History of Dan Bau
Dan Bau History
Dan Bau is a unique Vietnamese musical
instrument which has only 1 single string yet can generate any notes we want in
a tonal range up to 3 octaves with a full, rich of overtones, captivating sound that
many has said "if you had heard it once you would never forget it".
Playing a modern Dan Bau on stage
Dan Bau has been used in Vietnam for a long time but nobody is sure of
its origin except for a legend
about a blind lady playing a strange god-given musical instrument with a captivating sound in the market as a mean of living and
supporting her mother while waiting for her husband returning from a war.
This legend probably tries to explain the fact that Dan Bau was dominantly used
by the blind musicians throughout its history of existence. In fact, Dan
Bau was popular among the blind musicians due to its "ease" of playing for the
blind: it has only 1 string and only several note positions to pluck the string while
capable of generating wonderful sounds covering a wide tonal range more than
adequate for most songs.
Written records indicate Dan Bau was invented in 1770;
however, some scholars suggest that it appeared in Vietnam around the 10th
century and since then has captured the heart of the Vietnamese people.
Due to its full, overtones rich sound and versatility,
Dan Bau has become one of the dominant musical instruments in
Vietnam.
Dan Bau is also frequently use in modern Vietnamese and Asian pop music. It's
distinct sound provide an exotic lead solo or accompaniment sound to the
modern guitar, keyboard, drum and bass sounds in a modern band.
Modern Dan Bau with Pick-up and Machine Head for
Tuning
Modern Dan Bau uses a metallic string and has a
magnetic pick-up capable of transferring the sound to an amplifier for on-stage
performance (similar to an electric guitar).
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