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HCMC to host 2nd Asia Zither Festival in early September

VGP - The Second Asia Plucked Zither Festival will be held in Hồ Chí Minh City on September 1-4, with the participation of many artists from Japan, Republic of Korea, and China.

August 20, 2008 2:14 PM GMT+7

Vietnamese zither players in traditional dress

The Festival is a good opportunity for Asian zither artists to gather, perform and introduce their national traditional music as well as approach to new creations.

The first festival was organized eight years ago, marking a good impression about traditional musical exchanges by performing zither.

The upcoming event attracts about 100 performers from many countries and territories, including China, Japan, Republic of Korea, and Taiwan.

Vietnamese zither (đàn tranh) is also known as 16-chord zither. It has a trapezoid body, 1.1-1.2 m in length. Its bigger end is about 25-30 cm wide and the smaller one, about 15-20 cm. Chords are made of metal or silk threads. When performing, the players wear three metal or horn nails in their thumb, forefinger and middle finger to pluck the zither.

The timbre produced by Vietnamese zither is clear and bright, expressing joyful melodies. The instrument is often performed solo or in concert, to accompany poem chanting, singing, performances of traditional orchestra.