![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/vietnamese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2022\/03\/tranh_02-348x1024.jpg\")
Image taken and used with permission from Ho Thuy Trang<\/p><\/div>\n
One of the most popular Vietnamese traditional musical instruments is the \u0111\u00e0n tranh<\/em><\/strong>, also known as \u0111\u00e0n th\u1eadp l\u1ee5c<\/em><\/strong> (16-string instrument). \u0110\u00e0n tranh<\/em><\/strong> is a Vietnamese zither, similar to the Chinese guzheng, Japanese koto, Korean gayageum, or Mongolian yatga.<\/p>\n It is believed that the \u0110\u00e0n tranh<\/em><\/strong> was in use in Vietnam at least since the 12th<\/sup> century during the Tr\u1ea7n dynasty. By the 19th<\/sup> century, during the Nguy\u1ec5n dynasty, \u0111\u00e0n tranh<\/em><\/strong> officially was part of the royal concert orchestra. The reason it was also called \u0111\u00e0n th\u1eadp l\u1ee5c<\/em><\/strong> is because many years ago it had sixteen strings. The modern \u0111\u00e0n tranh<\/em><\/strong> has seventeen strings. In the past few decades, it has increased in size as well as the number of steel strings from seventeen to nineteen, twenty-two, twenty-five, and even twenty-nine. However, the standard string count is still seventeen.<\/p>\n The standard seventeen string \u0110\u00e0n tranh<\/em><\/strong> has three cung<\/em><\/strong> (octaves). Each cung<\/em><\/strong> has five notes. The music generally is based on the thang<\/em><\/strong> ng\u0169<\/em><\/strong> cung<\/em><\/strong> (pentatonic scale). The strings are tuned in this order, usually starting with Sol (G), though not always:<\/p>\n Below is a sample of traditional Hu\u1ebf Royal Court music.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n H\u00f2<\/td>\n X\u1ef1<\/td>\n Xang<\/td>\n X\u00ea<\/td>\n C\u1ed1ng<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Sol<\/td>\n La<\/td>\n Do<\/td>\n Re<\/td>\n Mi<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n G<\/td>\n A<\/td>\n C<\/td>\n D<\/td>\n E<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n