Drum beats

WORK OF ART: The house of a traditional drum craftsman in Đọi Tam Village. VNA/VNS Photo: Minh Hiếu

At any number of social and cultural events around Việt Nam, especially traditional festivals, drums feature as the centrepiece of almost all activities.

They are often used to offer a warm welcome to guests, signal when school begins or ends, and accompany musical performances at weddings, longevity celebrations, and funerals.

Depending on the event, drums could either create an atmosphere of joyful union or sad separation.

When festival drumbeats fill the air, farmers put on their best clothes and head out to celebrate. Drums have become a key part of many community activities held throughout the length and breadth of the country.

Though drums are readily found in traditional Vietnamese culture, those with the best quality are only made in a few areas, among which is ancient Đọi Tam Village in the northern province of Hà Nam.

Located at the foot of scenic Đọi Mountain in Duy Tiên District, the village is renowned not only for making drums for more than a thousand years but also for creating the largest ‘thunder’ drums in the country, with two of the biggest played at festivals celebrating the 1,000th anniversary of Thăng Long – Hà Nội capital in 2010.

LIVELIHOOD: A villager focuses intently on making a drum. The traditional craft provides a living to all local people. VNA/VNS Photo Minh Hiếu

Đọi Tam is a long-standing traditional craft village that complements the typical features of northern Vietnamese culture via its drums.

All villagers, from old to young, know the legend of their ancestors – the two brothers Nguyễn Đức Năng and Nguyễn Đức Bản.

The legend says that when the two heard about Emperor Lê Đại Hành’s return to their village to hold a royal ploughing ceremony to promote agriculture, they immediately chopped down the biggest jackfruit tree in their garden and killed the biggest buffalo to get wood and leather to make a huge drum in welcome.

Thus, in the spring of the 7th year of Emperor Lê Đại Hành’s reign (987), an unforgettable ploughing ceremony was held in Đọi Tam to the unique drum sounds from Nguyễn brothers.

The resounding beat of their drum saw the two honoured as “Trạng Sấm” (Thunder Masters), in recognition of their skills in making the best large drums.

Throughout history, drum making has always played an important role in communal life in Đọi Tam.

Its drums are special as they are used for a host of different purposes, such as worshipping, folk art performances, and transmitting information.

The village’s 700 households include 600 that are skilled in drum-making, with four recognised as master artisans.

Making a good drum requires great care and expertise in selecting and assembling materials. Precision is key in creating the right sound for each, and the task often involves secrets handed down through the generations.

SOUND SET: The Đọi Tam drum team prepares to perform at a festival in the northern province of Hải Dương. Photo langtrongdoitam.com

Lê Ngọc Hùng, one of the artisans and also the owner of a major drum production workshop in Đọi Tam, said his facility had produced tens of thousands of drums of all kinds for both local sale and export.

He emphasised the importance of selecting the best materials.

“The wood for the body of the drum must come from an old jackfruit tree with a curvature that matches the requirements of each type of drum,” he explained. “The buffalo skin used for the drumhead must be scraped clean and then stretched and dried, so it is tough and will not rot as time goes by.”

Beyond materials, he said, a superior-quality drum very much depends on the skill of the artisan, as different drums produce different sounds.

Hùng is also focusing on training the younger generation in the village, to preserve the traditional craft.

The most important thing about drum making, he believes, is not the craftsmen’s reputation but their heart and soul.

Craftsmen not only need to be enthusiastic and creative and possess a sense of exploration, but also be keenly aware of the need to preserve the village craft by motivating the generation that follows.

Meanwhile, artisan Phạm Chí Khang, chairman of the village’s Association of Đọi Tam Drum Making and Trading, said that assembling the drum barrel is the most important stage.

“The biggest drum I ever made was a royal drum 3.1 metres high and 2.35 metres in diameter,” he recalled. “The largest drum in Southeast Asia was made by Đọi Tam villagers. The larger the drum, the more precision required and the more time needed.”

If there is ever a flood, fire, or death in the village, a drum is used as a call to arms or to announce a period of mourning.

During Việt Nam’s resistance wars against foreign invaders, the sound of a drum roused soldiers into action around the countryside.

A drum is also used as a mark of respect during chèo (traditional opera) or ca trù ( ceremonial singing) performances, with a connoisseur hitting the side of the drum with a drumstick at appropriate moments to express his appreciation.

Trần Đình Tiến, head of the Culture and Information Section in Duy Tiên District, said that, in the past, drums were also used in combat against foreign invaders.

“Drumming attracts people to participate in community activities,” he said. “The drum is an indispensable part of festivals because it rouses the spirits of the ancestors.”

Đọi Tam produces many types of drums, ranging from those for chèo singing to those for festivals or schools, in sizes ranging from 20cm to 2m in diameter. Village craftsmen made the largest drum in the country, which is now at the Temple of Literature in Hà Nội and is more than 2m in diameter, 2.65m in height, and 10 cubic metres in volume.

