Tuong Duong (Nghe An): The person who preserves and "lights the fire" of passion for traditional Thai ethnic music in a remote commune

By the red fire, the sticky rice was cooked and smelled of the fields, Mr. Hung's two-stringed fiddle sounded clear and melodious, captivating visitors.

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit Mr. Kha Van Hung's house in Quang Phuc village, Tam Dinh commune, Tuong Duong district ( Nghe An ). It was almost noon. Before we could climb the stairs to enter the house, we heard the clear, melodious sound of the two-stringed fiddle coming from the stilt house. Mr. Hung stopped playing the fiddle to welcome the guests.

In the space near the fire, Mr. Hung slowly told: Since childhood, he has been passionate about the traditional music of his people. Whenever he heard the sound of a string instrument or flute, he would forget everything and go there to learn. At the age of 15-16, he already knew how to use many musical instruments such as flute, panpipe, erhu, tung tinh, xixo, guitar..."

He said that at that time, his family was very poor and had no money to buy musical instruments. He had to learn how to make musical instruments himself. Whenever he saw adults in the village go into the forest to whittle bamboo and reeds to make musical instruments, he asked to follow them. "I watched and imitated, gradually becoming familiar with the craft and proficient in it."

With a thirst for knowledge, Mr. Hung has become an excellent, sophisticated and unique musical instrument maker in the locality. The musical instruments that Mr. Hung makes all have very standard sounds. Mr. Hung can make most of the traditional musical instruments of the Thai people such as flutes, panpipes, two-stringed fiddles, etc. by himself. Thanks to that, Tam Dinh commune still preserves all the traditional musical instruments of the Thai people. What is even more special, Mr. Hung is also capable of making modern musical instruments such as guitars, electric guitars, etc.

By the fire, Mr. Kha Van Hung makes a Thai flute and introduces it to us.

In the process of making musical instruments, Mr. Hung shared that among traditional musical instruments, making the erhu is the most elaborate and complicated. Because if it is not done properly, the sound produced when you play it will not be good. The bow, the string shaft, and the erhu neck all have to be meticulously crafted. The most difficult step in making the erhu is making the erhu tube. This is a resonance chamber that amplifies the sound of the instrument. The erhu tube is made from a plastic water pipe, one end of the erhu tube must be sealed with snake or toad skin.

Having done so much, making some traditional musical instruments is not too difficult for Mr. Hung. From bamboo tubes, Mr. Hung only uses his hands or a string to drill holes to make the flute accurately. While tying the thread at the top of the flute, Mr. Hung shared: the bamboo tubes chosen to make the flute are usually not too old because they will be heavy, and if they are too young, the sound will be distorted.

For Mr. Hung, the passion for traditional musical instruments of the nation is ingrained in his blood. Whenever he has free time, he makes musical instruments and teaches his children how to use traditional musical instruments of the nation. Just like that, Mr. Hung's family's stilt house is always filled with the traditional sounds of the Thai people.

With his skillful hands and eagerness to learn, Mr. Hung has become an excellent and sophisticated musical instrument maker.

Tam Dinh is a commune with nearly 100% of Thai ethnic people living. When the National Target Program for Socio -Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas was implemented, the content of "Preserving and promoting the fine traditional cultural values ​​of ethnic minorities associated with tourism development" in Project 6 was focused on implementation. With the guidance and support of the local government, Mr. Kha Van Hung became the "nucleus" in the task of preserving the traditional cultural values ​​of the Thai people in Tam Dinh.

From his passion for musical instruments, Mr. Hung established a musical instrument team in the village, with himself as the team leader. The team was established by him with the purpose of practicing how to use traditional musical instruments of the Thai people.

Along with that, the musical instrument team founded by Mr. Hung also teaches the younger generation how to use musical instruments and folk songs of the Thai people. From there, it has created a spread of good traditional cultural features to the communities in the commune.

Mr. Kha Van Hung spends a lot of time "igniting" the passion for traditional Thai music for his children and grandchildren.

Famous for his passion for Thai ethnic musical instruments since childhood, growing up, Mr. Kha Van Hung also knows how to use and make many traditional musical instruments. Now 60 years old, Thai ethnic man Kha Van Hung still has a deep love for the traditional culture of his people: "What I hope for most is that the younger generation in the village will continue the tradition of their ancestors to preserve the beautiful cultural identity of our people."

Commenting on Mr. Kha Van Hung, Vice Chairman of Tam Dinh Commune People's Committee - Mr. Ngan Van Noi, said: In the locality, Mr. Hung is one of the few artisans who both knows how to make and skillfully use many types of musical instruments, so he is admired by the people, considered the "soul keeper" of traditional musical instruments of the Thai people in Tam Dinh.

“Notably, Mr. Hung is also the one who has contributed to “igniting” the passion and guiding the younger generation to know how to create and stick with traditional Thai music. Over the years, Mr. Hung himself has contributed significantly to preserving and promoting the fine traditional values ​​of the local Thai people,” Mr. Ngan Van Noi emphasized.

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Source: https://baodantoc.vn/tuong-duong-nghe-an-nguoi-bao-ton-va-thap-lua-dam-me-am-nhac-truyen-thong-dan-toc-thai-o-xa-vung-sau-1731990966784.htm