II. Learning the basic techniques of Dan Bau' hinzufügen

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Transcript

Vibrato is the most important technique in all genres of music, from traditional folk music to contemporary or experimental music. It also plays an important role in helping listeners identify the music genre. This is a particularly important role in the three traditional music genres included in the curriculum of music institutes in Vietnam, which are Cheo, Hue, and Tai tu - Cai luong.

In this video, I will only introduce the basic vibrato techniques which are: in neutral position of the rod; with the rod bent outward; and with the rod bent inward.To master the vibrato techniques of the three aforementioned genres requires a great amount of time, effort, practice, and study. Because aside from the common vibrato techniques, each genre has different characteristics as well as rules regarding vibrato. I will further explore this topic in other videos. For the vibrato in the neutral postion of the rod, place your left hand on the rod in the same way as you do for the neutral position plucking technique.

Use the index finger and the thumb and bend the rod to the left and right to make the sound vibrate

in a continuous and even way until the note ends. With vibrato, use your forearm to bend the rod instead of your wrist and fingers. For the bent up vibrato, the fingers holding the rod are same like when playing non-vibrato in the same position. However, for vibrato, you must hold the rod very firmly so that the main tone doesn't change. For the bent down vibrato, the fingers holding the rod are same like when playing non-vibrato in the same position, in the same way as we did for the bent up vibrato, which is holding the rod firmly to prevent the main tone from changing.

I have just introduced you to a few left-hand techniques of Dan Bau. These techniques will allow you to start playing some traditional Vietnamese pieces. For Dan Bau and the majority of other traditional instruments, left-hand techniques are very crucial. They are the keys to evoke the characteristics and essence of traditional Vietnamese music.

Notes for Lesson 6:

Technical goals

Have a good grasp of bending techniques to play different intervals on the đàn Bầu.
When creating vibrato, exert force using your arm and your thumb, index finger, and middle finger (similar to the bending technique) while keeping your wrist still.
Hold the rod firmly and move the rod back and forth continuously and evenly until the sound stops or the note runs its course.
Ensure that the vibrato stays a regular, pulsating change of pitch where the vibrated note doesn’t get lost.

Acoustic goals

Smooth, continuous, and regular vibrato.

Practice method

Practice vibrato with the longest possible notes and wait until the sound nearly finishes before playing a new note. Do not stop vibrating the rod between the notes – try to build up the endurance in your arm, so you can do long vibratos.
At the first practice, a slow vibrato, aiming for an even and continuous vibrato of the vibrated note. Once you are more proficient in the left-hand vibrato technique, start practicing faster vibrato until you meet the required tempo.
Only move on to the exercises and corresponding folk song when you can create a good vibrato out of long notes.
Select pieces with many long notes to practice in the beginning, then mix in shorter notes for your vibrato practice.
Always follow this order in the beginning: neutral-position vibrato, bent-outward vibrato, and bent-inward vibrato.

Practice duration

Every day for four to six weeks (two to three hours a day) depending on your personal schedule and capability

Exercises

a. Vibrato - Neutral position

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b. Vibrato - Bent up

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C. Vibrato - Bent down

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Pieces

LY THUONG NHAU

Ly thuong nhau is a folk song originating from Central Vietnam, telling the tale of two lovers who are away from each other and their untold longing for each other, which makes them always in pain, as if sitting on needles.
The music is gentle, soft, romantic, and full of longing.

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CACH CU

Cach cu* is an ancient tune of Cheo, a traditional theatre genre of Vietnam. The music of ancient Cheo is one of the three traditional music genres included in the curriculum of the Vietnam National Academy of Music. The musical piece describes working activities such as working on the fields or hunting.
The music is fast-paced, joyous, and is classified as part of the happy tunes in ancient Cheo.
(*ancient vietnamese, the meaning is lost to time and it can not be translated any longer - tr.)

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LY CHIEN CHIEU

LY CHIEN CHIEU is a folk song originating from the South. The song describes a young man's quiet love for a girl in the countryside of the South. The girl watering the Chinese parasol tree becomes an incredibly romantic and sentimental image for the young man, which speaks of his affection for her.
The music is romantic, gentle, and somewhat melancholic.

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Score

a. Vibrato - Neutral position

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b. Vibrato - Bent up

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c. Vibrato - Bent down

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Piece score

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