Friday, February 15, 2013

Dan Bau: Music that touches the heart


Welcome back to another week of our musical excursion ! Last time, we were in Australia where we took a look at the infamous didgeridoo. This week, we will take our journey north to Vietnam to take a look at one of their most prized instruments, the Dan Bau. It is a single-stringed instrument just as its name implies. Dan means a stringed instrument and bau means gourd.

According to the “Dai Nam thuc luc tien bien” the first Dan Bau was made in 1770, but many sources say there have been variations of this instrument for thousands of years.

A popular urban legend of the Dan Bau’s origin tells of a blind woman who plays heart-warming music as a means of making ends meet for her family while her husband is away at war. It is said that she received the instrument from a fairy who was touched by the woman’s actions in saving her mother-in-law’s life. From that point on, the sounds and melodies of the Dan Bau have represented the beauty of the country as well as its people.  
The instrument, from the looks of it is just a wooden rod with a string attached to it. However, that is not all. The traditional Dan Bau is made up of four parts: the bamboo tube, a wooden rod, a coconut shell half, and a silk string. Each of these parts are carefully crafted to form a unique sound and shape. Presently, the instrument is made up of a wooden soundboard, spout, gourd, and an iron (guitar) string. The spout, which contributes in the variation of the string’s tension, is made of buffalo horn. The gourd on the other hand though still present in the formation of the Dan Bau, now only acts as a decorative feature. By changing over to these products, the instrument has become more durable as well as having the ability to produce even more notes.
The Dan Bau is played by using a technique that involves gently pressing on the string with the right pinky while the other fingers pluck the string using a device called the plectrum. In order to lower the pitch of the note, one must push the rod using the left index finger while pulling away from the rod produces a higher pitched note.

Unlike other traditional instruments of the world, the Dan Bau has adapted to the change in times. While other instruments have stuck to its traditional folk song origins, the Dan Bau has been included in modern pop songs as well as many film score productions. This was made possible with electrical pickups and amplifiers that has made the sound of the instrument more distinct and audible to larger audiences. However, solo performances of the Dan Bau are still widely seen and heard in all parts of Vietnam because of its ability to translate a great part of Vietnamese emotional expression through music.

If you would like to learn more about the Dan Bau check out the following blogs and videos !



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