Unique 7-piece flute of the Khmu people

Mr. Cut Van Buong, Huoi Cam village, Nam Nhoong commune, Que Phong district is known as the best pi tom player in the commune and is also quite rare in the Khmu community in the Northwest of Nghe An province. The name of the instrument means the flute used to accompany "tơm" - a folk song of the Khmu people. "Tơm" in Khmu language also means "to sing". This instrument can also be called a tơm flute.

Mr. Buong plays the Tom flute skillfully and also knows how to make this instrument. According to Mr. Lu Tat Xuyen, a former cultural officer of Nam Nhoong commune, who once founded the movement to restore the custom of playing the Tom flute, in the commune, only Mr. Buong and one other person know how to play this instrument.

At the age of 71, Mr. Cut Van Buong still goes to the fields, plants rice, raises pigs and chickens in the forest. He said that the bamboo flute is like a friend that helps dispel sadness. “I really like playing the bamboo flute and often bring it with me when I am in the fields. In the quiet forest, I play it to relieve loneliness,” the old man shared innocently.

The bamboo flute is also quite popular among the Khmu community in Tuong Duong and Ky Son districts. The body of the flute consists of many bamboo pieces joined together. In Nam Nhoong commune alone, the flutes have 7 pieces. The top piece is the blowing head with a reed made from the bamboo body. The last piece is to adjust the resonance of the flute's sound. On the body of the flute, there are 3 finger holes so that the flute player can adjust the breath, creating different musical intervals. Therefore, with only a small number of finger holes, many melodies can be played.

According to Mr. Buong, making a bamboo flute is quite simple. Just find a bamboo tree of suitable size, then cut it into pieces, measure and assemble them. The piece with the longest finger holes. Each hole is spaced the width of the 3 middle fingers of the hand. 5 bamboo pieces are connected from the piece with the finger holes to the blowing end, also following the principle that the bottom tube is the shortest and the tube with the blowing end is longer than the remaining tubes. The 7th piece is connected to the bottom of the piece with the finger holes, the length of which is adjusted when adjusting the sound of the flute. After playing, the musician can disassemble each bamboo piece and reassemble it when needed to perform.

Mr. Cut Van Buong said he has been playing the flute since he was 30 years old. In the past few years, he has participated in mass art troupes at the commune and district levels and in several competitions.

Mr. Lu Trung Thanh - Chairman of Nam Nhoong Commune People's Committee said: Mr. Cut Van Buong is one of the artisans known by many people in the Kho Mu community in Que Phong district and is an enthusiastic participant in the cultural and artistic movement in Nam Nhoong commune.