Mor lam

Mor lam is a traditional Lao form of song originating in Laos that is also popular in Isan, where the majority of the population is ethnic Lao.
Morlam is a traditional storytelling and entertainment form in the Southeast Asian country of Laos, and the northeastern part of Thailand, known as Isaan.
The term molam is a combination of the term mo, meaning “master,” and lam, meaning to sing in a style called lam. Literally then, molam means “master of the lam singing style,” but the term is also used more generally to performances in the lam genre. It refers to both the music and the artist. Other romanisations used include mor lum, maw lam, maw lum, moh lam, mhor lum, and molum. In Laos, both the music and singer is called mor lam, and when referencing the subgenre/ region of origin, the term "lam" is used, followed by the subgenre/region name.
The characteristic feature of lam singing is the use of a flexible melody tailored to the tones of the words in the text. Traditionally, the tune was developed by the singer as an interpretation of a klon poem and accompanied primarily by the khene. The modern form is frequently composed and uses electrified instruments. Traditional forms use a slower tempo than the quicker tempo and faster deliveries of more modern lam music. Strong rhythmic accompaniments, vocal leaps, and a conversational style of singing distinguish lam from American rap.
Typically featuring a theme of unrequited love, mor lam often reflects the difficulties of life in rural Isan and Laos, leavened with wry humour. In its heartland, performances are an essential part of festivals and ceremonies. Lam has gained a profile outside its native regions from the spread of migrant workers, for whom it remains an important cultural link with home.

Appellation

In Laos, morlam / mor lam/ molam /mo lam refers to the traditional folk music genre and also the singer, and when referencing the subgenre, the word ລຳ, lam is used followed by the specific genre/beat/region name, ex: lam salavan. In northern Laos, the regional folk music styles are referred to as ຂັບ, khap, and signifies 'to sing' or a 'song'. The Lao-speaking people across the river in Isan call the music หมอลำ, mo lam,, Laos, the equivalent term ໝໍລຳ, molam Lao ໝໍ and Isan หมอ, both mo, refers specifically to an 'expert', 'shaman', or 'doctor'. The northern Lao terms ขับ, khap and mokhap, are not used in Isan, but are likely still used in some Lao-speaking parts of Loei, Uttaradit, and Phitsanulok that were settled by people originally from northern Laos, however, khap is understood as a rarer word for 'to sing' or 'song' and in reference to specifically northern styles of lam. Northern Lao areas refer to the khène/''khaen player as the mokhène/mokhaen just as in the rest of Laos and Isan.
In standard Thai, the music and the singer, as adopted from Isan usage, is also known as หมอลำ, molam, but because of the tone differences is generally pronounced. It is also common to "correct" or "translate" the Isan term into standard Thai as หมอรำ, mo ram, as Thai รำ, ram, is cognate to Lao ລຳ and Isan ลำ and shares the same meaning. Although Thai ขับ khap''

Instrumentation

As the lowland areas of Laos and Isan are essentially one shared cultural region of Lao people, few differences, especially at its most traditional level, are present to distinguish traditional forms on either side. Throughout the Lao-speaking heartlands, the only accompaniment to performances of khap and lam was the local free reed mouth-organ, the khène /khaen. Similar in many ways to the function of the bagpipe in the Scottish Highlands, the khène/khaen provides not only the melody but can also be used to provide a drone as it is played with circular breathing. So important is the khène/khaen in Lao music, the instrument even came to be used in the Lao classical music ensemble known as sép noy /sep noi, where most of the instruments are influenced by the veneer of Indian musical traditions as well as classical musical traditions of neighboring Thailand, Cambodia, and Java.
In lam styles of central and southern Laos and most of Isan, traditional performances often included ensembles. Most northern khap styles relied solely on the khène/khaen, except for a few styles, such as those from Luang Phrabang, many of which were adaptations of the local classical music traditions as the city was the seat of the Lao monarchy until its forced abdication in 1975. The southern lam styles, heavily influenced by the ancient musical traditions of the Mon-Khmer peoples, such as the Mon, Khmer, Kuy and Bru that either were the former inhabitants or continue to live amongst the Tai peoples that now make up the majority in the Lao-speaking region.
Most modern styles, including the northern khap varieties, are generally heard with ensembles consisting of a mixture of Western instruments and traditional ones. Contemporary ensembles often feature instruments such as:

