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I. Introduction and history of Dan Bau

3. Structure and production process of the Dan Bau

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At present, there are two types of Dan Bau in use: the acoustic Dan Bau and the electric Dan Bau. The acoustic Dan Bau uses the soundboard of the body and resonator to amplify the sound. The electric Dan Bau uses electronic components (pickup/piezo microphone) to amplify the sound. In terms of the structure, both types include the following parts: the body, the rod/handle, the resonator, the string, the tuning peg, and the plectrum.

  • The structural similarities between the acoustic Dan Bau and the electric Dan Bau
- Body (including the surface, the bottom and the wall): Mainly made of wood but sometimes of bamboo.
In wooden instruments: the surface and bottom are usually made of sycamore wood - a light and porous wood. The wall is mainly made of hardwood types such as rosewood, barian kingwood, ebony, etc. The large end is about 11 to 13 centimeters wide and about 10 centimeters high while the small end size is about 2 centimeters narrower compared to the larger end. The common body length ranges from 105 to 115 centimeters.
In bamboo instruments: the body is made of a bamboo section (or a big size bamboo - the same family as bamboo) with a diameter of about 10 to 15 centimeters and the length of about 110 to 130 centimeters. 
- The rod/handle: usually made of buffalo horn or bamboo and inserted into the small end of the instrument’s body. It can be easily disassembled when changing the string or transporting the instrument. The width and thickness of the rod/handle at the position where it is plugged into the body are about 1 to 1.5 centimeter and whittled at the top. 
- The resonator: can be made of the bark of a dried gourd, coconut shell, bamboo tube or wood.
- The string: The most commonly used string is made of metal. Only a few artists use strings made of silk. One end of the string is tied to the rod/handle in the middle of the resonator’s wide end, while the other end is attached to the tuning peg.
- The tuning peg: nowdays  is mainly made of metal and has a structure similar to the guitar tuning key.
- The plectrum: usually made of bamboo, about 4.5 centimeters in length and 1 centimeter in width. The end used to pluck the strings is rounded, thinner and narrower than the other end so that the sound is smoother and softer when plucking. 

  • Specifics of the electric Dan Bau
In addition to the similar parts as mentioned above (the body, rod/handle, resonator, strings, tuning peg, plectrum), the electric Dan Bau has the following parts: pickup/piezo microphone, amplifier, power cord, battery holder (another kind of simpler electric Dan Bau exists, without amplifier, power cord and battery holder, where the pickup sends the signal to active speaker or guitar amplifier), volume control knob and a dedicated speaker that match the amplifier to create distinctive sound of the Dan Bau.

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