The first Dan bau Music Festival was organised by the Vietnamese Institute for Musicology in 1978, attracting the participation of many instrumentalists and artists of different ages. The instrument has also helped to gain fame for many Vietnamese instrumentalists, such as Manh Thang, Xuan Ba, Thanh Tam, and Doan Anh Tuan. Many foreign students have applied for the training course of ‘dan bau’. Since 1956, ‘dan bau’ has been taught at the Vietnam National Academy of Music, paving the way for other professional musical schools to encourage traditional music training, particularly for the traditional single-stringed instrument. With the various adjustments, ‘ dan bau’ now can be played on a large stage rather than indoor space as it used to be the instrument can also accompany other musical instruments as well as electro orchestra or symphony orchestra. Also, the majority of dan bau instruments now have modern tuning mechanisms, so the base pitch of the string can be adjusted and last longer. The coconut shell was attached to the rod, serving as a resonator.Īt present, the bamboo has been replaced by a wooden soundboard and an electric guitar string has replaced the traditional silk string. The string was stretched over a sound box, tied on one end of the rod, which is perpendicularly attached to the bamboo. Originally, it was made of just four parts: a bamboo tube, a wooden rod, a coconut shell half, and a silk string. The configuration of the Dan bau has been experimented with by Vietnamese artists in order to update and diversify the instruments sound. By pushing the flexible wooden rod, the artist can adjust the stretch or slack of the string thus the dan bau is the only stringed instrument in the world that can emit a basic chord with different pitches just by one pluck of the string. Despite having no key in the string, the instrument can reach any musical pitch and demonstrate both vibrato and melisma techniques, making it perfect for conveying Vietnamese traditional melodies. Nguyen Binh Dinh, Director of the Vietnamese Institute for Musicology, among single-stringed instruments in the world, the Vietnamese dan bau stands out from others as it is the only one that can produce overtones. The instrument has drawn much attention from many musicians, instrumentalists and musical researchers. The sound of the monochord resonates a profound feeling from the bottom of the heart, particularly among those living far from the motherland, thanks to its soft, charming, and emotional sound. The monochord has always been performed at Vietnamese traditional music programmes for foreign tourists and diplomatic corps as well as during the tours abroad of Vietnamese artists.
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