Dan K’Ni

Dan K'ni is a stringed musical instrument for men to play in communal houses in ethnic minorities' hamlets or in watch-towers in milpa land. It is said that the K'ni is a speaker of spirits.

The K'Ni is a stringed musical instrument, sawing bow branch and is popular among many ethnic minority groups living in northern highlands (central Vietnam) such as Bahnar, Gia Rai, E De, Se Dang, Pako, and Hre, etc.

Dan K’Ni- The traditional musical instrument for Vietnam’s ethnic minoritiesThe K'Ni has no resonator, which makes it become the most notable particularity. The whole K'Ni is a round or straight branch of bamboo section about 50-70 cm in length, 02-03 cm in diameter. Frets (made of beeswax knobs) are fixed on the main part and the string is hung along its length. The bow is made of a small thin bamboo bar; the player rubs the outside of the bow on the string to produce sounds.

Though its structure is quite simple, the distinctiveness of this instrument resides in the way it is played. The player holds a thread that is linked to the string in his mouth to amplify and transform the sounds. While bowing the string and touching the frets to produce pitches, the player changes the aperture of his mouth according to the tune. Thus, the sounds are altered, almost eavoking human pronunciation. However, in reality, the pitch of the sound is not standard. The reason is in the nature of half playing and half singing of the sound produced by the K'Ni. Fast changes of the musician's mouth shapes created by soft mouth membrane doesn't allow standard overtone spectrums and sound waves. Yet, those who are familiar with the sounds of the K'Ni and who understand the vernacular may catch the message of the tune. This is why people say that the K'Ni sings. The E De have added cho nac narration (type of song) to K'Ni to replace human voice.

The K'ni is a musical instrument for men to play in communal houses in ethnic minorities' hamlets or in watch-towers in milpa land. In old times, people never used to play it at home considering that with its mystical sound, the K'ni is a speaker of spirits.

Read More

MONOCHORD OR DAN BAU

One of only two purely Vietnamese instruments, the dan bau consists of a hardwood frame and a softwood surface, over which a string is stretched and connected to a handle decorated with dried gourd (bau).

“Do not listen to the music of the dan bau if you are a young woman.”

Such is the romantic and emotional appeal of music played on the dan bau that Vietnamese parents used to warn their daughters against listening to it. For the rest of us, it remains the quintessential sound of Vietnam.

One of only two purely Vietnamese instruments, the dan bau consists of a hardwood frame and a softwood surface, over which a string is stretched and connected to a handle decorated with dried gourd (bau). The first dan bau is believed to have been made in 1770, a simple instrument consisting of a bamboo section, a flexible rod, and a half coconut. Since then it has evolved to become the instrument we know today.

The string, made of iron, is tuned using a bamboo tuning peg and played with the right hand using a pick made of bamboo or rattan. The pitch is varied by pressing, releasing, holding or vibrating the string with the left hand.

The dan bau is usually played solo or to accompany poetry recitals, though in recent years it has been added to the orchestral accompaniment to cheo and cai luong opera. Amplified dan bau are now more common, enabling the player to play to larger audiences while losing nothing in sound quality.

Read More

H'mong Pen Pipe

The Pen-pipe is a musical instrument of the wind family with the free vibrated reed, popular among almost all of Vietnam's ethnicity in different forms. The Kinh (Viet) group calls it Khen, while the Mong ethnic minority call it the Kenh, and the Ede in the Central Highlands use a similar instrument called Dinh Nam, etc.

The Pen-pipe may have an even number of 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14 sections of small hornless bamboo pipes arranged in two rows. Each pipe is fitted with a reed made of a thin strip of copper. The section of the pipes with the reed lies inside the wooden air-chamber. The part of the pipe lying outside it shows a finger-hole. The pipe into which the player blows lies at right angles with the pipes with finger holes.

The pitch of The Pen-pipe's sounds depends on the the length of each section. The sound of The Pen-pipe is not very clear but quite strong, nonetheless; the deepest notes are rather dull. Special melodies for The Pen-pipe among ethnicity are composed in the style of homophony.

The Pen-pipe is a musical instrument for men and is used mainly to accompany singing. The H'Mong minority group play The Pen-pipe on various occasions, including funerals where it is accompanied by drums. When The Pen-pipe is played by one person, the soloist accompanies the music with dancing in which much vigorous knee-bending, body-turning, kicking, etc., is performed.

Read More

The Gong Zither

The gong zither is a stringed musical instrument of flipping branch. It is popular among some ethnicities in the North of the Central Highlands such as Bana, Gia Rai, Xe Dang, Ro Ngao, Je Trieng. The special instrument often accompanies its player to the field, to festivals held at the communal long-house, or to a meeting place where the player reveals his feelings to his lover.

The body of the gong zither is made of a hollow bamboo pipe which is closed by its natural nodes. Attached at one end of the tube is a sound box made of a dried gourd; pinned to the other end are bamboo bolts used to hang the 10 to 18 strings.

The gong zither is a musical instrument for men. The player skillfully puts the bottom of it onto his bell and and direct the neck of the gong forward. He snaps his fingers on the strings to create vibrations full of resonance. The gong zither can produce a variety of sounds, so it can be played instead of a small music band.

Read More

The Dan da (lithophone)

The Dan da (lithophone) is a set of stone slabs of different sizes and shapes fabricated through an elementary technique. Lithophone is composed of a set of eleven resonant stones.

The examination of the stone slabs found at Binh Da archaeological site in the southern Dong Nai province has revealed that this kind of instrument may have existed for over 3,000 years.

For some ethnic groups in Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands), the stone slabs are sacred and preserved as family treasures played during grand ceremonies for the gods. For others, the stone slabs are used for setting up crop-protection devices.

Read More