A report on Lao people, Khene, Mor lam and Laos

Mor lam (Lao: ໝໍລຳ; Thai/Isan: หมอลำ ; ) is a traditional Lao form of song in Laos and Isan.

They are the majority ethnic group of Laos, making up 53.2% of the total population.

The khene is the national instrument of Laos.

The khene music is an integral part of Lao life that promotes family and social cohesion and it was inscribed in 2017 on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Although it is associated with the Lao people of Laos and Isan (Northeast Thailand) nowadays, other similar instruments date back to the Bronze Age.

Traditionally, the tune was developed by the singer as an interpretation of a klon poem and accompanied primarily by the khene (a free reed mouth organ).

Khene can be played as a solo instrument (dio khene), as part of an ensemble (such as wong pong lang and khene wong), or as an accompaniment to a Lao or Isan solo singer (mor lam).

The politically and culturally dominant Lao people make up 53.2% of the population, mostly in the lowlands.

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.

The traditional folk music is lam lao (ລຳລາວ, ลำลาว, ), although it is also known as morlam (Lao: ໝໍລຳ, หมอลำ, ) which is the preferred term in Isan language.

The music is noted for the use of the khene (Lao: ແຄນ, Isan: แคน, ) instrument.

For example, Laotian music is dominated by its national musical instrument, the khaen, a type of bamboo mouth organ that has prehistoric origins.

The khaen traditionally accompanied the singer in mor lam, the dominant style of folk music.