Off Key

[vegas]

It's Saturday night and my missus is watching another one of these live Thai talent shows and it seems as though most of the contestants are singing as flat as a tack. This is the same for most of the Thai concert footage I have seen and heard.

Is this because the acoustics are terrible and they can't hear themselves sing or are most of the contestants/singers kids of rich Thais that want to see their kids on TV? Where are my earplugs?

[SamuiJens]

in your ears, hopefully!

[meemiathai]

use ear digs

[tijnebijn]

They love it . Some are not bad though .

For you , yeah what can you do ?

[JetsetBkk]

It's Saturday night and my missus is watching another one of these live Thai talent shows and it seems as though most of the contestants are singing as flat as a tack. This is the same for most of the Thai concert footage I have seen and heard.

Is this because the acoustics are terrible and they can't hear themselves sing or are most of the contestants/singers kids of rich Thais that want to see their kids on TV? Where are my earplugs?

For a pleasant night out, go to a Thai karaoke bar.

[simon43]

I think they are the kids of rich parents...

It's actually a wonderful experience when you hear someone who can sing in tune. The wife of an Ozzie guy comes to sing karaokee in our hotel. Her voice is beautiful.

Simon

[bangkoksingapore]

rich kids of course. tit.

[dave111223]

It's Saturday night and my missus is watching another one of these live Thai talent shows and it seems as though most of the contestants are singing as flat as a tack. This is the same for most of the Thai concert footage I have seen and heard.

Is this because the acoustics are terrible and they can't hear themselves sing or are most of the contestants/singers kids of rich Thais that want to see their kids on TV? Where are my earplugs?

My wife is watching the same terrible show right now.... (every week it seems to trump football).

They sound so ###### bad, it is on par with a drunken karaoke session. I'm pretty sure you could get a better sound kicking a cat. And the worst part is that they are not supposed to suck. It would be a different story if they all sucked and everyone knew it and just watched it for a laugh...but people seem to take it dead serious.

Oh well i think there are only like 2 weeks left and then football can dominate the TV on Saturdays again.

[kopite]

i was at a hotel in phetchabun for a few days while my GF was in hospital. when she came out i took her in the hotel restaurant where there was a caberet every night.

i told her before we went in, the girls were shocking.

she told me when we left that they were "really good mate"

[JetsetBkk]

I went to a karaoke with a few female friends and one of them got up to "sing". Apparently, she ALWAYS gets up to "sing".

She was appalling, and I made the mistake of telling her that she couldn't sing. She was shocked and nearly burst into tears. I've never done that again to anybody, no matter how bad they are.

[Eff1n2ret]

rich kids of course. tit.

I'm afraid this exhibitionism is not confined to the rich. My wife's son by some long-forgotten marriage, age 27 going on 15, seems unable, at any event involving karaoke, to resist the compulsion to seize the microphone and wail like a wounded animal. I can't work out whether the brainless little turd doesn't know he can't sing, or does know but needs to draw attention to himself.

I've no intention of asking him, as this would contravene my practice of speaking to him as little as possible.

[vegas]

I recall sitting at a som tam shop at Big C opposite Central World. The restaurant was right next to one of those public karaoke booths and one <deleted> was really letting out the most god-awful sound I have ever heard. You could never describe what he was doing as singing. Most of the people in the restaurant were laughing, but this guy went on and on and on. He was still going when we left 20 minutes later.

Sure, everyone at some stage in their life fantasizes about being a pop/rock star, but how this sort of noise pollution relates to that I will never know.

My boss loves karaoke, and does an ok job but she is off key but she thinks she sounds great. Her sister also loves karaoke but isn't much better then the guy described above and is a running joke in the company.

I can admire people that have no talent and play sport poorly, but put in a big effort. Bad singers should never be let out into the light of day.

[pattyboy]

Amazing! I think this is the first time I've ever seen so many posts in a row where the contributors all agree, and you can count me in.