According to artisan Khang, the village produces about 25 different types of drums. Those for rituals or sacrifice rites are called spiritual or worship drums, and those used at community festivals are called festival drums, while those used at pagodas differ from those used in temples or communal houses.

“For example, a drum used in a communal house should be big,” he explained. “Its sound represents the tutelary god who rules the village. The drum in a temple, meanwhile, should be of medium size. And a pagoda drum can be small.”

A drum is made in three stages: leather tanning, barrel making, and drumhead stretching. Craftsmen use buffalo skin for the drumhead. They first shave the buffalo skin until it becomes quite thin, and then dry it in the sun. The barrel is made from jackfruit wood. Stretching the drumhead is the most difficult task, because it requires skill on the artisan’s part to assess the sound being created.

According to Khang, drum makers choose a certain pattern to suit each type of drum.

“The pattern will also depend on the drum’s purpose,” he said. “For example, clouds are often drawn on festival drums. For pagoda, temple, or communal house drums, common patterns include dragon-shaped clouds. Temple drums may also have phoenixes. The patterns on drums used in art troupes will have brocade designs or something similar to the motifs of bronze drums. Drums for cultural events, meanwhile, are decorated with cranes. The drumheads for festival drums must also, of course, have light rays breaking through to symbolise the world.”

The village has also formed a drumming team with dozens of members that perform at festivals nationwide.

In the decade since its establishment, the team has become widely known for its jubilant sound, which at times resembles troops setting off for battle.

There are 62 companies involved in drum production and trade in Đọi Tam, which help improve local living standards.

Thanks to the traditional occupation, no one in the village is unemployed and local living standards have indeed been rising in recent years.

“In 2007, Đọi Tam was one of the first 12 handicraft villages granted the title ‘Outstanding Craft Village of Việt Nam’ by the Việt Nam Craft Village Association,” Khang said.

“Other villages also make drums but they can’t match the characteristics of ours. Many unsuccessfully try to imitate our style.” – VNS

The Cu Hong leather drum workshop in Van Thuong Hamlet, Dai Dong Commune, in Thanh Chuong District in the central province of Nghe An, owned by Phan Van Cu, born in 1961, is particularly busy in the last months of the year. Cu and his co-workers implement hundreds of orders.

Inheriting his ancestors’ traditional profession, Cu has devoted his whole life to making drums.

The process of making drum comprises many stages, but Cu believes that choosing wood and making the drum barrel is especially important, because this affects the sound and durability of the drum.

In Vietnam, craftsmen use many different types of wood to make drum barrels, but Cu only uses jackfruit wood.

He explained that drums made of jackfruit wood can create interesting sounds. The older the wood is, the sharper and more soulful the sound will be.

To choose the wood of high quality as he wants, Cu and his son have to go far to mountainous districts once every several months, such as Ky Son, Tuong Duong and Que Phong, to collect wood from locals.

Wood will be sawn into plates with a width of 5-10 centimeters. After drying them, craftsmen will continue to saw the plates to make drum barrels with the curvature and thickness that fit the size of the drums.

According to Cu, processing leather and stretching the drumhead is the most important task in making drums. Buffalo skin is used to make large drums, while cowhide is for smaller drums. In general, cowhide drums can give better sounds that resonate farther.

The buffalo skin used for drumheads must be from old female buffalos. The skin is tougher and softer than the skin of the male buffalo, which allows it to create the best sounds.

Buffalo skin is scraped of its excessive fat until it has a certain thickness. Only experienced craftsmen can do this work because each part of the buffalo skin has different thickness.

If it is sunny, the skin is dried out under the sun for 3-4 days. If not, it will be stretched on a bamboo rack for artificial drying for one week.

After craftsmen cut the skin to the sizes of drumhead, they will stretch the drumhead, using rope and jack. The skin will then be fixed on the drum body with old bamboo nails.

“In the final stage, craftsmen will draw patterns on the surface of drums or paint for decoration as per clients’ request. Many clients just want the yellow color of jackfruit wood,” Cu explained.

Craft village developed over 9 generations

Cu said his workshop takes orders to make many different kinds of drums, from trong chau (praise drum), trong lan (unicorn dance drum) and trong nhac le (drum for ceremony music). Each type of drum creates a specific tone of sound, which can only be felt by experienced people.

Cu needs to make 400 drums of different types for this Lunar New Year. In addition to the major workshop at his home, he has two more workshops in Do Luong and Anh Son districts with more than 10 workers.

Drums are mostly sold to temples, pagodas and clan ancestral houses. One drum is priced from several millions of dong to tens of millions of dong, depending on the sizes and decorative patterns.

“To my son, a drum making career will be transmitted through 9 generations. My ancestors in the past brought the career from Hung Tay commune in Hung Nguyen district to Dai Dong Commune,” Cu said.

“In principle, the trade can only be transmitted to the eldest son. Therefore, only my younger brother and I can open a workshop to make drums,” he explained.

