Music Composition for Hands Exercise “Tantipat”

Abstract

This research aims to study hand exercise compositions for Thai percussion instruments and to compose the hand exercise "Tantipat" for Thai percussion instruments. The scope of the study focuses exclusively on hand exercise compositions for Thai percussion instruments, specifically: Pleng Saa-tu gaan, Pleng Chêrt, Pleng Chìng mú lông chán diieow, and Pleng Rêuuang tá-yae. This led to the composition of "Tantipat," utilizing principles of musicology and traditional Thai music composition techniques. The structure of the composition is defined in the format of Pleng chìng, adhering to the traditional framework and stylistic conventions of Thai classical music. The rhythm is structured with a Song chán comprising 3 part and a Chán diieow comprising 1 part.

This study employs a qualitative research methodology, with the research methods including data collection and analysis, which ultimately led to the creation of academic work. The researcher conducted an in-depth review of academic literature related to music theory, the principles of Thai music composition, the analysis of musical characteristics, and the principles of adapting Thai musical ensembles. The data collected was organized according to the research objectives, following the steps outlined below: 1) Inspiration for melody composition: The researcher explored the relevant context by studying the melodies of the Gong wong yai ensemble in the Pleng Saa-tu gaan, Pleng Chêrt, Pleng Chìng mú lông chán diieow, and Pleng Rêuuang tá-yae compositions. The goal was to compose music in the same direction as the original piece, referencing the use of gong hand techniques according to the professional standards of Thai classical music, particularly in relation to the playing of the Gong wong yai ensemble. The composition must take into account the melody of the Gong wong yai ensemble for beginners, while allowing for further development into more advanced melodies that require higher skill levels. 2) Defining the elements of music as follows: Melodic characteristics, Form, scale, Special techniques in performance and Distinctive features of the melody. This led to the composition of a Tuntipat song, with the researcher composing the melody according to the principles of Thai musicology and the theory of Thai music composition. 3) Defining the performance format: The performance format is based on the melody of the Gong wong yai ensemble as the primary focus. Other percussion instruments interpret the melody according to their own performance skills. The instruments used are the Ranad Ek, Ranad Thum, Gong wong yai, and Gong wong lek. The performance can be conducted both as solo practice and as an ensemble performance (For ensemble performances, use the Khui Piang Or for the Piphat Mai Nuam ensemble and the Pii for the Piphat Mai Khaeng ensemble.). Various rhythmic instruments can be incorporated as appropriate to help enhance the texture and color of the melody.

The results of the study were as follows: 1) The hand exercise compositions consist of four songs, namely: 1) Pleng Saa-tu gaan, which consists of 37 sentences of music notation in Thai classical music. The study found three scales: Sol la Ti x Ra Mi x (The Nai scale), Ra Mi Fa x La Ti x (The Glaang Hàep scale), and Do Re Mi x Sol La x (The Nook scale). This piece follows the ABBC / form, where the B section features a very long melody, consisting of 32 sentences (Sentences 2 – 33) 2) Pleng Chêrt song chán and chán diieow, which consists of 91 sentences. The study found three scales: Sol la Ti x Ra Mi x (The Nai scale), Ra Mi Fa x La Ti x (The Glaang Hàep scale), and Do Re Mi x Sol La x (The Nook scale). This piece follows the AB / CB / DB / EB / FB / Gb / Hb / Ib / Jb / Kb / Lb / Mb / form. It features a repeated melody at the end of section B (The melody at the end of The Song chán section.) and section b (The melody at the end of The chán diieow section). 3) Chìng mú lông chán diieow, which consists of 25 sentences. The study found three scales: Do Re Mi x Sol La x (The Nook scale), Fa Sol La x Do Re x (The Low Piang Or scale) and Ti Do re x Fa Sol x (The High Piang scale). This piece follows the A / B / CDDEEFGHIIJ / form. In part 1 and part 2, the melody is short, while section 3 features the longest melody. And 4) Pleng Rêuuang tá-yae song chán which consists of 74 sentences. It has a total length of 7 sections. The piece is divided into 7 part, consisting of 2 songs: Tá-yae with 5 part and Long Ruea with 2 part. The study found two scales: Sol la Ti x Ra Mi x (The Nai scale) and and Do Re Mi x Sol La x (The Nook scale). This piece follows the ABBC / FG / HHIG / JJIG / KKLG / MN / OPQN / form. It features repeated melodies in several sections and includes the " Ot phan" (This method is character by both instrumentation being delivered once in a low register for repeat performance.).

The study found that all four songs focus on enhancing practical skills, namely: movement, memory, improvise, Sa-bud, Sa-dor, division of hands and various tandems. The hand exercises in the compositions are as follows: The hand exercises in 1) Pleng Saa-tu gaan and 2) Pleng Chêrt require the performer to focus closely and maintain precision in playing the music, as the melody is repeated in several sections. These two songs still require practice in interpreting the melodies of various percussion instruments to achieve fluency and proficiency. The hand exercises in 3) Pleng Chìng mú lông chán diieow as it is a Pleng Ching song without a rhythmic of drum. It is suitable for hand exercises to practice agility and is performed using a fast-paced melody for training purposes. The melody in part 1 and 2 is relatively short, but in part 3, it is the longest part of the piece. This may cause those who have not practiced hand exercises thoroughly to struggle, as they may not have enough stamina to complete part 3. The hand exercises in 4) Pleng Rêuuang tá-yae, which requires musicians to exert significantly more force than in the Pleng Chìng mú lông due to its length of 7 part. It requires endurance and techniques for interpreting the melody with as little repetition as possible, or ideally no repetition at all, in order to achieve fluency in melody interpretation.

The composition of the hand exercise "Tantipat" is based on the melody of the original song and is composed in an automatic style. The hand division for the Gong wong yai follows the standard hand division guidelines in Thai music and the evaluation criteria. Creative in Pleng chìng style. The song isseparate for song chán 3 part and chán diieow 1 part. Uses 4 scales: Low Piang O, Nai, Nook and Glaang Hàep. To increase skills: movement, memory, improvise, Sa-bud, Sa-dor, division of hands and various tandems. The composition of the melody is in accordance with the principles of Montri Tramoth, Pichit Chaisaree and Busakorn Samrongthong. The method of composing Thai music emphasizes creativity and originality in the process. The researcher used the findings from the four songs as inspiration for composing the melody. In the composition, the researcher incorporated the identity of the original four songs to create the structure of the "Tantipat" song. The structure of the song follows the format of a Ching song with a song chán rhythm, divided into 3 part, and a chán diieow rhythm, divided into 1 part. There are a total of 52 sentences of music notation in Thai classical music. The structure of the three sections of the song was inspired by Pleng Chìng mú long. The melody with a Song chán rhythm in part 1 was inspired by Pleng Saa-tu gaan. part 2 was inspired by Pleng Chìng mú lông chán diieow and Pleng Rêuuang tá-yae. part 3 was inspired by Pleng Rêuuang tá-yae, and the melody with a Chán diieow rhythm was inspired by the use of the gong hand technique from the original four songs, which are: Sa-bud, Sa-dor, division of hands and various tandems.