Close Window

Tanachai Sookatta

"My name is Tanachai Sookatta, and my family nicknamed me 'Pin,' meaning 'hairpin.' I was born in a province in the north of Thailand and am the last of my family's sons. My father is a barber, and my mother is the best homemaker and a perfect mom. She always takes care of us and looks after us with love and attention. I am now married and we have two lovely daughters who are in elementary school. I stayed with my parents because I want to take care them, so my family now includes my parents, my wife and my daughters. My elder brothers have gone their separate ways because of their jobs, but they always come back for holidays and celebrations so we see each other often and are always in touch.

"After graduating from junior high school, I worked with my uncle for a short time. I then worked in my father's barbershop until 1993, when I had a great idea. I wanted to craft Lanna (northern Thai) musical instruments because I am impressed by and love the Thai wisdom handed down generation by generation. My inspiration began when I met an elderly man who is a Thai musical instrument merchant. He creates, plays and sells all kinds of instruments. He sells his products in front of my home, and I was very interested in the sueng, because I love its sound. The sueng is a plucked string instrument made of teak or hard wood, and a round hole is cut in the top soundboard. Because I couldn't play the sueng, I asked the man to teach me to craft and play it. Since then, my interest in Lanna musical instruments has increased more and more.

“I continued to learn about other professional Thai musical instruments, so my knowledge is developing. I didn't know about sound steps and couldn't read music, but I have learned. I've worked with instruments for many decades, but people accepted and became interested in my work only a few years ago. I used the time for trial and error, always striving to create and play until I developed instruments of the best quality.

"I create two types of instruments – the sueng and the sa-lor or ta-lor, a bowed string instrument with a free bow. I also established a Lanna band. I am a musician and the producer of all our CDs. I produce Thai melodies and Lanna music.

"Since 2004, my work has been exhibited in regional fairs as well as in Bangkok as a top product from our district. In the future, I'd like to have more apprentices and sell my designs around the world. Through Novica, my dream can become a reality. Thank you to my clients for your patronage. I hope you enjoy my work."