Phan Tuan Van, born in 1989, a 9th generation descendant, said it is difficult to make drums, which can be done only by meticulous and diligent workers. Only those who have love and passion for drums can follow the profession.

According to Van, the biggest problem is training. Unlike other jobs, drum makers need 3-4 years of training. The long training time discourages many people.

For Cu and his son, making drums is not only a job, but also preserves and transmits traditional cultural values.

One of three heirloom drum making workshops of Phan Van Cu’s family. Cu is absorbed in polishing a drum.

Thanks to the skillful hands of the craftsmen, the drum bars are fitted together, becoming a round drum. Thanks to machines, the time needed to make a drum can be shortened. The drumhead stretching is believed to be the most difficult work because it requires the craftsmen’s skill to assess the sound.

Phan Tuan Van is the 9th-generation drum-making descendant.

Previously, it took a couple of weeks to make a drum, but now, with the support of machines, it takes 2-5 days only. All the stages during the drum making process require high technique and meticulousness. Shaving buffalo skin before applying it to the drum.

Buffalo and cow hide are stretched and dried with fire.

Craftsmen need to be meticulous and diligent.

Old bamboo is used to fix a drum.

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Leather drums from Binh An traditional drum-making village are renowned for their first-class design and good sound

Hundreds of years in the profession

Binh An drum village (Binh Lang commune, Tan Tru district, Long An province), during the early days of spring, grows busier than ever when the sound of drum making and testing echoes in the quiet of the village.

Mr. Nguyen Van An, owner of a reputable drumming facility in Binh An village, said: “My father said that the ancestor of Binh An drum village was my forebear Nguyen Van Ty. Leather drums back then were very simple. There has been considerable advancement in design and sound quality since the time of my great-grandfather and grandfather.”

However, it was not until the time of his father Mr. Nguyen Van Men that the leather drums in Binh An village were perfect in sound. An belongs to the 5th generation of craftspeople and is elevating the model and bringing products to foreign markets.

The drums are made of buffalo hide and sao wood which first must be sun-dried.

Though sharing the same origin and facilities, individuals have their own skills and techniques. Therefore, only proficiency in drum making will equal a prosperous life, or else it is hard to live if you’re not qualified enough as poor quality drums can barely see a future.

There are 22 households in the village who work as drum makers, but only five are able to make a living by the profession. “It is challenging to make good drums and keep that a source of stable income. It demands passion and expertise and of course the aspiration to preserve traditional jobs,” said Mr. An.

In the last days of the year, prestigious artisans have to work restlessly as orders from communal houses and pagodas keep coming in.

The process of skin stretching and sealing the drum is very delicate so that the final products come out with the best sound quality.

“Annually customer demand is at its peak during the last few days of the year. Therefore, we only have time to wind down until the afternoon of the 30th or the 1st of the new year… On the 4th day of Tet, we get right back to the flow because there are many traditional festivals held after the full moon of January,” Mr. An added.

Sound quality says it all

Binh An leather drums are also available in international markets. According to Mr. An, recognized as a skilled craftsman years ago, the prerequisite for standard drums is the ear training technique.

Pinning the drum handle seems effortless at first glance, but only skilled craftsmen are capable of it.

“Drums that are up to the mark have sound characteristics that vary from type to type. For instance, drums for dragon dances should be noise-like, sharp and clattering, while praise drums are expected to be deep, smooth and penetrating. Artisans can adeptly identify pitches, chords and rhythms solely by hearing. How adept the craftsmen are is manifested by the sound their drums make.”

Weather, aside from ear training, also plays an significant role in drum production since it affects the quality of the materials like wood and buffalo leather. Absolute dryness is required for the best results. The preferred wood is Golden Oak which can be bought from big sawmills and then whittled before sun drying.

Buffalo hide used for the batter head is sun-dried until the desired waterlessness

While wood for small drums needs daily sun exposure, wood for big drums requires a whole year in the solar heat before it is ready. At Mr. An’s drum factory, there are many wooden logs with large diameter of 3-4 humans’ embrace. These logs were bought decades ago and mainly are for large pagodas domestically and abroad. Such giant drums take many years to complete and cost up to several hundred million VND.

No other drying methods are used but sunlight

Buffalo hide for drum sealing which is from back and shoulder skin is also dependent on the sun. Only natural daylight can dry the skin properly for successful production.

“Only these skin areas give the standard sound, but if bought on days of undesirable weather like rainy or cloudy days without prompt drying, the skin can’t be used. The purchased skin can only be exposed to natural sun so that it slowly drains. If artificially dried, it will get brittle, unable to stretch the drum.”

A large diameter monolith has just been hollowed out to make the body of a giant drum

Wood for giant drums requires months of hollowing. The cost for one from such monolithic wood is over 100 million VND

From January to the 3rd lunar month, drum manufacturers in Binh An village have to purchase and store the skin of more than 100 buffaloes which are enough for a year of production.

This job not only gives An a chance to contribute to preserving and developing traditional drum making but also keeps his chin up every time he hears the drums resounding on spring days.

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