The music of Thailand reflects its geographic position at the intersection of China and India, and reflects trade routes that have historically included Persia, Africa, Greece and Rome. Thai musical instruments are varied and reflect ancient influence from far afield - including the klong thap and khim (Persian origin), the jakhe (Indian origin), theklong jin (Chinese origin), and the klong kaek (Indonesian origin). Though Thailand was never colonized by colonial powers, pop music and other forms of modern Asian,European and American music have become extremely influential. The two most popular styles of traditional Thai music are luk thung and mor lam; the latter in particular has close affinities with the Music of Laos.
Ranat
Ranat (ระนาด) - trough-resonated keyboard percussion instrument; generally played with two mallets and used in Thai classical and theater music
Ranat ek (ระนาดเอก) - higher xylophone, with bars usually made of hardwood
Ranat thum (ระนาดทุ้ม) - lower xylophone, with bamboo or hardwood bars
Pong lang (โปงลาง) - pentatonic log xylophone used in the Isan region
Thon Rammana
The thon and rammana (Thai: โทนรำมะนา, pronounced [tʰoːn ram.ma.naː], Khmer: ធនរំមនា) are hand drums played as a pair in Central Thai classical music and Cambodian classical music. It consists of two drums: the thon (โทน), a goblet drum with a ceramic or wooden body) and the rammana(รำมะนา), a small frame drum. They are used usually in the khruang sai ensemble. The thon gives a low pitch and the rammana gives a high pitch. Earlier in the 20th century, the thon and rammana were sometimes played separately.
Khaen The khene (/ˈkɛn/; also spelled "khaen", "kaen" and "khen"; Lao: ແຄນ; Thai: แคน, RTGS: khaen, pronounced [kʰɛ̄ːn]; Khmer: គែន) is a mouth organof Lao origin whose pipes, which are usually made of bamboo, are connected with a small, hollowed-out hardwood reservoir into which air is blown, creating a sound similar to that of the violin. Today associated with the Lao of Laos and Northeast Thailand, similar instruments date back to the Bronze Age of Southeast Asia. In Cambodia, it is used among the ethnic Lao population of the province of Stung Treng and is used inlakhon ken, a Cambodian dance drama genre that features the khene as the premiere instrument.[1][2]
