Wolfgang's photos with the keyword: ระนาด

The girl on the left playing the Thai drum called Taphon ตะโพน. It is used in the classical Thai wind-and-percussion ensemble called piphat. It is considered a particularly sacred instrument in the Thai culture, and is generally kept in a higher place than other instruments. The boy in the middle playing a Thai xylophone called Ranat Ek ระนาด The ranat ek is very similar to a Cambodian xylophone called roneat ek. and the lady on the right playing Khong wong yai ฆ้องวงใหญ่. The player sits in the middle of the circle. It is used in the piphat ensemble to provide the skeletal melody the other instruments of the elaborate ensemble.

Thai classical music is closely connected with the opus of court ensembles that were first formed in Central Thailand some 800 years ago. At first heavily influenced by Khmer and Indian traditions, this music has evolved into distinctive Thai melodies. The most important ensembles differ in their expression, but their work is altogether based on the same theory and approach. All of them use the same instruments to determine the rhythm and several similarities can be found with the classical Khmer orchestras and some other musical ensembles in Southeastern Asia.