Dan Bau (Đàn Bầu) of Vietnam

Dan Bau (Đàn Bầu, Độc Huyền Cầm) is a Vietnamese monochord - a traditional one-string musical instrument. Dan Bau is the most unique musical instrument in the world because it has only one string but can deliver wonderful, captivating sound for any notes you like in a tonal range up to 3 octaves. The Dan Bau, played solo, is central to Vietnamese folk music, a genre still popular today in the country. Its other traditional application is as an accompaniment to poetry readings. For modern music, Dan Bau is played as the lead instrument, sharing the same spot light as lead guitar, saxophone, etc.

A popular legend of its beginning tells of a blind woman playing it in the market to earn a living for her family while her husband was at war. Whether this tale is based in fact or not, it remains true that Dan Bau is historically played by blind musicians. At its first appearance, it was a very simple instrument comprised of a bamboo section, a flexible rod, a calabash or half a coconut. After a process of evolution and improvement, the present form of the Dan Bau is a bit more sophisticated, yet still quite simple.