There are very few times when I've heard Thais singing and it was even close to tolerable, in karaoke bars or on TV. I remember being in a karaoke bar many years ago, and one of the girls who seemed to be working there offered to sing me a song for 20 baht. I had already heard her attempt a couple of other songs, and to hear another was the last thing I wanted. With a smile, I offered her 20 baht not to sing, but of course she didn't see the humour in what I was saying and gave me one of those confused looks. Poor girl, I guess she really did think her voice was worth paying for.

[BADBRAD]

I'm afraid this exhibitionism is not confined to the rich. My wife's son by some long-forgotten marriage, age 27 going on 15, seems unable, at any event involving karaoke, to resist the compulsion to seize the microphone and wail like a wounded animal. I can't work out whether the brainless little turd doesn't know he can't sing, or does know but needs to draw attention to himself.

I've no intention of asking him, as this would contravene my practice of speaking to him as little as possible.

This is one of the funniest posts I have ever read here

[Maigo6]

I'm afraid this exhibitionism is not confined to the rich. My wife's son by some long-forgotten marriage, age 27 going on 15, seems unable, at any event involving karaoke, to resist the compulsion to seize the microphone and wail like a wounded animal. I can't work out whether the brainless little turd doesn't know he can't sing, or does know but needs to draw attention to himself.

I've no intention of asking him, as this would contravene my practice of speaking to him as little as possible.

This is one of the funniest posts I have ever read here

I think it's one of the saddest posts I have ever read.

Edited September 4, 2007 by Maigo6

[Maigo6]

Amazing! I think this is the first time I've ever seen so many posts in a row where the contributors all agree, and you can count me in.

There are very few times when I've heard Thais singing and it was even close to tolerable, in karaoke bars or on TV. I remember being in a karaoke bar many years ago, and one of the girls who seemed to be working there offered to sing me a song for 20 baht. I had already heard her attempt a couple of other songs, and to hear another was the last thing I wanted. With a smile, I offered her 20 baht not to sing, but of course she didn't see the humour in what I was saying and gave me one of those confused looks. Poor girl, I guess she really did think her voice was worth paying for.

And who do you think you are, Luciano Pavarotti ?

Guess what, I bet she was having a good time, even if she isn't a great singer she still gets up there and sings, would you?

Edited September 4, 2007 by Maigo6

[BADBRAD]

I'm afraid this exhibitionism is not confined to the rich. My wife's son by some long-forgotten marriage, age 27 going on 15, seems unable, at any event involving karaoke, to resist the compulsion to seize the microphone and wail like a wounded animal. I can't work out whether the brainless little turd doesn't know he can't sing, or does know but needs to draw attention to himself.

I've no intention of asking him, as this would contravene my practice of speaking to him as little as possible.

This is one of the funniest posts I have ever read here

I think it's one of the saddest posts I have ever read.

Yeah, that too. Funny in a sad way. Is that possible?

[chinthee]

I'm afraid this exhibitionism is not confined to the rich. My wife's son by some long-forgotten marriage, age 27 going on 15, seems unable, at any event involving karaoke, to resist the compulsion to seize the microphone and wail like a wounded animal. I can't work out whether the brainless little turd doesn't know he can't sing, or does know but needs to draw attention to himself.

I've no intention of asking him, as this would contravene my practice of speaking to him as little as possible.

This is one of the funniest posts I have ever read here

I think it's one of the saddest posts I have ever read.

Yeah, that too. Funny in a sad way. Is that possible?

Made I chuckle.

Gotta be <deleted> "post of the year."

[BFD]

It's Saturday night and my missus is watching another one of these live Thai talent shows and it seems as though most of the contestants are singing as flat as a tack. This is the same for most of the Thai concert footage I have seen and heard.

Is this because the acoustics are terrible and they can't hear themselves sing or are most of the contestants/singers kids of rich Thais that want to see their kids on TV? Where are my earplugs?

When I first got to Thailand last year, I thought much the same thing. I couldn't believe that even the radio singers seemed to have to 'scoop' into their notes. This is a well-known technique of church-going grannies, drunken groomsmen, and Celine Dion.

