sounds of Thailand Akha music

song (two female singers)	"I thought that once I was married life would be good with no work but it's harder than living with my parents"	1.9MB
flute solo	a long two-holed flute with a block whistle, the tune is to send the player's beloved to sleep and wish her happy dreams	1MB
bamboo mouth harp solo	courting tune in which the player says he's lonely and the mosquitoes are biting him	590KB
work song with bamboo beaters	the two women sing almost independently; the words go something like "my husband has left me, I feel sad and lonely and I want another one."	1.1MB

Most Akha music is associated with particular ceremonies related to agricultural activities including planting and harvesting rice, praising the host at a feast as well as songs to accompany the sacrifice of a buffalo at funerals and other ceremonies. Many songs are performed at the swing festival in August.
Many Akha songs are choral, often accompanied by stamping sticks and drums or the jangling of head dress jewellery. In some there are two or more voices with different melodies and rhythms making truly polyphonic music. Many choral songs will have a leader and follow a call-response pattern.
Singers do not use ornamentation and songs are melodic with frequent steps of thirds and intervals of a fifth are also important. Many courting songs are pentatonic or use four tones- BbDGF is a common opening theme. Some do have a steady rhythm with long notes interspersed with groups of shorter notes.
Dance songs have a more regular and heavily marked rhythm, often accentuated with the pounding or bamboo beaters, stamping Songs for ceremonies tend to be simpler, unmetrical and often using 3 or even only two notes.
Instrumental music is also pentatonic. The lute is used as a courting instrument and is played melodically with occasional two note chords using one open string. Dancing is sometimes accompanied by free reed pipes (also used for courting). The Akha also use the mouth harp for courting and have a unique type of flute.

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