and Temple Yards

XI. The Voice of the iring
The Tradition of Vietnamese Drumming
This is the easiest drum formula or pattern to learn. It is a basic pattern for rituul music ensembles,
for the classical theater, for the shaman'sdance, or in the Buddhist temple. I learned it frommy master
at the beginning of my percussion training at the age of seven.
" ~r6nf is the generic term for any kind of drum in Vietnamese music. The drumming
tradition is exciting and energetic, and there are many different types of drums and drum
pieces throughout Vietnam. Some of them play a leading role in ensembles and orchestras.
An instrumental piece for the orchestra, for example, may begin and end only if the t&ng
"engages" specific rhythmic formulae. A complicated method of elaborating rhythmic
contours through improvisation is a remarkable feature of Vietnamese drumming.
Rhythm in Vietnamese music is a rather complex system. The taped example
illustrates the basic rhythmic patterns of the two-headed drum or ding of the traditional
ensemble used in village festivals. The cowskin surface of this drum measures 17 112 inches
in diameter, and the wooden box of its body is 7 1/2 inches high. The &ng stands on a square,
foldable wooden stand about twenty inches high. The performer uses sticks to hit the drum
on the skin heads and on the wooden body as well, utilizing open and damped strokes and
presses. The heads may be hit at the center of the drum skin, or at the margin, which,
combined with numerous types of strokes will produce a wide variety of soundqualities. To
learn the drumming patterns, students chant mnemonic syllables in imitation of their teacher.
This is also a common technique throughout Africa and India, and is used frequently by
percussion teachers in the West as well-for students of rock and roll, swing or jazz drum set,
high school marching band drum sections and drum corps. The syllables used, of course, vary
from culture to culture, but the practice of verbalizing drum strokes fully before attempting
to play them on the drums is widely known to be an effective preparatory step. The syllables
used in Vietnamese drumming are shown below.
Vktmme Drum Mnemonics 3
notation type of stroke spoken syllable
J at the center of the drum skin toong (taw-ng)
31 at the margin of the drum skin thg (tah-ng)
f on the wooden box ca"c (kak)
? two sticks roll briefly and stop, pressing ryp (roop)
at the center of the skin
f- right stick beats the center of the head t&h (tay-k)
while whole left stick presses on the skin
J