09/08/2023 13:02
To contribute to the preservation and promotion of traditional musical instruments, the Xo Dang people in Dak To town (Dak To district) actively research the manufacture and preservation of ethnic musical instruments; at the same time, pass on the cultural capital of their nation to the younger generation.
On a rainy afternoon, we went to Mr. A Tui's house (in block 5, Dak To town) and caught sight of him passionately playing the ting ning and singing with high and low frequency. The sound of Mr. A Tui's ting ning brought us many emotions, like living in the space of a festival.
Seeing us coming, Mr. A Tui stopped playing and happily introduced the traditional instruments that he himself had made. While showing us, he told us that from a young age, he was passionate about the sound of the lute and the traditional instruments of the Xo Dang people. His young soul always soars to the melodious melody of the music during the festive season. He was fortunate to be taught by artisans in the village in the past, so at the age of 15, he had mastered the making of ding ning and t'rung.
|
|
“To make a beautiful, standard sounding instrument is not easy. Once upon a time, old people made a t'rung that took months to complete. Bamboo, cut from the old forest must be boiled and dried in the kitchen for 3-4 years before it can be brought up to make a flock. Now those steps are simpler, to make t'rung, k'long put, it only takes 2-3 weeks to complete," said Mr. A Tui.
In block 3, Mr. A Bang also plays and produces traditional musical instruments that are famous throughout the region. While meticulously sitting on the bamboo sticks, Mr. A Bang shared: The artisan must always pay attention to every detail of each musical instrument, especially the selection of bamboo and bamboo materials. Every time we go to cut bamboo, we go nearly dozens of kilometers. Bamboo is to choose straight trees, from 3 years old or more, the trunk is not deep, not cracked, not too young, nor too old. As for making a lute, you have to follow the streams to choose a stone with good resonance, then hewn, chisel and grind to achieve the best sound.
According to Mr. A Bang, when making a musical instrument, the bamboo tube must be used not too old because it will be heavy in the hand, if it is young, the sound will be distorted. In particular, with the ting ning, the gourd must be a traditional gourd variety grown by the house to have the right size and age and be allowed to dry naturally.
|
|
In the same block of street 3 (Dak To town), Mr. A Huyen has a reputation as a young person who plays musical instruments well and produces many unique ethnic musical instruments. In his childhood days, Huyen listened to the old people performing folk instruments and then fell in love with it all the time. The melodies of gongs or t'rung, k'long put in festivals captivated him. From that passion, Mr. Huyen studied zither at the Military University of Culture and Arts (Hanoi). After graduating from university, Huyen chose to return to the locality to pursue his passion for playing and making musical instruments, with the desire to preserve and promote traditional cultural values.
“In 2014, I successfully researched and manufactured the national trumpet. At that time, it was very difficult, it took me many months to find the materials, then adjust the sound to make it right. In addition, I also sought out musical instrument-making artists in the district to learn, from which to accumulate experience to perfect my t'rung within more than 2 months, "- Mr. A Huyen said.
Currently, Mr. A Huyen successfully manufactures a number of musical instruments such as t'rung, rock lute, and k'long put. Each year, he makes dozens of musical instruments to sell to enthusiasts, museums and events that need traditional instruments. Since the beginning of the year, he has crafted more than 10 t'rung (folk t'rung and modern t'rung). Besides, he also brings his own hand-made musical instruments to perform at shows and competitions across the country.
In order for the traditional musical instrument to be handed down and not be lost over time, Mr. A Huyen and Mr. A Bang actively taught it to their children and grandchildren. Lessons on ethnic musical instruments can take place right in the narrow kitchen, in the hallway or on the porch, but this is the place to sow the love of ethnic musical instruments in each child, with the hope that Traditional culture will continue to be preserved and promoted.
Dinh Nhat Nam (in block 3, Dak To town) proudly said: “Thanks to Mr. A Bang and Mr. A Huyen's guidance, I myself have learned some basic skills of t'rung and rock zither. . At first, accessing this instrument is really difficult to use, but if I have passion and love, I think I can do it, thereby, contributing to preserving the beautiful culture of the people. Xo Dang”.
Now Sat
