What would the Dan Nhis sold from "SoundOfAsia" sound like

[DavidNguyen]

So from my knowledge of Vietnamese Music, I know that the term "Dan Nhi" can be very broad. It could simply be a fancy name for a Gaohu, since many Dan Nhi soundlike Gaohu, or it could refer to something as low pitched as a Zhonghu. But what exactly would the Dan Nhi sold from "SoundofAsia" sound like, since I'm thinking of getting into the Dan Nhi and I need to know what I'm getting. I'm guessing by the smaller soundbox, it would have a higher pitched noise, but then again I've seen Dan Nhi that are smaller than that that have a relatively lower pitch than a Gaohu. 

Here's a link to the site's page that is selling the Dan Nhi in question: www.soundofasia.com/dannhi.html

[davidmdahl]

Hello David,

You are right that "dan nhi" is very broad. There is a variety of Vietnamese fiddles that vary with the region and specific genre of music. So, the dan co that is used with Nhac Tai Tu Nam Bo in the South is different from the dan nhi used for Hat Xam or Hat Cheo. They come with resonators from much smaller than a gaohu to almost as large as the standard erhu. Then there is the dan gao, with a coconut half used for the resonator, and wood in place of skin on the face. None of the Vietnamese fiddles are very much like the gaohu in terms of sound. I think that they use a different snake skin than is used by the Chinese, or maybe even a completely different reptile in some cases. I had a dan nhi from Hanoi reskinned in China. The results were good, but unfortunately the nhi now sounds more Chinese than Vietnamese.

If you want the Vietnamese dan nhi sound, it is necessary to get a dan nhi. An erhu or gaohu, while they are in many cases a lot easier on the ears, are not replacements for the Vietnamese fiddles. The trouble in my experience is that it is very difficult to find a good musical dan nhi. I can play an erhu reasonably well, but I have not found a nhi that works very well for me. I have been wondering about the nhi at Sound of Asia myself, although not so much as to place an order. I would feel better about waiting until I can choose a dan nhi by playing it first rather than ordering a pig-in-a-poke.

As for tuning or pitch, it depends on the strings you use. If you use erhu strings, D/A or C/G are pretty good. If you want to tune higher, such as G/D, then use gaohu strings. As I understand it, the dan nhi often has one steel string and one nylon string. The size of the resonator affects the tone, and is not directly related to how you tune.

Best wishes,

David

[DavidNguyen]

Jun 22, 2014 5:19:25 GMT davidmdahl said:

Hello David,

You are right that "dan nhi" is very broad. There is a variety of Vietnamese fiddles that vary with the region and specific genre of music. So, the dan co that is used with Nhac Tai Tu Nam Bo in the South is different from the dan nhi used for Hat Xam or Hat Cheo. They come with resonators from much smaller than a gaohu to almost as large as the standard erhu. Then there is the dan gao, with a coconut half used for the resonator, and wood in place of skin on the face. None of the Vietnamese fiddles are very much like the gaohu in terms of sound. I think that they use a different snake skin than is used by the Chinese, or maybe even a completely different reptile in some cases. I had a dan nhi from Hanoi reskinned in China. The results were good, but unfortunately the nhi now sounds more Chinese than Vietnamese.

If you want the Vietnamese dan nhi sound, it is necessary to get a dan nhi. An erhu or gaohu, while they are in many cases a lot easier on the ears, are not replacements for the Vietnamese fiddles. The trouble in my experience is that it is very difficult to find a good musical dan nhi. I can play an erhu reasonably well, but I have not found a nhi that works very well for me. I have been wondering about the nhi at Sound of Asia myself, although not so much as to place an order. I would feel better about waiting until I can choose a dan nhi by playing it first rather than ordering a pig-in-a-poke.

As for tuning or pitch, it depends on the strings you use. If you use erhu strings, D/A or C/G are pretty good. If you want to tune higher, such as G/D, then use gaohu strings. As I understand it, the dan nhi often has one steel string and one nylon string. The size of the resonator affects the tone, and is not directly related to how you tune.

Best wishes,

David

    Thanks for the information. I imagine the Dan Nhis being sold are good on the ears because the one who makes them, Thanh of Saigon, is highly respected among Vietnamese Musicians. And if it turns out to not be of high quality, it's not a total loss because I'm only starting out. Skin replacement though would be a problem. As a Shamisen player, I do know that 80% of the sound quality is affected by the skin used. But a Snake skin replacement for Dan Nhi shouldn't be as expensive as a Cat Skin replacement for a Nagauta Shamisen. I believe for Dan Nhi they use Burmese Python, which is another problem because then I'd have to have papers and stuff for it. If only they had something like Bachido's Fibersen (Fibersen is a really good artificial skin replacement for Shamisen) for Dan Nhi.