Research & Article

Despite the country’s accessibility to academics, music traditions in Thailand constitute an underworked field. Furthermore, the subject is often falsely represented, with scholarship being over reliant on Western literature that is incomplete or wrong. Thus, this article aims to communicate the rich and elaborate traditions of northeastern Thai music. Culturally, the northeast region (pak isan), which comprises 16 of Thailand’s 72 provinces and at least 12 million people, is Lao. Thus, the music of the region is defined by distinctive Lao traditions. The article outlines northeast Thailand’s various musical instruments, including those used solely in historical periods. The most prominent of these instruments is the kaen, a free-reed aerophone, often referred to as a mouth organ in the West. Also discussed is the singing characteristic of northeast Thailand, as well as the history and entomology of related terms.