Electric Guitars
Electric Bass
Drum Kit / Drum Set, Percussion
Accordions
Saxophones
Violins, and/or String Orchestra
Keyboard/organs

Lao BGN/PCGN	Lao	Thai RTGS	Isan	Thai	Description
pi	ປີ່	pi	ปี่	ปี่	Class of four-reed oboes.
vôt	ໂຫວດ	wot	โหวด	โหวด	A circular panpipe.
khouy	ຂຸ່ຍ/ຂຸ່ຽ	khlui	ขลุ่ย	ขลุ่ย	Class of reedless, single- or double-reed flutes.
hun/hune	ຫືນ	chongnong	หืน	จ้องหน่อง	Bamboo Jew's harp or jaw harp
chakhé	ຈະເຂ້	chakhe	จะเข้	จะเข้	A type of zither.
xo	ຊໍ	so	ซอ	ซอ	Class of fiddle instruments. Most common is the xo ou/so u ຊໍອູ້/ซออู้ or Thai and the xo i/so i ຊໍອີ/ซออี , known in Thai as the ซอด้วง.
hai xong	ໄຫຊອງ	hai song	ไหซอง	ไหซอง	Series of different sized earthenware jugs with a taught string over its mouth which are plucked or struck. Traditional lam performances often feature a female dancer that pretends to play the hai xong/hai song.
kachappi	ກະຈັບປີ່	krachappi	กระจับปี่	กระจับปี่	A two-stringed, four-coursed lute no longer commonly used.
sing	ສິ່ງ	ching	ฉิ่ง	ฉิ่ง	Cymbal-like instrument used for tempo.
xap	ຊາບ	chap	ฉาบ	ฉาบ	Cymbal-like instrument used for tempo but attached with a chord.
phin	ພິນ	phin	พิณ	พิณ	A small mandolin that is plucked with the other hand unique to Lao/Isan music.
khim	ຂິມ	khim	ขิม	ขิม	A hammered dulcimer adopted from Chinese music, but has a distinctly local, softer sound, often used in styles descended from Lao classical music.
kap	ກັບ	krap	กรับ	กรับ	A wooden clapper used to keep the tempo. Also known in Lao as ໄມ້ໂປກແປກ/ไม้โป๊กแป๊ก mai pôkpèk /mai pokpaek or Thai ไม้โป๊กแป๊ก and takes its name from the onomatopoeia for striking wood with a hammer.
khong	ຄ້ອງ	khong	ฆ้อง	ฆ้อง	A class of small, handheld gong instruments.
khong wong	ຄ້ອງວົງ	khong wong	ฆ้องวง	ฆ้องวง	Similar to a gamelan, consists of a set of gongs struck with mallets, used in styles of khap and lam adapted from Lao classical music. Usually the khong vông gnai /khong wong yai and khong vông noy/khong wong noi, or 'large khong vông' or 'small khong vông,' respectively.
kong	ກອງ	klong	กลอง	กลอง	Refers to a class of various drums.
ranat/lanat	ຣະນາດ/ລະນາດ	ranat	ระนาด	ระนาด	A class of xylophone instruments, including the famous pônglang /ponglang of Isan.
mai ngop ngèp	ໄມ້ງອບແງບ	mai ngop ngaep	ไม้งอบแงบ	ไม้งอบแงบ	A clapper of southern Laos but also contains notched grooves that function like the güiro of Latin America.
pông	ໂປງ	pong	โปง	โปง	A bamboo rattle used as a cowbell by farmers for domestic cattle and water buffalo.
ko	ເກາະ	kro	เกราะ	เกราะ	A small bamboo section of hollow bamboo with a slit cut on one side, struck with a stick. Originally used to call the cattle or water buffalo back from the pastures.
sakmong	ສາກມອງ	krong	สากมอง	โกร่ง	A large bamboo pestle used for husking or milling rice, played by stamping the floor but can also be tapped with sticks to maintain the beat, also used to keep rowers in long boats in unison.