Full Version: Viet music: Dan Bau
Though I'm mot nguoi trang, I love Viet culture, study the language and sing a few songs. Though I'm sort of "old" these days I was a professional jazz musician when younger. I have a dan bau (one string ancient Vietnamese instrument) that I believe is played entirely by popping harmonics off of the string. I have a book too but no teacher. I am getting some of the harmonics, but don't know how to turn this into workable music. Dan bau is so pretty to listen to!!!!!!
Chao anh,
Oh yes, if you love jazz you will love this instrument, it touch your soul. Where are you from? Any chance to get in touch with the bigger Viet community in the US? I'm stuck in this tiny hole called the Netherland
The instrument is not hard to play, I suggest go to some Viet artist and learn the basic in 2 weeks. The rest you improve yourself, I think it's not hard if you're a jazz musician.
Oh yes, if you love jazz you will love this instrument, it touch your soul. Where are you from? Any chance to get in touch with the bigger Viet community in the US? I'm stuck in this tiny hole called the Netherland
The instrument is not hard to play, I suggest go to some Viet artist and learn the basic in 2 weeks. The rest you improve yourself, I think it's not hard if you're a jazz musician.
[quote=Preydominator,Jan 25 2005, 11:44 PM]
Chao anh,
I'd love to try Amsterdam for a while. The US is so lame for art, jazz, thought. I live in Minneapolis where there were only white people and maybe 6% afro whom had aclimated sort of well with us....then over the last 30 years we had an influx of 35k Vietnamese 40kHmong 45k Somoli and thousands of exiles from Gary Indiana and these guys weren't Minn. nice. So we're in a flux. I got to know Viet culture from working in an apartment building of over half nguoi Viet. Now I married a Vietnamese girl who is the nicest person I have ever met. I'm trying to find a dan bau player, but haven't yet. Tom biet'
Chao anh,
I'd love to try Amsterdam for a while. The US is so lame for art, jazz, thought. I live in Minneapolis where there were only white people and maybe 6% afro whom had aclimated sort of well with us....then over the last 30 years we had an influx of 35k Vietnamese 40kHmong 45k Somoli and thousands of exiles from Gary Indiana and these guys weren't Minn. nice. So we're in a flux. I got to know Viet culture from working in an apartment building of over half nguoi Viet. Now I married a Vietnamese girl who is the nicest person I have ever met. I'm trying to find a dan bau player, but haven't yet. Tom biet'
What does mot nguoi trang mean?
one white dude 
and good luck, kimme006
and good luck, kimme006
QUOTE (kimme006 @ Jan 25 2005, 11:33 PM)
Though I'm mot nguoi trang, I love Viet culture, study the language and sing a few songs. Though I'm sort of "old" these days I was a professional jazz musician when younger. I have a dan bau (one string ancient Vietnamese instrument) that I believe is played entirely by popping harmonics off of the string. I have a book too but no teacher. I am getting some of the harmonics, but don't know how to turn this into workable music. Dan bau is so pretty to listen to!!!!!!
Yeah... I like dan bau, I wish I had the instrument.
I looove dan bau.. I want to learn it so badly. Is it a uniquely Vietnamese instrument? Cuz the dan tranh is a chinese instrument that we use a lot.
Hello all,
Hi kimme006,
You can go to my website, which is a giant directory about Vietnam.
http://dir.vietnam.online.fr/
Under section [MUSIC], there are links to many websites with Vietnamese traditional music instruments, with quite some photos there. The websites are mainly in Vietnamese, but a lot of them have an English version of their page also.
[Search: click here]
Hi kimme006,
You can go to my website, which is a giant directory about Vietnam.
http://dir.vietnam.online.fr/
Under section [MUSIC], there are links to many websites with Vietnamese traditional music instruments, with quite some photos there. The websites are mainly in Vietnamese, but a lot of them have an English version of their page also.
[Search: click here]
QUOTE
The dan bau is a musical instrument that inspires passion in every Vietnamese. The structure of the dan bau is very simple. It consists of a long piece of wood on which is stretched a silk or brass string, fastened at one end by a peg and tied at the other end by a flexible bamboo plate. The string is passed repeatedly through an open dried gourd used as a sound box. Although it only has one string, it can emit all the sounds in the pentatonic scale. The eight notes in Vietnamese music give modulations of greater amplitudes than those obtained by any other single-stringed instrument in the world.
Today the dan bau is made very carefully to ensure aesthetic and sound quality. When played in public, it is often used with an electronic amplifier.
Today the dan bau is made very carefully to ensure aesthetic and sound quality. When played in public, it is often used with an electronic amplifier.
[quote=Johannjs,Jan 27 2005, 01:01 PM]
Hello all,
Johannis. Great site. It will take me ages to grok it. I can read some tieng viet too. I got my dan bau in the nam for about a hundrad us inc. case! Has a pickup and quarter inch jack too. everyone should have one. Everyone should be a Buddhist too, but we don't prostlyze. It's a theory, not a religion.
Johannis, anh nguoi Phap phai khong? Nguoi Viet? Nguoi Dau? Not that it matters, just a springboard. What a site u have! Kimby
Hello all,
Johannis. Great site. It will take me ages to grok it. I can read some tieng viet too. I got my dan bau in the nam for about a hundrad us inc. case! Has a pickup and quarter inch jack too. everyone should have one. Everyone should be a Buddhist too, but we don't prostlyze. It's a theory, not a religion.
Johannis, anh nguoi Phap phai khong? Nguoi Viet? Nguoi Dau? Not that it matters, just a springboard. What a site u have! Kimby
hello there.. oOo.. you seem like you know a lot about the viet culture.. that's really cool
QUOTE (KuteDragonBabe @ Jan 27 2005, 10:09 PM)
hello there.. oOo.. you seem like you know a lot about the viet culture.. that's really cool
cam un co! Co mot con rang em be dep!
QUOTE (Cold_As_Ice @ Jan 26 2005, 12:13 AM)
What does mot nguoi trang mean?
man.. ur signature is nasty..
...
It's great, I play đàn bầu a little, harmonies from this instrument take me back to childhood.... It is my favourite instrument.
It's a good idea trying to play it jazzy. A Vietnamese Franch jazz musician named Nguyen Le has introduced classical vietnamese instruments in his compositions but as far as I know, no one has ever played đàn bầu in jazz way.
Unfortunately, I have no internet link. The few records I have don't deserve to be mentionned because they are poorly produced in my opinion.
It's a good idea trying to play it jazzy. A Vietnamese Franch jazz musician named Nguyen Le has introduced classical vietnamese instruments in his compositions but as far as I know, no one has ever played đàn bầu in jazz way.
Unfortunately, I have no internet link. The few records I have don't deserve to be mentionned because they are poorly produced in my opinion.
please no more continuous posts, you can edit the first one.
QUOTE (supernovasp @ Jan 29 2005, 04:41 PM)
please no more continuous posts, you can edit the first one.
What's a continous post?
QUOTE (kimme006 @ Jan 30 2005, 06:51 PM)
QUOTE (supernovasp @ Jan 29 2005, 04:41 PM)
please no more continuous posts, you can edit the first one.
What's a continous post?
the guy posted 3 times in a row. He can edit the first one
QUOTE (Sideley @ Jan 29 2005, 03:51 PM)
Thanks so much! Those tunes are so nice. I like "goin to the temple".
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.