The art of making đàn tính

In Hột village, Mường Đun commune, Tủa Chùa district, the majority of the population are ethnic Thái people. Through generations of living and developing, the Thái people in Hột village have preserved many traditional cultural features; one of which is the art of crafting the tẩu (a type of bamboo pipe).

The Tinh Tau, also known as the Tinh Dan, is a traditional musical instrument inextricably linked to the cultural and religious life of the Thai ethnic group. It forms the foundation and soul of their festivals, singing, courtship, and friendship-building activities.

To complete a traditional Vietnamese pipe requires many steps, demanding meticulousness, skill, and experience from the craftsman.

Mr. Luong Van Phoi, a zither artisan from Hot village, Muong Dun commune, shared: "For generations, the sound of the zither has been deeply ingrained in the memories and souls of every member of the Thai ethnic community. Making a zither that is perfect in size, color, and tone requires a great deal of time."

The craftsmen who make the Tinh instrument are primarily people who understand, love, and know how to play it. Making a standard Tinh instrument requires not only skill and meticulousness in the crafting process but also testing the strings, listening to the sound, and tuning the instrument... only then can a truly authentic Tinh instrument of the Thai ethnic group be created.

Each component of the zither requires meticulous selection and combination so that when finished, the sound of the zither accurately reflects the player's emotions, possessing both resonance and depth—sometimes gentle, soft, and graceful—creating different nuances that most deeply express the zither player's thoughts and feelings to the listener.

The đàn tính (a traditional Vietnamese stringed instrument) is divided into six main parts: the body, the soundbox, the bridge, the strings, the soundboard, and the tuning pegs. First, to make the instrument, the craftsman selects mature gourds, cuts off the top, removes the pulp, and scrapes out the flesh to make the soundbox. While drying, the cleaned gourds are hung under the floor to dry naturally, avoiding direct sunlight which could cause the soundbox to crack or become brittle, affecting the quality of the finished instrument.

The body of the instrument is measured by the craftsman using nine fist spans, with an average length of 85cm to 1m, depending on the player's arm span. The wood used is usually lightweight, flexible, and smooth, allowing the player to easily glide their fingers across the strings when playing. These are the two main components of the zither, and the material processing and drying time typically takes nearly a month.

The remaining parts are made more quickly. The soundboard is made of wood, thinly cut to fit the shape of the gourd; the bridge is placed in the middle of the soundboard to support the strings, creating the necessary vibration distance when playing. The strings are pulled from the body of the instrument across the soundboard and connected to the string pegs. Typically, the đàn tính has 2-3 strings; depending on the purpose (accompanying love songs or dances, or folk singing), the craftsman will adjust the number of strings accordingly. When playing, the player uses wooden pegs to adjust the tension of the strings to change the pitch.

Previously, the strings of this instrument were usually made from fibers stripped from bamboo, then they were replaced with spun silk threads, and currently, the strings are mainly made of nylon due to their convenience and widespread use.

Throughout its development, some materials used in crafting the đàn tính have been replaced with more suitable alternatives, and the manufacturing process has also benefited from modern machinery... However, this has not diminished the đàn tính's status and traditional characteristics within the Thái ethnic community, because each đàn tính maker is a person who has dedicated their entire life to the art of this instrument.