5 typical musical instruments of Thai people in Nghe An
(Baonghean.vn) - Originating from life and production, the Thai people in Western Nghe An have created their own musical instruments, contributing to creating a unique cultural feature in the Vietnamese ethnic community.
Nghe An Newspaper would like to introduce 5 typical musical instruments of the Thai people (Nghe An):
1. Panpipes:
As a versatile instrument, the Khen Be is most effective when accompanying Thai folk songs (khap, lam, nhuon, xuoi).
The Khen be, along with other musical instruments, creates a bustling, exciting harmony, expressing the optimism, love of life and solidarity of the Thai ethnic community.
Therefore, in most Thai ethnic villages, festivals and happy days cannot lack the melodious sound of the panpipe, because that is the "soul" of the nation.
The raw materials for making the Khen Be are 14 small bamboo pieces of different lengths and 7 pairs placed parallel to form a block. This bamboo block is connected together by a wooden gourd, on these bamboo pieces, artisans create air holes and attach bronze bars.
The Khen be requires the user to be truly skillful, delicate and emotional. Those who are good at making and using Khen be instruments are often considered artisans by the locals.
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| Artist Vi Thanh Hai plays the flute. Photo: Dinh Tuan |
Clip of artisan Vi Thanh Hai, in Chan village, Thach Giam commune (Tuong Duong) playing the flute:
2. Xi xo lo:
In addition to being used for solo performances, this instrument can also be used in ensemble or to accompany folk songs in daily activities.
It is a bowed string instrument, made from a bamboo tube 45-50cm long. In the past, the instrument had two strings made of silk, but today in addition to using iron metal strings, the bow is made from a thin bamboo stick about 45cm long and about 1cm wide; the bowstring is usually made from small fishing lines, but most commonly made of bamboo strings.
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| Mr. Luong Van An pulls a motorbike taxi. Photo: Dinh Tuan |
Clip of Mr. Luong Van An, in Khe Ngau village, Xa Luong commune (Tuong Duong) pulling a cyclo:
3. Leaf trumpet:
This is the simplest musical instrument, because you just need to take a leaf that is not torn, not damaged, and still fresh, cut the stem, then fold it in half along the leaf's midrib to have a trumpet.
The leaf trumpet has a high pitched sound, well expressing the sound of flowing streams and chirping birds, or sounds that are characteristic of the natural landscape of the mountains and forests.
The leaf trumpet is a simple instrument that can be used anytime, anywhere.
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| Artist Lo Thanh Dan plays the leaf flute. Photo: Dinh Tuan |
Clip of artist Lo Thanh Dan, Khe Ngau village, Xa Luong commune (Tuong Duong) playing the leaf trumpet:
4.Carving:
The furrow is a rice pounding trough, made from an old tree trunk with twisted grain, few cracks in the middle, about 45cm wide, 2.5-3cm long. People carve this tree trunk into the shape of a boat, which looks almost like a short water trough, with a hole punched at one end for pounding rice. The pestles are about 2m long, about 14cm in diameter.
The groove carving is considered to be one of the earliest and most primitive musical instruments. It only takes a few people to carve the groove. When carving the groove, people hold a pestle to hit the wall of the trough or stab it down into the trough, creating loud, strong, decisive or rapid sounds, depending on the way people decide.
On happy occasions such as weddings, festivals,... the sound of carving echoes throughout the village.
Clip of people in Lau village, Thach Giam commune (Tuong Duong) enjoying the field carving festival:
5. Pi (flute):
Made from a bamboo tube about 50cm long, drilled with 4 holes. The Pi can be played solo and accompanied by On (a Thai ethnic melody), used by Thai people on occasions such as weddings, housewarmings, and welcoming friends.
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| Artist Luong Van Pan plays the pipe. Photo: Dinh Tuan |
Clip of artisan Luong Van Pan, Khe Ngau village, Xa Luong commune (Tuong Duong) blowing the pipe:
Dinh Tuan
