ASEAN Guitar | Masterclass

Fusion of South East Asian music

The aim of this musical selection from the ten ASEAN countries - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam - is to bridge the native musical traditions within the region through the filter of contemporary musical consciousness and today’s modern way of life in these rapidly emerging countries.

The music on the album is in no way meant to be scientific research nor an ethnological study but simply a fun selection of well-known traditional folk, popular and contemporary music from the region, composed and arranged for the ever so popular guitar, an instrument which itself is such a perfect medium for a conversation between musical language and styles.

Many of the pieces are equally popular in more than one country and in many cases it is quite hard to tell where the melodies actually originate from; but what all of the pieces on this album have in common is that distinctive ASEAN flavor, which is characterised by mesmerising repetitive rhythms and the mystifying melodic charm and sweetness which differentiates music from ASEAN countries from the rest of the world.

The Musical texture is heterophonic in Indonesian and Thai folk music while Filipino folk music uses mixed textures. The use of melodic modes is common to Indonesian and Thai folk music while Filipino folk music uses melodic modes and diatonic scales. Duple meter and strophic form is common across countries.

The aim of this musical selection from the ten ASEAN countries - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam - is to bridge the native musical traditions within the region through the filter of contemporary musical consciousness and today’s modern way of life in these rapidly emerging countries.

The music on the album is in no way meant to be scientific research nor an ethnological study but simply a fun selection of well-known traditional folk, popular and contemporary music from the region, composed and arranged for the ever so popular guitar, an instrument which itself is such a perfect medium for a conversation between musical language and styles.

Many of the pieces are equally popular in more than one country and in many cases it is quite hard to tell where the melodies actually originate from; but what all of the pieces on this album have in common is that distinctive ASEAN flavor, which is characterised by mesmerising repetitive rhythms and the mystifying melodic charm and sweetness which differentiates music from ASEAN countries from the rest of the world.

Hucky EichelmannMusical texture is heterophonic in Indonesian and Thai folk music while Filipino folk music uses mixed textures. The use of melodic modes is common to Indonesian and Thai folk music while Filipino folk music uses melodic modes and diatonic scales. Duple meter and strophic form is common across countries.

Hucky talks about his ASEAN Guitar album

Fusion of South East Asian Music

Album: ASEAN Guitar
Audio CD (AMI CD 2015-02)
HD (320 kbps) Download (AMI DCD 2015-02-entire album)
180 Gram Vinyl (AMI LP 2015-05)
Sheet Music Book (AMI Book 2015-03)

@ 2015 Copyright by Asia Music International Ltd.

ASEAN GUITAR - Hucky Eichelmann

In Celebration of the ASEAN Community

Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bangkok
Vithes Samosorn Hall
8 January 2016

Music available HERE

The traditional music of ASEAN - A cultural melting pot

Southeast Asia is a region of great diversity, in terms of geography, environment, livelihood, traditions, religions, arts and culture. Historical and social development along with accumulated wisdom has created ten countries each with a distinctive and a unique identity, but also with shared characteristics common to all ASEAN people. ASEAN music is a reflection
of the creativity, adaptation and interaction between the ASEAN music cultures and influences from various outside sources. Moreover, the music reflects the different aspects of Southeast Asian culture through its timbre, rhythm, melody, texture, form and style.

Southeast Asian music can be divided into two groups: mainland and maritime. In the mainland countries, percussion instruments are played either solo or in ensemble but in maritime countries where they are used as part of the ensemble.

Despite the diverse sources of influence, ASEAN music has a common characteristic, gong chimes. Gongs are the most popular percussion instruments in the region and have played an important role in Southeast Asian society for centuries.

Gongs of various shapes and sizes were used at the royal courts and are still used as part of rituals and entertainment in villages across the region; Gongs play both a rhythmical and melodic role in music, too. Gong chimes are shared throughout the ASEAN music cultures, well know genres of gong chime music include Indonesian gamelan and the kulintang of Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines. It can be said that the gong chime is the true shared symbol of Southeast Asian music.

Besides percussion instruments, the ASEAN countries also share a rich catalog of other instruments - plucked, blown and bowed; played either solo or in ensembles. Although the sizes and types of different musical ensembles may vary, the instruments used in them are almost the same.

The Philippine rondalla and Thai khruang sai ensembles are pure string ensembles and the Thai mahori is a mixed string/ percussion ensemble. The Myanmar xylophone pattala is similar to the Thai ranat ek and the Cambodian roneat ek. The khaen, a freed reed bamboo mouth organ is part of a native tradition of improvised singing in Northeastern Thailand and Laos. Another common bamboo instrument tradition is the Angklung ensemble which originated in Indonesia but is widely spread all over Southeast Asia.

Musical texture is heterophonic in Indonesian and Thai folk music while Filipino folk music uses mixed textures. The use of melodic modes is common to Indonesian and Thai folk music while Filipino folk music uses melodic modes and diatonic scales. Duple meter and strophic form is common across countries.