Vietnamese dan tranh instrument improvisation by Vi An.

[Leety1701]

Hey!!!! u r awesome!!! I'm a student in Vietnam national academy of music, and my major is the Dan Tranh. can't believe that u r a foreigner. u play like a Vietnamese. Very good sound, technic, and your vibriation is very nice. where did u learn to play the Dan Tranh? I guess that u could play the Guzheng before, couldn't u??

[nivsha]

@Leety1701 Hey !! Thank you, that was a super awesome comment too thank you so much for your thoughts, it is so wonderful to know you are majoring in dan tranh !! Congrats and all the best to you. It means a lot to read your insight. My first experience with Asian long zithers was the Chinese zheng, yes, so I transfer a lot of techniques to tranh. I was born in Ho Chi Minh city but when I turned 5 my entire family and myself flew to Canada.

[Leety1701]

@nivsha thanks. great!! I wish that i could play as well as u play. i was so suprise when i saw your piece at first time. I'd love to play inprovisation, but it's not easy. As u know, the dan Tranh is smaller and the string is so thinner than the Zheng, so the Vnmese can't do a lot of technic. i tried to do the same technic like u, but it's out of tune (i mean my hand made the strings to be wrong), maybe i need to practise more. Btw, how can u play improvisational music very well like that??

[nivsha]

@Leety1701 I spend a lot of time and I mean a lot of time -- with my zithers, I am not afraid to make mistakes and often I would record myself so I can listen / view where I might improve the tone and clarity of my feelings expressed. I enjoy the self learning, every moment with the instruments is like getting to know a new friend all over again every time, this friend does not gossip nor judges... I would like the instruments to be my voice, when my voice feels weak..

[Leety1701]

@nivsha I can hear your sweet voice.. u r so awesome. I'll try hard to work with my dan Tranh. Hope i can show u sth soon., :P

[nivsha]

@Leety1701 Wonderful teehehehehee, have a fun time always on the instrument and enjoy fully, I look forward to hearing your progress, thanks so much for the nice messages they make my day bright ^_^

[Leety1701]

@nivsha not at all, chị!! I hope u will post more and more video here, so i can watch and learn sth from u. Special thanks!!! ^^

[duncan3417]

Great. You are so talented. , truly awesome. I am trying to teach myself how to play dan tranh. I have no one to teach me ,but I love it so much and the videos help. I am on you tube as duncan3417. My videos are called dan tran practice 1,2,3. I like 2 and 3 best. I hope to see and hear more dan tranh music from you. Best Wishes, Keith

[nivsha]

@duncan3417 Thank you Keith all the best to your tranh practices !!! Enjoy..

[Thoth1ontheroad]

What a hauntingly beautiful yet also sad piece. Made all the more poinant by the fact that I've got four little one day old kittens meewing at my feet and the purring of a contented mother. Thanks for this.

[nivsha]

@Thoth1ontheroad Thank you! Wow, that was a super beautiful comment, it reminds me of my cat Max, he used to sing along with this instrument because the instrument's timbre is so close to the cat's meeeeews and the chirping of birds. I miss Max, may he R.I.P. I always think of him.

[Sojournerful]

@nivsha I'm so sorry. May Max rest in peace. My baby (a wolf dog; and my nearest companion) passed away three and a half years ago; and I still miss her face and loving eyes. Don't think she ever sang along it any music I played though. She did used to accompany me many years ago when I used to busk with a low D whistle though.

[Sojournerful]

@nivsha She just curled up into a ball and sat next to me very contentedly because I was near her. I didn't always make alot in tips, but she always got given free chips (read as fries) from people visiting a nearby chipee. She was a bit of a babe magnet and everyone adored her.

[alexugurie]

Beautiful, moving and sad, it is very spiritual music.

I have listened to your playing on this video time and time again.

Thank you for sharing.

alex

[Lolalovesamba]

Beautiful, poignant. Thank you for posting this

[Lostsoul1889]

I would love a cd full of music like this, beautiful. :)

[nivsha]

Thanks! A new cd is on its way out, so watch for it visit me and subscribe for more updates!

[ostersjo]

Really nice playing, thanks! Do you know the solo piece for dan tranh by Nguyen Thien Dao? It's called Khoi Song and was written for Nguyen Thanh Thuy, brilliant Vietnamese Dan Tranh player (and friend of mine). /Stefan

[nivsha]

Thanks! I am not away but thank you for the info. Thanks for enjoying my art form.

[anne4hoang]

Its very beautiful and haunting, I love it.

I am looking at your technique and it looks like it has some GuZheng influences. Do you play the GuZheng too?

[nivsha]

Thank you for enjoying, your comment and feedback I really appreciate it. Guzheng was the first instrument I taught myself to play, then I taught myself dan tranh and lastly the koto.

[blinkybatty]

Very lovely! Thank you so much for posting this.

[yennipho]

Wow! It's great! What kind of tuning are you in?

[nivsha]

I'm in a tuning I invented, its a diatonic, semi chromatic and a bit off key. It is to convey the fragility of life during times of war.

[SuongthuShi]

Wow ... this is different - What Chinese Dialect you speak? And I read some Vietnamese you have posted - mentioned that your sister translated for you ...

If you at least send us some Music Notes of this song - We like to make them into some Lyrics in Vietnamese

[MmaxValentino]

beautiful beautiful :)

[nivsha]

Thank you I really appreciate your enjoyment of my art :)

[seniorwisdom]

i love it!

[nivsha]

Yay! I'm so happy you love it. Its been a long time since my last improvisation video. Thanks!

[21FingerGod]

Beautiful, Vi An :D As always, of course

<3 Zhou

[nivsha]

Thanks sweetone I so appreciate that, keep well! <3