I forgot the names of these drums, but they probably call them something different up here in the north anyway. The guy behind the modern drums played later when they stopped playing the old music and did some horrible pop karaoke nonsense for a spell.
The old man here is playing the Chap cymbals. The thick-faced guy with the cigaratte hanging so gracefully on his lips is playing the northern-style (big) version of the Ching, a high-pitched chime which is actually a main instrument - it keeps the pace and helps set the tone. It rings out brightly in all Thai music. Once over a year ago I heard music wafting through the night air from some far-off temple, and I went out looking for it. When I got there, it was a funeral. I sat behind the band. All those guys were drunk as usual, but especially the Ching player. He offered me the Ching, so I played it with the band for a while. Pretty easy, really, but I couldn't change the music.
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