MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THAILAND

Traditional Thai musical instruments are the musical instruments used in the traditional and classical music of Thailand. They comprise a wide range of wind, string, and percussion instruments played by both the Thai majority as well as the nation's ethnic minorities. In the traditional Thai system of organology, they are classified into four categories, by the action used in playing: 1. 2. 3. 4. Plucking (plucked string instruments;(khrueang dit) Bowing (bowed string instruments; (khrueang si) Striking (percussion instruments and hammered dulcimer; (khrueang ti) Blowing (wind instruments; khrueang pao)

A. String Instruments 1.)Saw sam sai () - three-string spike fiddle with coconut shell body; used in classical music

2.) Saw duang ( ) - higher two-string fiddle with hardwood body; used in classical music

B. Percussion Instruments 3.) Taphon () or klawng taphon () - sacred barrel drum; played with the hands and used in the piphat ensemble

4.) Angklung () - set of tuned bamboo tubes mounted in a frame and shaken; generally played by a group. comes from Indonesia.

C. Wind Instruments 5.) Jaw harp (called chongnong ( ) in central Thailand and huen () in northeast Thailand) - played primarily among ethnic minorities of northern Thailand, as well as by the people of the Isan region of northeast Thailand.

DISCUSSION 1.) Saw sam sai The saw sam sai (Thai: , pronounced [s sm sj], RTGS: so sam sai, also spelled saw samsai, and occasionally called simply sam sai; literally "three stringed fiddle") is a traditional bowed string instrument of Thailand. Its body is made from a special type of coconut covered on one end with animal skin, and it has three silk strings. Typically, the player glues a jewel onto the skin before playing, to reduce the skin's resonance.The saw sam sai is in the saw family of Thai fiddles, which also includes the saw u and saw duang. It is the hardest to play among the 4 types of Thai Saw: saw u, saw duang, and salo. This is because the bow is not attached, and one must "break" their wrist back and forth to change strings- not tilting the bow. Because of this, it is frequently used as a prop in pictures to show knowledge or a high social status. It is related to a very similar Cambodian instrument called tro Khmer. The Thai instrument known as the saw sam sai is somewhat like the Japanese shamisen and the Chinese san hsien in that all are threestringed instruments with no frets on the neck. The Japanese and Chinese instruments, however, have square sound boxes and are plucked with plectrum. The san hsien has more rounded corners on the sound box than does the Japanese instrument and is covered with snakeskin, whereas the shamisen of Japan is covered with a thin, animal hide. As for the saw sam sai of Thai, it is a bowed instrument with a somewhat triangular body and one spiked leg. The instrument much more resembles its Middle Eastern predecessor, the rebec or rebab than it does the other Asian stringed instruments. The half which is used must have three bulges in the formation of the points of a triangle. This forms the back part of the resonance chamber. The open part of the shell is

covered with goat-or calfskin. The size and pitch of the instrument depend on the size of the coconut shell which may be found.This instrument is played by means of plucking. 2.) The taphon -is a traditional drum of Thailand. It is barrel-shaped, with two heads, and is played by the hands and fingers of both hands.It is used in the classical Thai wind-and-percussion ensemble called piphat. It is considered a particularly sacred instrument in the Thai culture, and is generally kept in a higher place than other instruments.The taphon is very similar to the Cambodian sampho. This is two-faced drum called taphon. The instrument which is behind taphon is called khong wong yai. 3.) Angklung - The Angklung is a musical instrument made of two bamboo tubes attached to a bamboo frame. The tubes are carved to have a resonant pitch when struck and are tuned to octaves. The base of the frame is held in one hand, whilst the other hand shakes the instrument rapidly. This causes a repeating note to sound. Each of three or more performers in an angkalung ensemble play just one note or more, but altogether complete melodies are produced. The Angklung is popular throughout Southeast Asia, but it originated in today's Indonesia and has been played by the Sundanese for many centuries. The word "angklung" was originated from Sundanese "angkleung-angkleungan", that means the movement of angklung player and the sound "klung" that comes from the instrument. Another theory suggested that the word "angklung" was formed from two Balinese words - angka and lung. Angka means "tone", and lung means "broken" or "lost". Angklung thus means an "incomplete tone". Function: Angklung is an instrument played in groups. Usually there are four or more people involved in the group, but could be as many as 20-160 people. It is often used as accompaniment in types of folk dances, ritual and ceremonial dances. One of the major functions of the angklung is to accompany the rice harvesters back to the village after the rice has been harvested. The angklung is also used in the badut ensembles of West Java. These ensembles play at any festive occasion and are made up of several male dancers and musicians. This usually involves a lot of jovial dancing and lively melodies. History: The angklung originated with the Badui people, a group people who live just outside of Jakarta in West Java. As previously mentioned, the angklung is now tuned to a Western scale, but at one time were tuned to the slendro and pelog scales. Straying away from the past of ceremonial use, the angklung is now widely used in music education; similar to the way hand bells are used in the US.