Yen Chau flute sound

Among the artisans making panpipes in Yen Chau commune, everyone knows Mr. Lu Van Thanh in Tum village, who has been making panpipes for nearly two decades. In a small stilt house in the middle of the mountains and forests, every day, Mr. Thanh meticulously selects bamboo tubes to create exquisite panpipes. Each panpipe not only carries the heart and love of the artisan but is also a way to preserve the cultural beauty of the Thai people in Yen Chau.

Mr. Lu Van Thanh, Tum village, Yen Chau commune makes panpipes.

According to Mr. Lu Van Thanh, the flute is made from the “may pao” tree, a type of bamboo that grows naturally in the forest. The structure of the flute is very special, consisting of a blowpipe and 14 bamboo tubes joined into 7 pairs, each pair has a different length and is connected to form a raft in the shape of a ladder.

Mr. Thanh, Share: To make a complete panpipe, it goes through dozens of stages. Especially, to create the unique feature of Yen Chau panpipe is the small copper blade attached in the bamboo tube. The copper blade is cut, thinly ground and skillfully attached, when blown, it creates a warm, soulful sound, like the voice of the human heart, like the breath of the mountains and forests.

Mr. Lu Van Thanh taught his grandson to play the panpipe.

If making a Khen be is the art of the hands, then blowing the Khen be is the art of the heart. The Thai ethnic group in Yen Chau believes that those who know how to play the Khen be have a beautiful soul, know how to love, and know how to listen to the rhythms of nature and people. In Ngua village, Mr. Luong Van Chua, although he is 81 years old, is still passionate about researching, preserving and teaching traditional Khen be melodies to the younger generation.

Mr. Luong Van Chua said: Khen be has 4 main melodies, the first is the "bam" melodies with gentle, deep sounds, often accompanying intimate songs, lullabies. The second is the "xieng et" melodies, often played to accompany men singing and bringing a cheerful color; the third is the "xieng thuon" melodies with deep, soulful melodies, played to accompany couples when singing love songs; and the last is the Khen melodies played during xoe dance. For many years now, I and the members of the Muong Vat Ancient Thai Culture Club have only organized dance and Khen playing classes for children with the hope that the younger generation will appreciate and continue the cultural traditions of the nation.

Members of the Thai Yen Chau Cultural Preservation Club perform cultural activities.

The sound of the panpipe is indispensable in traditional festivals and rituals, from the Xen Ban and Xen Muong festivals, the New Rice Celebration ceremony to happy days and holidays. Currently, 100% of the villages of Yen Chau commune still maintain ethnic art troupes, regularly performing in art festivals and competitions.

Mr. Quang Anh Tuan, Deputy Director of Yen Chau Commune Cultural and Information Center, informed: To preserve and promote traditional cultural values, from 2021 up to now, the commune's specialized agencies have coordinated and organized more than 10 training courses on making and performing panpipes and other traditional musical instruments for over 500 local art nuclei. At the same time, promoting the role of folk artists in teaching activities; encouraging people to actively participate in cultural club activities; organizing for the commune's art troupe to participate in exchanges and performances at art programs and festivals at all levels.

The sound of the panpipe is the "soul" of the Thai melodies of the Yen Chau people.

Amidst the bustling pace of life, the sound of the Khen Be still echoes through the mountains and forests of the Northwest, a sacred symbol of Thai culture, passionately preserved and passed down by generations, so that the Khen Be melody will forever resonate through the years. The sound of the Khen Be, along with the sound of drums and gongs, blending with the bustling Xoe rhythm has become a unique characteristic of the Yen Chau land.

Source: https://baosonla.vn/van-hoa-xa-hoi/tieng-khen-be-yen-chau-aCTPstRDg.html