Folk and Ethnic Musical Instruments

The dan bau (also known as dan doc huyen or doc huyen cam) is a single string plucked instrument from Vietnam. The traditional dun bau consists of a silk string strung between a wooden footpiece and a moveable bamboo "neck" with a coconut shell or gourd as a resonator. The playing technique involves the use of flageolets combined with "bent notes" and "vibrato" executed by moving the neck. Solo melodies played with the dan bau are an important element of Vietnamese folk music. Until recently, the low volume of the instrument restricted its use. to traditional and/or domestic contexts. With the introduction of an electric version of dun bau equipped with a steel string and a guitar pickup its use increased and spread into modern Asian popular music. In these context, the dun bau does not sound unlike a slide guitar. The chinese duxianqin is thought to be a descendant of the dan baus that were introduced in China in the 16th century by vietnamese refugees.