_(5).jpg) Man performing with a sáo in Paris. | |
| Woodwind instrument | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Sáo trúc/ sow troops |
| Volume | high |
| Musicians | |
| Dinh Thin / Ngo Nam | |
Thesáo (also calledsáo trúc — pronounced[ʂǎːwʈʂʊ̌kp], like "shall-joog") is a family offlutes found inVietnam, considered a symbol of rural Vietnam.Sáo is the literal Vietnamese word for "flute". The most common variety is played with the flutist holding thesáo transversely to the right side with their mouth placed at the blowing hole. Other varieties include theSáo Dọc, a kind ofrecorder similar to the ThaiKhlui, theSáo Bầu, and theSáo Ôi, arecorder played by theMuong people. Thesáo is usually performed solo or in an ensemble among other instruments in orchestras of Vietnamese popular operaChèo,Chầu văn, andNhã nhạc.[1]
Most frequently made from a single piece ofbamboo, thesáo measures between 40 and 55 centimeters in length and 1.5 to 2 centimeters in diameter, with six or ten finger holes and a tuning slide.[1][2] Located inside the bamboo tube, near the oval blowing hole, is a soft wooden piece that adjust pitches when necessary. The first hole after the blowing hole is 12 centimeters away, while the other holes continue at a distance of 1 centimeter apart. At the other end of the flute, there is a non-covering hole called definite pitch hole, making it easier for the listener to discern pitch.[1] The simple construction of the holes allow for very complex techniques in playing the instrument such as the use of breath with changes in the blowing angle for great or minute changes in sound quality, or partial-holding of finger holes to make delicate pitch changes.[3] In the past, some flutes had a membrane similar to those on theChineseDizi, but these are not used anymore.
Thesáo contains the musical spirit of Vietnamese countryside and its four peaceful seasons. In Vietnam, the people playedsáo when resting on the fields or before going to sleep at night. By the end of the 1970s, artists Đinh Thìn and Ngo Nam modernized thesáo by making this 6-finger-hole flute into 10-finger-hole flute, extending its register.[1] Examples of the difference between the two variations of the flute can be heard in Đinh Thìn's "Tiếng gọi mùa xuân" and Mão Mèo's performance of "tình xưa nghĩa cũ".
