Description: The dan-bau is a unique stringed instrument that belongs mainly to Vietnam. Although other related instruments exist in the neighboring countries for example in Southern China in which is under the Chinese name "Duxianqin" translates from Chinese to Engliash as "single stringed zither" who belongs to the Jing ethnic group of China. This instrument is native to Vietnam and some areas in Southern China. Both the dan-bau. And the other instruments.

The Thai Pin-pya, and the Kampuchean Kse Diev may have a relationship to the Dan-bau in the sense they both share the same method of playing "plucked and only played through harmonics".  During performance no chords are achieved this is replaced though by harmonics, bending notes and the accompaniment of the human voice and other instruments in an ensemble or with another dan-bau.

The Playing Technique & Construction of the dan-bau: On the top of the instrument the dan-bau is assembled with bamboo, abalone inlay is also common feature and the use of lacquer is also present. There is a water buffalo-horn attached to the string, and also the sound box (my specimen is electric), The buffalo horn behaves sort of like an Indigenous whammy bar.

The dan-bau is placed with a bending action with the fingers of the right hand. The string is plucked with a plectrum which is often a tooth-pick or other small item that is held in the hand. When the heal of the right hand is resting on the string. The plectrum underneeth in which delicately pulls on the same location and slides in which then the hand is also lifted at the same time. This is some what different in approach to guitar harmonics but the idea of the techniques on both instruments is the same idea. Though in playing the dan-bau since there is no chords harmony is the main route in playing the dan-bau.

Acoustic dan-bau's are becoming more rare nowadays due to being replaced by electric-dan-bau's. The accoustic dan-bau has a quite timbre. As for the electric ones there are two types of amplification present. The first is the most common this being a coil-type pickup (similar in construction to the electric guitar pickup). The second type is less common which is the modification of a circuit which would come from a portable pre-amplifier found in the circuit of a AM/FM radio in which the circuit modified into an amplifier circuit concealed in the dan-bau its self. This allows the instrument to be played with out the carrying of any size of amplifier.

Citations: asza.com -> dan-bau; Vietnamese Traditional music - instruments.vn -> dan-bau; Wikipedia: Article -> Vietnamese Instruments - Dan-bau