Unique Central Highlands folk musical instruments made from bamboo

The ethnic groups in the Central Highlands have a rich treasure of musical instruments with many different types and materials. The lives of the ethnic groups are closely linked to the mountains and forests, so most of the musical instruments of the ethnic groups in the Central Highlands in general, and the Xo Dang ethnic group in particular, are made from trees in the forest, especially bamboo.

The Xo Dang ethnic group in Kon Tum province has many traditional musical instruments, such as: T'rung , K'long Put, flutes, drums, gongs, horns and percussion pipes. The T'rung and K'long Put are the two most popular musical instruments of the group. The materials used to make these two instruments are both bamboo.

The T'rung pipes, like the strings of a guitar, are an important part in producing sound. Each pipe consists of two parts: the breath pipe and the resonator. The combination of these two parts creates the standard pitch and resonant sound. The instrument consists of bamboo pipes connected together by small, durable, and strong strings. To adjust the sound of each pipe, the craftsman must meticulously trim the mouth of the pipe little by little, then listen to the sound and feel it himself.

They believe that the rice spirit resides in the seed tubes. Therefore, playing the K'long Put instrument in the fields will help the rice plants grow well, the harvest will be bountiful, and the weather will be favorable. In addition, the sound of the instrument also helps to ward off wild animals and is a way to express love between couples.

Meanwhile, the K'long Put is made from bamboo tubes and the sound is produced after each clap of the hands on the mouth of the tubes. The K'long Put usually has from 7 to 10 tubes depending on each person's playing style. When performing, the instrument is placed on a stone slab or propped up on another tree trunk, and under the graceful hands of the Xo Dang women, the sound of the K'long Put resounds, soaring throughout the mountains and forests. The people believe that the bamboo tubes used to play the K'long Put are closely related to the seed tubes used for farming. According to the people of the Central Highlands, playing the K'long Put requires passion. In the past, the instrument could be played for several days. For example, when the rice was lush and there was a possibility of a good harvest this year, people could celebrate, they held a festival at the Rong house, brought out the instrument to play, brought out gongs to beat. As for the T'rung , people played it with both hands and could play it to the rhythm of the gong. Japanese, Korean, Chinese tourists often come to see... In addition to the T'rung and K'long Put, the Xo Dang ethnic group also has a water instrument that is no less unique. The water instrument consists of many bamboo tubes of different lengths, hung vertically on the stream bank. Stream water flows into the large tubes to create a low sound, while the short tubes create a high sound. The water instrument is very rare and difficult to make, only the elderly know how to make it. The small and large tubes, the water flowing into, create a very beautiful sound. When wading in the stream, seeing the water instruments creating a unique sound, I will remember it forever...

Heritage Magazine