THE ARRANGEMENT OF THAI LUK KRUNG SONGS FOR THE JAZZ BAND

Abstract

This research, The Arrangement of Thai Luk Krung Songs for the Jazz Band, aimed to analyze the musical concepts used in arranging Thai Luk Krung songs for a jazz band and to study students’ opinions toward the arranged songs as instructional media for the Small Ensemble Practice course. The study employed a mixed-methods research design. The sample group consisted of 21 second-year students majoring in Music Education, selected by purposive sampling. The research instruments included five arranged Thai Luk Krung songs: Rak Khun Khao Laeo, Phiang Kham Diao, Chua Fa Din Salai, Khruan, and Khuen Ni Phi Khoi Chao, together with a student opinion questionnaire. Qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis, while quantitative data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation. The findings revealed that the arrangement of Thai Luk Krung songs for the jazz band applied the concept of reharmonization to enrich musical color and make the songs suitable for a small jazz ensemble. The major techniques included II-V-I chord progressions, secondary dominant chords, tritone substitution, non-diatonic chords, chord movement by thirds, bass-line-led harmonic movement, and rhythmic adaptation into swing, bossa nova, and ballad styles. These techniques created harmonic and rhythmic diversity while preserving the identity of the original melodies. The overall students’ opinion was at the highest level, with a mean score of 4.68 and a standard deviation of 0.47. This indicates that the arranged songs were suitable for teaching and learning and for developing jazz performance skills.