Vietnamese dan tranh instrument improvisation by Vi An.

Lullaby to Dying Children during the Vietnamese War

"When you sleep your angels stay awake my children"
"The bombs will kill and destroy"
"Guns will take my life"
"Midst the noise and chaos"
"I will sing this song during your last breaths on earth"
"Carry you to your next journey far away from this hell"
"Then I may die in peace"

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Vietnam
• music
• dan tranh
• culture
• Asian
• musician
• artist
• world music
• jazz
• free
• improvisation
• improvise
• stringed instrument
• harp
• zither
• beauty
• sound
• life
• death
• war
• children

[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.

[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!!! ^^

[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 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

[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.

[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.

[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 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 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]

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??