Instruments- Thailand

I have explained the 3 ensembles present in Thailand (pi phat, khruang sai, and mahori) and so now, I will go over the instruments in more detail.

To review:
Pi phat- ensemble with melodic and rhythmic percussion and includes a Thai oboe
Khruang sai- ensemble with stringed instruments as well as rhythmic percussion and features a Thai vertical flute
Mahori- combination of the two ensembles including stringed instruments, melodic and rhythmic percussion, and Thai vertical flute.
Since mahori ensembles use the same instruments as pi phat and khruang sai, I won't have a section for mahori instruments.

Pi Phat

Metallophones

Similar to Indonesian gamelan, pi phat uses metallophones. It is thought that Thai metallophones were suggested by the saron and gender of Java since they were a late addition to this ensemble. The instrument form is similar having metal keys supported by a wooden rack. However, metallophones are not the primary sound in pi phat ensembles unlike gamelan, and instead, are only used in large ensembles. Wooden xylophones are the more dominant sound in pi phat (14).

This is the Thai ranat ek lek instrument

For comparison, this is the Indonsian gender barung instrument. 

Xylophones

There is no evidence of when xylophones came to Thailand or where they came from, but is hypothesized to have come from a Khmer (in present-day Cambodia) model or from a Javanese xylophone. The bars of the instrument are made of bamboo and hardwood and rest on a boat shaped rack. The boat shape has aesthetic value in that it looks similar to river boats used in Thailand, however, it also helps the instrument resonate. These instruments are important to the pi phat ensemble because the player is the leader and indicates the tempo (14). Notes are usually played in octaves. 

Notice the boat frame of this ranat ek.

Here is a video of a ranat ek player (20):

Gong-kettle Circles

Gong-kettles are also present in pi phat ensembles. They look similar to the bonang gong-kettle instruments in gamelan, however, the Thai model comes from Khmer. Unlike bonang in which the gongs are arranged in two straight lines, Thai gongs are arranged in a circle for better accessibility. There are two main forms of these gong circles. One form has the gongs in a vertical curved stand. The other form is arranged in that the player is in the middle of a circle formed by 16 gongs.They sound the same, however the former form is used for funeral music. It is thought that the latter form evolved from the curved stand form so that it would be easier for women to play (14).

This is a khong mon. In this form, the gongs are arranged in a vertical stand so the player must reach to play.

This is a khong wong yai. A horizontal stand holds the gongs so the player turns to play.  

Here are some videos of players of the khong mon and khong wong lek:

Khong mon (21)

Khong wong lek (22)

Finger Cymbals (Ching)

The ching is a pair of small, metal, finger, cup cymbals connected with string. Though small, they are important in almost all traditional Thai music for keeping time (14).

Ching

Thai Oboe (Pi)

The pi, the instrument of which the "pi" of "pi phat" comes from is a double reeded oboe. People are unsure about the origins of this instrument. It's either traditionally Thai or from the Khmer. There are three sizes of pi that vary in length which affect the tone and range of the instrument, however, the shorter two are rarely used in traditional ensembles. The pi that is used is the pi nai which is 16-17 inches long. The tube bodies are made of hardwood and sometimes marble.

This is a pi nai. The reed is sticking out from the right side in this image. 

Here's a video of a man playing pi nai (23): 

Khruang Sai

Bowed Lutes

There are three types of bowed lutes: so sam sai, so u, and so duang. The so u and so duang are similar in structure (2 stringed with attached bow) however, the so u has a coconut shell as it's body whereas the body of the so duang is made of bamboo, and the so u is lower in pitch than the so duang. Both the so u and so duang are borrowed from the Chinese huqin and erhu, respectively (14).

Thai saw u

Thai saw duang

Chinese erhu

So sam sai is a different type of bowed lute. It has three strings and a detachable bow. It's origins are thought to have come from Angkor in that that Cambodian tro khmer instrument has the same form. The Cambodian instrument could have been borrowed off Java's model of the rebab but it's unsure.It it was, a third string was added (the so sam sai has three strings while the rebab only has two) (14). 

Thai so sam sai

Cambodian tro khmer

Indonesian rebab

Here is a video of a man playing the so sam sai (24): 

Zither

Aside from stringed lutes, khruang sai features a plucked floor zither called a chakhe. It was used in Thailand since the 14th century with it's function originally being for court music. It has now been incorporated into string ensembles. The name "chakhe" comes from the shortened Thai word for "crocodile" because the head of the instrument used to be carved to represent the head of a crocodile (14).

A present-day chakhe with no crocodile carving.

An example of a chakhe player. Notice the plectrum in his right hand that he uses to play the strings (25): 

Thai Flute (Khlui)

The khlui is a vertical bamboo flute instrument thought to have originated in Thailand. There are three sizes, small, medium, and large, with the medium size most commonly used (the other two are used depending on the volume needed/type of ensemble it's in). The mouthpiece is similar to that of a Western recorder (26).

Thai khlui

Aside from ensembles, khlui is also played as a solo instrument as featured in this clip (27):