music is supplied by a vehicle that is stacked with speakers and a DJ blaring music. Having trouble picturing it? Here’s an excellent video showing it. Bonus, it includes some great Thai folk music.
In Thailand, a bpai tiao is a trip of any length. I’ve written about some of my more significant bpai tiaos to tourist destinations here, to be used as travel ideas and tips.
Earlier this year, I decided that there were a bunch of festivals all over Thailand that I had to go to. The one that I was most excited about going to was the Phi Ta Khon Festival in Loei, which I just got back from. Phi Ta Khon, or the Ghost Festival is so colorful and fun. Check out the video for yourself!
When thinking about music and the musical history of a culture, of course you build from the instruments. Then you might move into classical music and folk music, and maybe some music from the 20th century. But what about the music of today? Isn’t that a part of the culture of a place as well? What is Thai music like today?
While Thailand certainly has it’s own classical music genres that originated with the royal courts about 800 years ago, and folk music, don’t think that there are no modern or international genres enjoyed here. If we move chronologically through the development of music in Thailand we next come to the proliferation of jazz in the 1930s. Jazz continues to hold a special place in Thailand’s musical repertoire as the King is not only a jazz saxophonist but a jazz composer as well.
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).
There are three main categories of Thai instruments, with numerous examples in each category. All of those different instruments are used to create a wide variety of music. However, beginning in the royal courts about 800 years ago there were three main genres.
To have any conversation about music, I think you must begin with what is making the music as it is often the instruments and how they are used that will give a genre its unique sound.
Thai instruments fall into three main categories: string, percussion and wind instruments. Alternatively, instruments are divided into four categories based on how they are played: plucking, bowing, striking or blowing. Furthermore, many instruments are specific to certain regions of Thailand and are found predominantly in certain genres of music, but now I’m getting ahead of myself. Back to instruments. more “An Overview of Traditional Thai Instruments”
When you think of the culture of a place, what are the things that make up that culture? There are a lot of different things that might come to mind, but one thing that is a part of every culture is music. Humans beating out rhythms and singing are everywhere. However, each locale has their own interpretation and significance applied to music.
more “A Brief Introduction to Music in Thailand”
Thailand is loud and part of that is the music that is seemingly always blasting from somewhere. One of the most popular songs right now is ขอใจเธอแลกเบอร์โทร (Koh Jai Tur Lak Bur Toh) by Yinglee. The song tells the story of a woman who sees a man she’s interested in, but because of culture, she can’t approach him. Here’s the music video with English subtitles.
Thailand seems to constantly have music playing. One of the really popular songs right now is called ผมรักเมืองไทย (pom rak mueng thai), which mean “I Love Thailand.” This is not the official music video for this song, but it very much encapsulates Thailand – he ends up dancing in front of a 7-11. Check it out!