Thailand has three primary classical instrumental ensembles: 1) Piphat orchestra includes xylophones, oboe, drums, and gong chimes and accompanies shadow puppet and dance dramas. 2) Khrueang Sai combines percussion, winds and expanded string section including bowed lutes and accompanies stick puppet theater. 3) Mahori was traditionally played by women and included smaller instruments.

1. Thailand
AYUTTHAYA RUINS

2. Thailand
3 Primary instrumental ensembles
Piphat
●– a midsized orchestra including two xylophones (ranat), an oboe (pi), barrel drums (klong)
and two circular sets of tuned horizontal gong-chimes (khong wong lek and khong wong yai).
Piphat can be performed in either a loud outdoor style using hard mallets. Different versions
of the piphat ensemble are employed to accompany specific forms of traditional Thai drama
such as the large shadow puppet theater (nang yai) and the khon dance drama.
●Khrueang Sai
●-orchestra combines some of the percussion of wind instruments of the piphat with an
expanded string section including the saw duang (a high-pitched two-string bowed lute), the
lower pitched saw u (bowed lute) and the three-string jakhe. primarily used for instrumental
indoor performances and for accompanying the Thai hoon grabok (stick-puppet theater),
●Mahori
●- The third major Thai classical ensemble is the Mahori, traditionally played by women in the
courts of both Central Thailand and Cambodia. Historically the ensemble included smaller
instruments more appropriate, it was thought, to the build of female performers.

3. Videos
Piphat

4. Videos
Mahori

5. Videos
Loi Loi Krathong