CLASSICAL VIETNAM INSTRUMENT (part 1)
(Source: Nam Mai Phan - VN)

_______________ MOON-SHAPED LUTE OR DAN NGUYET
According to ancient carvings, the moon-shaped lute appeared in Vietnam in the 11th century. Intended to be played by men, the lute has maintained a very important position in the musical traditions of the Kinh. Therefore, this instrument is widely used in their folk, court, and academic music.
The dan nguyet is distinguished by its pure and loud sound, as well as by its great capacity to express different emotions. Thus, it is heard at solemn and animated ritual concerts, funerals, or refined chamber music recitals. It can be played in solo, as part of an orchestra, or to accompany other instruments.
Due to its long neck and high frets, the dan nguyet is also used as an ornament.


_____________________________ THE TRANH ZITHER
The tranh zither is also called the thap luc cam or sixteen-stringed zither. The tranh zither appeared in Vietnam in the time of the Tran dynasty (12th-13th centuries). It has a rectangular sounding box, about 110 centimetres long that tapers about 13 cm toward an end , with a warped sound board made of unvarnished light wood. The sides are made of hard wood decorated with various designs, either lacquered or inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The bottom is made of light wood with sound holes. The broader end of the sound box is pierced with 16 holes and reinforced with a metal band.
Toward the middle of the sound board there are 16 bridges made of wood or bone tipped with copper that can be moved to vary the tension of the strings, thus creating various notes. At the narrower end of the box are sixteen pegs for tuning. The strings are metal and tuned to the pentatonic scale.
The range of the tranh zither is about three octaves, from the notes C to C3. The player uses a plectrum and can play chords, trills, tremolos... His left hand, which manipulates the strings, can use such techniques such as pressing, vibrato, glissando, etc.
The music of the tranh zither is usually light and full of cheerfulness. The instrument bears some likeness to the Japanese koto, the Korean Ka Yagum, the Mongolian Jatac, the Chinese Zeng, and the Indonesian Kachap, which have 13, 12, 12, 13-16, 7-24 strings, respectively. It is nonetheless an original Vietnamese instrument with specific musical characteristics. It is used to accompany poetry recitals and is quite often part of an orchestra or a band playing chamber music, religious music, or accompanying cheo or cai luong drama.


_______________________________________ T’RUNG
T'rung is one of the popular musical instruments closely associated with the spiritual life of the Bahnar, TSedan, Giarai, Ede and other ethnic minority people in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. It is made of very short bamboo tubes differing in size, with a notch at one end and a beveled edge at the other. The long big tubes give off low-pitched tones while the short small ones produce high-pitched tones. The tubes are arranged lengthwise horizontally and attached together by two strings. There are three types of T'rung: high, medium and low tones. The simplest type is composed of five tubes corresponding to La, Do 1, Re 1, Fa 1, Sol 1 and producing deep and resounding tones. In the majestic Central Highlands, T'rung is often played after back-breaking farm work and during evening get get-togethers in the communal house around a bonfire with young boys and girls singing and dancing merrily. The sounds of the gong and T'rung also mingle together at wedding parties and village festivals. The T'rung instrument has been largely improved. More tubes have been added ,and at times as many as 48 tubes are arranged in three arrays capable of performing intricate piece of modern music while preserving the traditional sound scale Some players have even invented a stick notched at both ends for a single hand to produce two sounds at the same time, heightening the artistry of the instrument. Vietnam's national music bands have never neglected the role of T'rung, an instrument which is original and made of simple materials, but highly appreciated at performances in the famous musical halls of many foreign countries. *MEI

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