However, I'm a musician according to my first degree, so I thought I'd try and figure out just why it sounded so different. I mean, many Thais are really good at singing popular Western hits, so they can obviously sing, but when they start to sing a Thai song, there's something decidedly 'different'. Well, it turns out that, in a typical Thai melody, Thai singers utilize one more note than most pop singers in the West. Most pop song melodies are completely centered around the 1st, 3rd, and 5th degrees in the major (C, E, G on a piano). On the other hand, Thais use the 7th degree much more frequently (B on a piano).

Now, the 7th certainly isn't a Thai innovation, (since it and its flattened counterpart made up the centerpiece for the Jazz explosion in the US), but the way that they use it as an actual chord tone, rather than a passing tone, makes it difficult for Western ears to handle.

In short, the Thai aural spectrum is slightly broader and more sophisticated than what we're used to. Especially up in Isaan, there are gifted musicians who can naturally divide an octave into 15, 16, 22 different segments, whereas even very skilled Western musicians have difficulty singing all twelve notes in succession.

Of course, sometimes you just run into singers that just suck, like the dude that sang the national anthem at my school yesterday. Thai, Canadian, or Martian, sometimes people just can't sing.

BFD!

[Maigo6]

In short, the Thai aural spectrum is slightly broader and more sophisticated than what we're used to. Especially up in Isaan, there are gifted musicians who can naturally divide an octave into 15, 16, 22 different segments, whereas even very skilled Western musicians have difficulty singing all twelve notes in succession.

BFD!

Ever noticed how so many Thai guys can play Guitar in Isaan ?

I've had some great parties up there, we've had Pongsit Khamphi live down on the farm, well, it wasn't actually Pongsit Khamphi himself, but it was a perfect imitation, and when the guy who was performing stopped for a break, one of the other locals would pick up the guitar and play, many of these guys are good.

Does my head in as I have never truely mastered a bar chord!!!

Edited September 4, 2007 by Maigo6

[pattyboy]

Amazing! I think this is the first time I've ever seen so many posts in a row where the contributors all agree, and you can count me in.

There are very few times when I've heard Thais singing and it was even close to tolerable, in karaoke bars or on TV. I remember being in a karaoke bar many years ago, and one of the girls who seemed to be working there offered to sing me a song for 20 baht. I had already heard her attempt a couple of other songs, and to hear another was the last thing I wanted. With a smile, I offered her 20 baht not to sing, but of course she didn't see the humour in what I was saying and gave me one of those confused looks. Poor girl, I guess she really did think her voice was worth paying for.

And who do you think you are, Luciano Pavarotti ?

Guess what, I bet she was having a good time, even if she isn't a great singer she still gets up there and sings, would you?

Oh darn, you figured out my real identity.

Isn't this too bad. Here we were having a laugh about bad singers, and then we get someone who has to get serious on us and add a sour note (pun intended). Lighten up Maigo6! Bubbles wouldn't approve of your up tight attitude. He loves life and looks for the good in things in it, not the bad.

[Maigo6]

Lighten up Maigo6! Bubbles wouldn't approve of your up tight attitude. He loves life and looks for the good in things in it, not the bad.

Sorry mate, I'm Angel Eyes now, Bubbles is history.

[dave111223]

Ever noticed how so many Thai guys can play Guitar in Isaan ?

I've had some great parties up there, we've had Pongsit Khamphi live down on the farm, well, it wasn't actually Pongsit Khamphi himself, but it was a perfect imitation, and when the guy who was performing stopped for a break, one of the other locals would pick up the guitar and play, many of these guys are good.

Does my head in as I have never truely mastered a bar chord!!!

It is weird how there are so many awesome guitar players in Thailand, but so many bad singers.

It seems like all the time i go to bars and get blown away by the quantity of a guitarist. Strange that they can so easily master extremely difficult western guitar solos, but not many can manage the most basic of western singing.

Some people say that Thai music is on a different scale so it is difficult to sing outside of that, but then wouldn't it also make it difficult to play guitar outside of the scale also?

