ANALYSING TONE-MELODY CORRESPONDENCE IN THAIPOP USING THE CANTOPOP "LING YI SEI SAAM" SONGWRITING METHOD

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Over the past seven decades, Hong Kong scholars have developed systematic approaches to lyric-melody correspondence, contributing both to songwriting practice and to academic research. Of these approaches, the “Ling Yi Sei Saam” (0243) method stands as a representative example. However, research on this topic remains limited despite the rapid development of Thai popular music (Thaipop). Existing studies on Thai music have largely focused on traditional songs, leaving Thaipop underexplored from a musicological and linguistic perspective. In this study, we examine the phonological features of Thai tones, including their values and contours. We investigate lyric–melody correspondence in Thaipop, identifying songwriting techniques based on by the Ling Yi Sei Saam method. Furthermore, we propose a preliminary methodological framework for Thai lyric–melody alignment as a foundation for future research.

Methods: This study is a framework-based analytical study using the Ling Yi Sei Saam method. The lyric-melody correspondence in six Thai popular songs sung in standard Thai that are top-ranking in the Thaipop music charts, namely Top Charts and Billboard Thailand, were examined. Each song was transcribed and notated, including its lexical tone, IPA transcription, musical notation, and International Pitch Notation. Musical structure, scale degrees, and pitch intervals were systematically recorded, and tone values were mapped to the melodic contour. The aligned linguistic and musical data were then analysed to identify pitch range distributions and to compare patterns across the selected materials.

Results: The results show that tone-melody correspondence in Thaipop follows consistent structural patterns. Tone 1 aligns most frequently with the tonic in the central pitch range, while Tone 2 is stably mapped to lower scale degrees (V and VI). Tone 3 frequently occurs in the lowest pitch positions in a song besides when it is in the upper pitch range. Tone 4 and Tone 5 are associated with the upper pitch range and often mark melodic peaks. Tone 3, Tone 4, and Tone 5 belong to the higher pitch range, which map to scale degrees II and V and have a strong tendency to resolve to the tonic (I). In addition, this study shows that tone-melody mismatches commonly occur with the presence of a falling tone. Comparatively, Thaipop exhibits broader tonal distribution across pitch ranges than Cantopop, particularly in the treatment of the falling tone.

Conclusions: This study demonstrates that the alignment of lexical tones and melodies of the lyrics of Thaipop songs follows a consistent pattern to preserve lyrical intelligibility. The findings show that both Thai and Cantonese popular music share some similar language constraints and tone-melody mapping patterns, resulting in a modified Ling Yi Sei Saam framework adapted to Thaipop songwriting and analysis. Overall, this study develops a greater understanding of the lyric-melody relationship and highlights the need for further research.