Amazing Dan Bao

Andy DePaule · Post by **Andy DePaule** » 13 Sep 2022 5:56 am

I met this man, Phan Kim Thành about 21 years ago. He is the uncle of a luthier friend in Ha Noi.
He plays the amazing one string instrument called the Dan Bao.
You'll hardly believe what he does with this. It is played with a pick like an ice cream stick held in the right hand between the thumb and index finger while the harmonics are reached with his palm kind go like when we play harmonics.
The left hand controls the pitch with a whammy bar made from buffalo horn.
The string is about the gauge of a 0.020 G string.

It's a Vietnamese instrument not seen in other countries.
In the past I seen and heard him play many well known American tunes.
In the distant past these instruments were acoustic and very quiet,
Now they all have a pickup that looks like a sewing machine bobbin.

https://www.facebook.com/do.v.dung.79/p ... VqhunNmqdl

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 14 Sep 2022 3:05 am

Amazing! One can sense the joy he feels while playing this instrument.

Nic Neufeld · Post by **Nic Neufeld** » 22 Sep 2022 10:37 am

I've been close a few times to pulling the lever on getting a dan bau and learning it. I think a slide veena (eg mohan veena) is probably in line in front of it though. A very beautiful sounding instrument with the right player at least!