“Pin Phu-Tai” from Reused Material: The Status of Local Musicians, Creative and Cultural Transfer

Abstract

‘Pin Phu-Tai’ from Reused Material: The Status of Musicians, Creative and Cultural transfer’ is the article presenting the status of local musicians in ethnical Phu-Tai music, lute creation by making Pin Phu-Tai (Phu-Tai Lute) from reused material and the process of knowledge transferring by the reused materials Pin Phu-Tai in Kudwa Village, Kudwa Subdistrict, Kuchinarai District, Kalasin Province. The article written from the mixed research employing the structured interview guidelines, rating scale assessment forms and participatory observation guidelines. The research target group consisted of 3 Key Informants and 6 General Informants of which obtained from purposive sampling, one Casual Informant from local sages applying snowball technic, and 12 young general informants by criteria sampling methodology.

The findings show that the status of local music sages,in term of the Phu-Tai ethnic village history, Phu-Tai musical sages, playing Pin Phu-Tai, are all male, average age is 52.4 years. Most of them began their Phu-Tai music learning at early age. The musical instrument regarded as the master instrument is Phu-Tai lute called ‘Pin Phu-Tai’. Most of music learning which inherited in traditional and original patterns transferred in classic process. The research findings included the creation and making of the instrument from reused material such as the soundboards were verified by the experts as good quality enable beginners to learn and to practice their playing skills. In the same time, the most important process of knowledge transfer was not limited to the reused material creation but the relationship between transferers and transferees.