sounds of Thailand Padaung music

dance music	the ensemble has guitar, flute, fiddle and percussion accompanying a singer; the song relates that the mountain spirits were not happy with the food the villagers offered so took their daughters too	1MB
festive music	played on simple bamboo panpipes, sets of which are distributed amongst the men at the New Year	624KB
unaccompanied song (male singer)	an example of the traditional style of singing; the song is that of a wife who complains that her husband crows like a cock but leaves her to do all the work	1MB
song with guitar	an example of the type of song that the Padong perform mainly for tourists but which clearly developed from the type of song sung by the man in the previous track. The singer accompanies herself on a 4 string guitar.	1.9MB
courting song with flute	two women sing a rather mournful song led by a duct flute (boys are kicking a football in the background)	1MB
courting song	the same two women alternate	821KB
funeral song	the villagers stand in a circle around the coffin before carrying it into the forest; a male singer leads and two women join in	1.3MB

The music of the Padaung I have recorded has mostly been pentatonic and in the form of gentle very repetitive songs, though traditional songs veer into freer scales like Karen solo singing. Traditional tunes are given a more regular beat and sung to the accompaniment of a four string guitar. The music heard today has no doubt been heavily influenced by Western missionary music and some of the songs I have heard are clear adaptations of hymn tunes. They also use home-made guitars and violins for accompaniment and it is difficult to find music not targeted at tourists.

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