Musical instruments "breathe life" into Thai folk songs

In the spiritual and cultural life of the Thai ethnic group in Son La , Thai folk songs are like "food and drink" and become a cultural beauty passed down through generations, living forever.

Artists of Muong Vat Ancient Thai Culture Club, Yen Chau district perform throughout Thailand.

Thai singing is diverse in genres and rich in performance methods. Along with the melodies, there are often traditional musical instruments accompanying such as: pi (flute), two-stringed fiddle, panpipes... each musical instrument has a different nuance, creating emotions for the singer and "breathing life" into the Thai folk melodies, making them more soaring, profound, and touching the hearts of people.

The folk songs of the Thai ethnic group in Yen Chau district originate from the life of production and work, associated with the high and low sounds of the panpipe, a unique musical instrument of the Thai people here. The panpipe is made from the “may pao” tree, a type of bamboo that grows naturally in the forest. The structure of the panpipe is also very special, consisting of a bellows and 14 bamboo tubes joined together in 7 pairs, each pair has a different length and is connected to form a ladder-shaped raft. There are three basic panpipe melodies to accompany Thai songs, each melody has its own unique features and is used in different contexts.

Mr. Luong Van Chua, Ngua village, Chieng Pan commune, Yen Chau district, an artist knowledgeable about Thai culture, shared: In Son La province, only the singing voice of the Thai people in Yen Chau area is suitable for the Khen Be. Khen Be has 3 main melodies, the first is the "bam" melodies with a gentle, deep sound, often accompanying intimate songs and lullabies. The second is the "xieng et" melodies, often played to accompany men singing and has a cheerful color; the third is the "xieng thuon" melodies with a deep, soulful melody, played to accompany couples when singing love songs.

The nuances of the "Khap" melody in each place have their own characteristics, so people also choose different musical instruments to accompany their singing to suit the voice of each region. The Thai ethnic people in Son La city often use the Erhu in their singing exchanges and responses. Mr. Lo Thanh Hoan, in Hin village, Son La city, said: The Erhu is a stringed instrument, called "xi xo lo" in Thai, with a structure consisting of a gourd, neck, strings and violin. The Erhu player must always be flexible with each note of the singer, most importantly, must be able to show the "vibration and resonance" to create a soft, supple sound so that the Thai song has "soul".

Another popular musical instrument that is often played by the Thai ethnic people to accompany their “khap” songs is the pi, made from a bamboo tube with 4 holes on the body, corresponding to the notes: do, pha, son, la. There are many types of pi such as pi pap, pi thiu, pi tam lay… and have a gentle, deep sound, so it is often used to accompany songs with sad melodies, full of inner feelings such as “Dem trang goi ban”, “Song tru xon xao”…

Meritorious artist Cam Vui, Muong La district, said: Musical instruments to accompany Thai singing are very diverse and have the unique characteristics of each region. However, no matter what type of musical instrument is used, the singer and the accompanist must have a good combination with each other. Most importantly, the accompanist must understand the strengths and weaknesses of the singer and flexibly perform accordingly so that the song is good and brings emotions to the listener.

In the Muong villages of Son La today, Thai folk songs combined with the deep and high sounds of traditional musical instruments still resonate throughout the mountains and forests. Generations of Thai ethnic people are still passionate about preserving the beautiful cultural features of the nation to live forever.

Article and photos: Hoang Giang

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