Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia
Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia
Although their individual political histories differ, the music practiced in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia is almost identical. The musical instruments and forms of this region spring from the same sources: India, the indigenous Mon-Khmer civilizations, China, and Indonesia. In Thailand, three types of orchestras, called pi phat, kruang sai, and mahori, exist. The pi phat, which plays for court ceremonies and theatrical presentations, uses melodic percussion (gongs in a circle, xylophones, metallophones) and a blown reed. The kruang sai performs in popular village affairs and combines strings