My Note Cards

Today’s date: 13/10/08

Topic

What is the difference between Thai and Japanese traditional music?
Subject of notes
About Thai traditional music?
Notes (important information—paraphrase, avoid copying and pasting huge blocks of text)
- Muay Thai is the Thai traditional sports and it has the music while they are playing. If the fighting becomes harder, the music goes faster.
- Indian culture makes Thai’s music more influence and they got some instruments which looks like flute. In present, it develops more and it became Thai’s own music.
- There are many kinds of music in the different part in Thailand, such as Luuk Thung and Mor lam. Those are the rural music in Thailand that has some kinds of meaning in the song.
- During the Ayutthaya periods, the music expands and developed a lot and it was played by four to eight musicians.
- After the Bangkok periods starts, the music improved more especially the drum and it played by 12 musicians. People make some lyrics or song and make the music by themselves.

Ideas (record here your ideas and reactions to the information, ways to use it in your paper, your opinions, or further research you need to do on the information)
- Muay Thai Fight Music: In Thailand, they have a music call “Muay Thai fight music”. Muay Thai is Thai traditional sport which is similar to boxing. This is music symbol of deference and respect. This rhythmic music accompanies the Ram Muay ritual dance that precedes every Muay Thai fight. This tempo is very slow and it matches with the boxing. Also, if the fighting became harder, the tempo will increase. This music tempo will motivate the fighters more expression of their fighting.
- Since ancient time, Thai people have known how to make their traditional instruments. Before the Indian culture came into Thailand, the Thais made and invented many kinds of musical instruments. After Thai got some new different types of instruments from India, they got more than 50 kinds of instruments in total, such as various types of flute, string, and cong. The first Thai ensemble was played by woodwind percussion, and their original instruments. The time goes by, the Thai traditional instruments developed more, and it became unique and slow music. The only way people can learn is to learn from the masters, and people who made its instrument.
- Some traditional music is made in other area in Thailand. For example, the music call Luuk Thung which means children of the fields came from Suphanburi area. It developed in the 1960’s with singers reflecting on the hardships of living, loving and working in rural Thailand. In modern, most of people know this song. Other song is from Isaan, in the north east of Thailand. This music call Mor lam which means song Doctor. This song is fast and rhythmic. Many songs feature betrayal of loyalties when a lover goes off to the capital, Bangkok, and finds a new partner with more money. Isaan people always kept this music in their mind and gradually, it became a part of common and famous music in Thailand.
- During the Ayutthaya period the instrumental ensemble was composed of four to eight musicians. Songs became much longer and singing technique was improved. Many Ayutthaya songs were composed in a form of musical suite called Phleng Rua, which was a series of songs. Poets contributed lyrics in the form of short stories, mostly from the Ramakian. Many　Ayutthaya songs are still employed in Thai plays today.
- In the beginning of the Bangkok period, after a long period of war, there was a remarkable revival of Thai arts, especially music and drama. The size of the instrumental ensemble was enlarged to 12 musicians. Beautiful lyrics written by contemporary poets were fitted into melodies of the Ayutthaya period.