The Khac Chi Ensemble offers a program of music on the Vietnamese traditional instruments found only in Vietnam. The music they perform is not of the court tradition, but that of the peoples of Vietnam. Hence, the instrumentation, songs and stories are related to roots of some of the 50-minority group of peoples that populate the country.
Monday, April 19: On the Mountain Top is
a lullaby of the Ede people of the Vietnamese highlands. The main
instrument is the ko ni, a two-string stick fiddle found only in
Vietnam. The player holds the instrument between both legs. The
strings are attached to a small plastic disk that is held in the
player's mouth. By changing the shape of her mouth, the player can
create many different sound qualities.
the ko ni and the dan bau.
Tuesday, April 20: T'rung Stream is a traditional
piece about the beauty of a small stream.
The t'rung is a suspended bamboo xylophone. It
is very popular because of its ability to imitate the sound of water.
Wednesday, April 21: Highland Dance is a melody sung at
the Water Buffalo Festival. The featured instrument is the electric
dan bau. Dan Bau is one-string zither native to
Vietnam. It is constructed of a long narrow sound box, with a 
tall
curved stem made from water buffalo horn inserted at one end. The single string
runs between the sound box and a small wooden gourd attached to the stem. The
stem is bent to change the pitch of the string. The player touches the string lightly with the heel of the hand at
harmonic-producing nodal points while plucking with the fingers. This produces
the dan bau characteristic high clear sound.
Thursday, April 22: Farmer's Song is a call and answer work song from central Vietnam. It is sung in the fields and at harvest festivals.
Friday, April 23: Full Moon Dance is a modern arrangement of a traditional highland melody.
