Abstract:
The objective of this study was to look at the history and musicology of Mawkaen
Sombat Simlah’s style of playing the Kaen a Thai mouth organ made from varying
lengths of bamboo bound together .Imformation gleaned from documents, interviews
with the subjects - including Sombat Simlah himself. They are as follows: 1) Sudsanan
2)Posai 3)Laiyai 4)Lainoi 5)Laiprayook 5)Lairodfai
Sombat Simlah was born on the 14th October 1963 in Ban Wanghai
Mahasarakam Province in the middle of Northeast Thailand. Not longer after he was
born, Sombat became blind following an accident in which the wrong medicine was
administered. He started to learn the Kaen at the age of six, and at the age of eleven he
went out regularly with his aunt – busking for a living on the streets for six years,
before getting work accompanying a Mawlum an expert Isaan singer playing
traditional Lai Kaen. Following this, he entered a number of competitions in which he
was awarded first place. As a result of this, he became renowned as a skilled player of
the Kaen. Also it enabled him to find work with other well-known musicians, both
locally, and internationally. He produced many recordings and continued to gain more
experience, playing in many different scenarios and circumstances. Sombat then
became a Kaen teacher, teaching students at the university where he worked part-time
and also at his home in the provinces.
In Sombat Simlah’s six Lai Kaen modes five notes in the pentatonic scale are
used which can also be expanded in solo performances. The Kaen is also an adaptable
instrument performing arrangements that use both vertical and horizontal chords
progressions. Sombat Simlah has a unique ability to produce a wide range of sounds
and arrangement using only the five notes of the pentatonic scale. Sombat has also
been influenced by popular music of the 1980s, using many popular riff phrases from
that period in his contemporary Kaen improvisations and arrangements. His skills
honed over many years, enable him to play clearly at speed, producing a broad range
of sounds and techniques, distinctive to his style of playing.