Some notes about Thai music that I have taken down at a tutorial, for your interest.

GEK1054 Music in the Global Context
Tutorial 5 (Thursday, 12 March 2009): MUSIC FROM THAILAND


Photo: Klong-yao (long drum) ensemble accompanying a Thai dance at a concert by the NUS Thai Ensemble, 16 February 2008. The klong yao is the drum that most of the musicians are carrying. The musician at the furthest right-hand-side is playing a mong. The gongs on the floor do not belong to the Thai music ensemble, those are gongs from the gamelan ensemble!

Click on the links provided to read more about the instruments / see pictures.


1. Categories of instruments
· Dit: instruments that are plucked
· Si: instruments that are bowed
· Ti: instruments that are struck
· Pao: instruments that are blown

2. Types of tempos
· Sam Chan: slow
· Song Chan: moderate
· Chan Dieo: fast

3. Klong-yao (Drum ensemble)

3.1 Mong / Khong mong
· Medium-sized gong

3.2 Ching
· Twin set of small bells that are struck together. They serve as conductor in any Thai musical ensemble (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ching_(musical_instrument))

3.3 Klong-yao
· Long drum (http://www.thaimusic.net/glong-yao.htm)

4. Piphat (Thai musical ensemble – see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piphat)

4.1 Ranat Ek
· Higher-sounding wooden xylophone, acts as leader of the ensemble, plays the introduction as well as (virtuosic) variations on the main melody. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranad_ek)

4.2 Ranat Thum
· Lower-sounding wooden xylophone, plays fragments of the melody in a playful manner. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranad_thum)

4.3 Ranat Ek Lek
· Higher-sounding metallophone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranad_ek_lek)

4.4 Ranat thum lek
· Lower-sounding metallophone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranad_thum_lek)

4.5 Khong Wong Lek
· Higher-sounding metallophone (the term ‘gong circle’ is used in Wikipedia) consisting of a circular frame that supports a series of potted gongs arranged in a scale (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khong_wong_lek)

4.6 Khong Wong Yai
· Lower-sounding metallaphone, similar in design to the Khong Wong Lek. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khong_wong_yai)

4.7 Ching

4.8 Drums

5. Angklung ensemble
· An instrument made of bamboo; sound is produced when the instrument is rattled and the hollow, moveable bamboo tubes strike against the frame of the instrument. Originated from Java, Indonesia; adapted by the Thais. Each angklung can only produce one pitch, hence an ensemble is made up of many angklungs of different pitches. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angklung)  ¶ 3/13/2009 01:38:00 am