Đàn tranh (No document have given a clear definition of the origin of the Dan tranh and its inventor). Some historical book said that Dan tranh was used in Tieu nhac, accompanied with Ty ba ( the subdivided music.According to Prof. Tran Van Khe, the dan tranh was derived from the Chinese into Vietnam in the Tran Dynasty or before. It likes Dan sat of China. It ‘s 110-120cm long. One side is bigger than another. The bigger is about 25-30cm and there is a hole to tie strings. The rest is about 15-20 cm long. It made of wood. There are 3 types of the dan tranh. The ancient dan tranh has 16 strings, thus called thap luc (the sixteen-stringed) board zither. The present dan tranh with 17 strings is the most favorite. But the bigger dan tranh can have 19, 21, 22, or even 24 strings…etc. Before playing the main piece, the artist performed a prelude without rhythm. It was played with sudden inspiration, not the same all the times, which inspires the artist and the audience, tells the mode of the piece, sad or joyful, and is simultaneously a way of adjusting the strings. This is considered as unique in Vietnam and was not seen in other countries. The artist used song lang as accompaniment playing the piece. This special thing was not been seen in other nations, either.
Dan tranh is usually used in some traditional kinds of music such as Tai tu, Bat am, Nha nhac. The sound of Dan tranh is clear, fresh and cheerful.By Luu Tu Anh
Academy of communication and journalism