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I. Introduction and history of Dan Bau

Site: Hamburg Open Online University
Course: Learning Dan Bau
Book: I. Introduction and history of Dan Bau
Printed by: Gast
Date: Thursday, 21 November 2024, 1:29 PM

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Table of contents

1. An overview of the history and cultural background of the Dan Bau

Dan Bau  (/ɗàːn.ɓə̀w/, Vietnamese: Đàn Bầu) is a typical musical instrument in the system of Vietnamese traditional instruments. It is also considered one of the most unique instruments in the world because of its simple structure, special performing style and the sound produced from the harmonics of the string combined with the use of the rod/handle to tense or loosen the instrument’s single string, creating different pitches with an attractive and unique timbre that is close to the tone of the Vietnamese language.

There have been no research documents identifying the exact time of the appearance of the Dan Bau. According to some historical records, the Dan Bau has been present in Viet Nam since at least 1770. In the book "Đại Nam Thực Lục Tiền Biên" (Annals of Dai Nam – Prequel record), written in 1770, there is a passage that states: "Duc [a Vietnamese scholar who lived in XVIII century. -- Ed.] is good at studying and poetry and super at numerology and music. Legend has it that the Nam cam instrument (also known as the Dan Bau) is invented by Duc ... ". In the “Kiến Văn Tiểu Lục ” written in 1777 by Le Quy Don, there is a passage that states “At the parties of Tap Hien palace, men often play as kép (actor) while women play as đào (actress). They are sitting on both sides of the ground with 10 people each. There are also many kinds of instruments such as the Tỳ Bà (pear-shaped lute), the Tranh (zither), the Dan Bau”. It is said that the Dan Bau was born from the game the Trống đất (the earth drum), or Trống quân (military drum). The musical instrument played in this folk game is very close to the structure of the Dan Bau because, it has a string, a resonator box, and could tense or loosen the string with the rod and use the stick to hit the string to produce sound.

In the late 19th century, the Dan Bau was known for its role as an accompaniment to the Xẩm group (a kind of Vietnamese folk music, including blind singers and blind musicians) in the village markets and on the streets. It gradually joined small singing troupes. Thanks to its unique structure, timbre, and performance, the Dan Bau has affirmed its position as a soloist instrument in most traditional ensembles in Vietnam. Besides performing traditional instrumental pieces, with the development and improvement in the structure, resonance, and vibration of the sound as well as performing techniques, the Dan Bau has been played in many contemporary orchestras, symphony orchestras, experimental orchestras and music, and art training institutions. It is always the first musical instrument chosen to represent Vietnamese music. 

2. Comparison with similar musical instruments

As far as we know, some countries in the world also have one-stringed musical instruments such as Ektara and Gopi Yantra in India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan; Ichigenkin in Japan, Kse Diev in Cambodia and Pin Nahm Tao in Thailand, etc. Of them, two musical instruments from Cambodia and Thailand use the technique of overtones to produce sound. However, due to the limitations in performing style and sound volume, these instruments create timbre rather than being dynamic and flexible performing instruments like the Vietnamese 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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4. Some remarkable points in the manufacturing process

The Dan Bau is mainly made by hand.
The first step is to select the raw materials and then to process them. For the Dan Bau made of wood, the raw materials must be air-dried thoroughly after logging, before being used. The longer the wood is left to dry, the more beautiful the sound is and the less it will shrink when used to produce the instrument. For the Dan Bau made of bamboo, it is best to choose old and straight bamboo trees which are not topless. These bamboo trees should be logged in the last months of the year (October, November or December of the lunar calendar). After logging, the raw materials, which are used to produce the intruments, should be air dried to create good sounds.
In terms of manufacture, although the acoustic and electric Dan Bau have the same parts, there are some differences in the way of making such as:
The body/soundboard of the acoustic Dan Bau is usually made larger and its surface is made thinner than that of the electric Dan Bau. For example, for the acoustic Dan Bau made of bamboo, the instrument maker often chooses sections/parts of bamboo 13 to 15 centimeters in diameter and then removes the outer layer, leaving only the 4 to 5 millimeters thick core to make the body. However, when making the electric Dan Bau, the instrument maker usually only chooses the bamboo sections 10 to 12 centimeters in diameter and does not remove the outer layer. For the Dan Bau made of wood, the surface of acoustic Dan Bau is usually about 3 to 4 millimeters thin, while that of the electric Dan Bau is usually about 10 to 15 millimeters thick.

5. Classification / Tuning method

Classification

According to the classification method of E. Hornbostel and Sachs, the Dan Bau belongs to the string family and the pluck branch.


Tuning method

Normally, the open string, when the rod/handle is not bent, is usually tuned at C (C3 – 130.81Hz - C at the third octave on the piano). 
In accordance with musical genres or at the request of the author as well as the work, the Dan Bau can be tuned differently. For example, in some Vietnamese traditional musical pieces, the Dan Bau is tuned to D4 (the middle D on the piano), sometimes at  B3-flat (B flat below the middle C on the piano), or to A3 (A below the middle C on the piano).


6. The register and pitches of the Dan Bau

  •  Register: The Dan Bau has a range of approximately 4 octaves, but the most common and effectively used register is from note C1 (C4 on piano, 262 Hz) to C3 (C6 on piano, 1046.50 Hz).

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  • The ability to play different types of scales: with the flexibility in using the left-hand technique of bending the rod/handle to produce different notes, the Dan Bau can play all scales in music, from traditional Vietnamese musical scales to musical scales of other countries around the world.
  •  Availability of chromatic and microtonal intervals: As mentioned above, the left-hand technique of the Dan Bau is very special and extremely flexible in playing the intervals, so it is also very convenient in performing chromatic and microtonal intervals.




7. Timbre, volume, and resonance of the instrument

  • Timbre: The sound is pure, soft, warm, resonant, strong, and close to the timbre of the human voice.
            * Volume:
- Acoustic Dan Bau: the sound has a characteristic warmth and timbre, but is pretty quiet and with relatively short sustain. It is more suited for performing in small and quiet spaces. Therefore, the acoustic Dan Bau is very rarely used.
- Electric Dan Bau: this instrument is equipped with electronic devices to amplify the sound. Therefore, the volume can easily be adjusted from very quiet to very loud, so the Dan Bau can easily play with small ensembles or big orchestras without using an additional microphone. The electric Dan Bau also has the advantage that the high overtones sound clearer and it can sustain the sound longer than the acoustic Dan Bau. Therefore, today, artists in Viet Nam mainly play the electric Dan Bau. This is also the instrument being played in the Asia Traditional Orchestra.

  • About the sustain: The electric Dan Bau can sustain the sound quite long, like most other plucked string instruments.

8. Position of the Dan Bau in the Asia Traditional Orchestra:

Due to its unique sound quality and the capability to play in different tunings and scales, from classical Western music, through Vietnamese folk all the way to various other Asian musical cultures, the Dan Bau is often the first choice for the composers as a leading melody instrument and plays an important position in any kind of program where the melody is put to the front. Therefore, the Dan Bau is an indispensable instrument in the Asia Traditional Orchestra.


 
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