The old farmer skillfully plays three traditional musical instruments.

(Baonghean.vn) - Although he is a pure farmer and has never attended any formal music training, the sound of the guitar and flute of Mr. Nguyen The Chu always touches the hearts of listeners.

Watch old farmer Nguyen The Chu play some traditional musical instruments:

Coming to hamlet 4, Dong Tho, Dien Tho commune (Dien Chau), we accidentally heard the sound of the moon lute playing a cheerful and lively melody. We searched for the source of the sound, it was a house at the end of the hamlet, surrounded by laterite walls. The owner, and also the person who was engrossed in the keys of the lute, was Mr. Nguyen The Chu (born in 1954).

We went all the way to Mr. Chu's porch and realized that there were guests at home. He temporarily put down his guitar and then explained: "Farmers are still free at this time. It's a few weeks before the planting season, so I bring these things out to play to relieve boredom. It's also a way for me to relieve my worries and concerns in life."

Mr. Nguyen The Chu engrossed in his moon lute. Photo: Cong Kien

Mr. Chu was born in Dien Tho commune - formerly Nho Lam land, a famous countryside with a rich cultural tradition, the hometown of Cao Lo - a talented general of Thuc Phan An Duong Vuong, also a place famous for blacksmithing. His family has a tradition of loving singing, since childhood he followed his parents to watch opera and flirtatious singing in village festivals. And that is where his passion originated.

Growing up a little, the boy Nguyen The Chu was in the school's art troupe, often playing the role of soldiers and performing nursery rhymes and folk songs of Nghe An, getting acquainted with and performing traditional musical instruments. Then he got married, became a farmer with mud on his hands and feet all year round, facing many difficulties and deprivations in life.

Mr. Nguyen The Chu plays the erhu for a local folk song exchange program. Photo: Cong Kien

However, his passion for folk music grew over the years, his voice became more and more mellow; his guitar and flute sounds became smoother and more passionate. He was still regularly present in the commune's mass art team, participating in festivals and art performances as both an actor and a musician, contributing to proud achievements.

Regarding traditional musical instruments, Mr. Nguyen The Chu skillfully and fluently plays the erhu, the moon lute and the flute. He always carefully preserves these three instruments, only taking them out in his spare time or on happy occasions or festivals. “They are like soul mates, sharing joys and sorrows. When I let my soul be carried away by the music, my worries just disappear,” he shared.

The moon lute, the two-stringed fiddle and the flute are musical instruments that Mr. Nguyen The Chu always carefully keeps. Photo: Cong Kien

In the past, during the planting and harvesting seasons, Mr. Chu often brought all three of these musical instruments to the fields, waiting for a break after tiring working hours to play the melodious, smooth melodies. Listening to the music, the villagers stopped to listen with a sense of pleasure, the cold of winter and the harsh summer sun seemed to be somewhat dispelled...

In their spare time, villagers and commune people often come to his house to enjoy the "free" sound of his guitar. Mr. Nguyen Cong Huynh, hamlet 6, Tay Tho (Dien Tho) said: "A few times a week I come here to listen to the guitar, the sound of Uncle's guitar has helped me find my way back to the innocent and difficult years of my childhood, to meet old people and old scenes...".

Mr. Nguyen The Chu confided his feelings in the flute. Photo: Cong Kien

Fascinated by Mr. Nguyen The Chu's musical instruments, many people have come to his house to learn from him. He is always willing to pass on his experience and secrets accumulated over the past half century. Up to now, 35 people have been taught by Mr. Chu and have mastered the musical instruments of the two-stringed fiddle, moon-shaped lute and flute./.

Cong Kien