Đàn bầu

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Đàn bầu
water puppet show. Next to her was a man playing the đàn nguyệt
.
Other namesmonochord, độc huyền cầm

The đàn bầu (Vietnamese: [ɗàːn.ɓə̀w]; "gourd zither"; Chữ Nôm: 彈匏), also called độc huyền cầm (獨絃琴, "one-string zither"; the name is only used by the Jing ethnicity in China) is a Vietnamese stringed instrument, in the form of a monochord (one-string) zither.[1][2]

History

Ancient đàn bầu in the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology

While the earliest written records of the đàn bầu date its origin to 1770, scholars estimate its age to be up to one thousand years older than that.

magnetic pickup, the usage of the đàn bầu spread to ensembles and also to contemporary Asian pop and rock music. Now, electronics designed for the electric guitar are sometimes employed with the đàn bầu to further expand its tonal palette.[4]

Construction

A girl in the Mekong Delta playing the đàn bầu

Originally, the đàn bầu was a

middle C
, about 131 Hz, but it can be tuned to other notes to make it easier to play in keys distant from C.

The musician on the right playing the đàn bầu.

Playing

A man playing the đàn bầu

The đàn bầu technique appears relatively simple at first glance, but actually requires a great deal of precision. The fifth finger of the musician's right hand rests lightly on the string at one of seven commonly used nodes, while the thumb and index finger pluck the string using a long plectrum. The nodes are the notes of the first seven

just minor third (5/6) and two tones not present on the Western musical scale: the septimal minor third (6/7) and the septimal whole tone (7/8). With the left hand, the player pushes the flexible rod toward the instrument with the index finger to lower the pitch of the note, or pushes it away from the instrument with the thumb to raise the pitch. This technique is used to play notes not available at a node, or to add vibrato to any note.[5]

Related instruments

A duxianqin performer, Gui Duo Chang, at Covent Garden, London

The dúxiánqín (Sino-Vietnamese: độc huyền cầm; Chinese: 獨絃琴) is essentially the same instrument but given a Mandarin name, played by the Jing people in China, who are ethnically Vietnamese. The instrument was introduced to China when the Jing Islands off the coast of Dongxing, Guangxi were ceded to China by France.

The

Mường people play an instrument called "Đàn Máng" or "Tàn Máng", which is virtually identical to acoustic đàn bầu forms.[6]

References

  1. ^ Terry E. Miller, Sean Williams The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: Southeast Asia: Volume 4 1998, reprinted The Garland handbook of Southeast Asian music 2008 Page 261 "The đàn bầu is played solo or to accompany folk songs, tales, and epics. It has had a remarkable history. Discriminated against at times, it has been an instrument of blind street beggars, yet it was also an instrument of choice at the Tran imperial court (1225-1400)."
  2. ^ Audrey Seah, Charissa M. Nair, Vietnam, Marshall Cavendish, 2004. p. 74.
  3. ^ "Age". discover-halong.com. Archived from the original on February 28, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  4. ^ Dale Alan Olsen -Popular music of Vietnam: the politics of remembering 2008 Page 50 "In the summer of 2005 I specifically asked Hồng Nhung about my analysis of her style: D.O.: Are you influenced by ca trù, đàn bầu, the improvisatory instrumental style of water puppet theater, or other northern Vietnamese traditional music styles?"
  5. ^ Randy Raine-Reusch Play the World: The 101 World Instrument Primer Page 38 "Dan Bau - Vietnam The dan bau is a one-string zither from Vietnam that plays in harmonics. Dan in Vietnamese signifies an instrument, so often the instrument is just referred to as a bau. Some scholars believe that the dan bau is related to the Thai pin pia, while others believe that it is a uniquely Vietnamese instrument."
  6. ^ Vietnam minority music Vol. 2, #9: Muong "Dan Mang", retrieved 2020-01-05[dead YouTube link]

External links

Video

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