Edited September 4, 2007 by dave111223

[Maigo6]

Some people say that Thai music is on a different scale so it is difficult to sing outside of that, but then wouldn't it also make it difficult to play guitar outside of the scale also?

Also Dave, how many farangs could sing Mor lam Music ?

It is totally different, look at Chinese or Japanese traditional music, how would a Farang get along trying to copy that....lol.

Best in Asia I have seen at imitation have been bands from the Philipines.

[pattyboy]

Some people say that Thai music is on a different scale so it is difficult to sing outside of that, but then wouldn't it also make it difficult to play guitar outside of the scale also?

Also Dave, how many farangs could sing Mor lam Music ?

It is totally different, look at Chinese or Japanese traditional music, how would a Farang get along trying to copy that....lol.

Best in Asia I have seen at imitation have been bands from the Philipines.

I remember everybody talking about Jonas Anderson, the Swedish-born, Thai singing sensation when I first moved to Thailand. Does anybody know what he's up to now?

FROM THE INTERNET:

The hottest singer in the tradition-steeped world of Thai country music comes from the land of ABBA

Jonas Anderson is blond, blue-eyed and very Swedish. He is also Thailand's hottest country music star, with his debut album, Pom Chu Jonas (My Name is Jonas), selling more than 200,000 copies since its June 15 release. "Never did I imagine I would be doing something like this," says the 27-year-old luk thung (country music) singer. He spoke with TIME reporter Robert Horn before taking the stage for a concert in the northeastern town of Nakhon Ratchasima.

The rest of the article/interview can be found here: http://www.time.com/time/asia/features/int...singer0911.html

[spot]

It's got to be because of the tones in the Thai language...

We would sing a simple melody using la up, la down, but Thai singers would have to get the tones in, so it would be la up, la rising, la down, la falling etc..

That's my laymans theory.

But to me, most of it does sound terrible.

[jellymeister]

I always have a laugh about how sensitive and nonsensical people get about these types of things….even coming up with questionable so-called scientific rebuttals about alternative musical scales etcetc.

My 2 cents for what it’s worth, Thai people are great at many things, including food, entertainment, muay thai. and daily approach to living. The fact of the matter is that generally they are not very musically inclined to a western ear, although they enjoy singing very very much(and of course there are always exceptions). Anyway there are very few cultures that are good at everything.

Filipinos are great singers/dancers, but don’t have great food. Ditto for Cubans. Brazilians seem to have a good combo of many things but their violence-plagued society and its favelas is far from perfect as well.

As a farang, what to do? My advice, take the Thai approach and just smile, no need to heap scorn on someone because they are not very good at a particular activity, In fact I have had a blast at some karaoke joints with Thai friends who couldn’t sing but were great partiers

[kmart]

Popular Japanese words here usually indicate things that I stay well clear of. "Karaoke" being the main one....

Other words that ring the alarm bells might be "Daidomon"; "sushi" and of course; "bukkake".

[BFD]

Thai people are great at many things, including food, entertainment, muay thai. and daily approach to living. The fact of the matter is that generally they are not very musically inclined to a western ear, although...

Just wanted to point out that you, too, put in a caveat that basically alludes to alternate scales, etc as the 'explanation'. I'm not nit-picking at all, I just want to show that the argument makes so much sense that sometimes even people that are against it are FOR it by accident!

BFD!

[grtaylor]

It's got to be because of the tones in the Thai language...

We would sing a simple melody using la up, la down, but Thai singers would have to get the tones in, so it would be la up, la rising, la down, la falling etc..

That's my laymans theory.

But to me, most of it does sound terrible.

The tones are certainly a significant part of the problem (but its our problem as listeners - not theirs in performing!), along with the fact that the scales used in Thai music are not the same as the diatonic scales used in western music. The music of many countries uses scales tuned differently, with more or less notes between the octave.

Because of our own experience, the scales we are familiar with sound "in tune", and the scales which are unfamiliar sound "out of tune".

The Thais I know who are experienced at singing western classical music can sing just as "in tune" as anyone else can.

G

(Another music graduate)