Đàn Bầu: A World of Music on One String | Jason "SoulGook" Nguyen | TEDxCincinnati

The producer/musician SoulGook plays a unique traditional Vietnamese instrument that has just one string, making music that blurs the distinctions between genres, traditions, and generations. FB: @SoulGook / Instagram: @SoulGook / LinkedIn: Jason Nguyen / Twitter: @SoulGook / UA-cam: @SoulGook / Website: soulgook.com Jason R. Nguyen ("SoulGook") Performance Blending sixteen years of training in Vietnamese traditional music with his love for a good groove, SoulGook (Jason R. Nguyen) creates music that complicates the artificial boundaries of traditional and contemporary, old and new, Vietnamese and non-Vietnamese. Having studied for years under a distinguished master of the single-string instrument known as "đàn bầu," he incorporates his fondness for traditional Vietnamese music into a repertoire that includes everything from R&B remixes of Vietnamese ballads to covers of pop-chart hits blended with the melodies of Vietnamese folk songs. Through performances that reach across genres and styles, SoulGook examines the social meanings we attach to music and engages with the nuances of cultural identity, hybridity, and history. Blending sixteen years of training in Vietnamese traditional music with his love for a good groove, SoulGook (Jason R. Nguyen) creates music that complicates the artificial boundaries of traditional and contemporary, old and new, Vietnamese and non-Vietnamese. Having studied for years under a distinguished master of the single-string instrument known as "đàn bầu," he incorporates his fondness for traditional Vietnamese music into a repertoire that includes everything from R&B remixes of Vietnamese ballads to covers of pop-chart hits blended with the melodies of Vietnamese folk songs. Through performances that reach across genres and styles, SoulGook examines the social meanings we attach to music and engages with the nuances of cultural identity, hybridity, and history. Facebook/Instagram/Twitter/UA-cam: @SoulGook Web: www.soulgook.com This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@nhacsianbauphamucthanh2460]

Chúc con làm rạng rỡ thêm cây ĐÀN BẦU VIỆT NAM NHÉ

[@thienpool]

as a Second Generation Vietnamese-American who loves our traditional instruments, especially the Đàn Bầu, myself, I'm so proud of you and grateful to you for bringing our one of a kind instrument to the American Public !

[@justicebeske5704]

Vietnam is very underrated internationally for it's music. I'm american and am only starting to listen to it and I feel sad I missed out all these years.

[@AdlerMow]

Maybe vietnamese refugees would understand blues not only because of their sufferings, but because from all asians traditions, their music resembles blues the most. If someone can add to that, please answer my comment!

[@khangaroo8166]

i do agree that southern styles of vietnamese music resembles blues the most, eerily so, since the phrasing can be the exact same at times. central/northern styles of vietnamese music are closer to the traditional asian pentatonic scale, but what sets vietnamese music apart is the use of polyrhythms and microtonality. as for blues music, i don't think many vietnamese people listen to it due to the language barrier. instead, most vietnamese immigrants listen to bolero, which combines traditional singing/instruments with western instrumentals. unfortunately, it's a dying genre since it's considered outdated to the younger vietnamese generation, which prefers pop/r&b/rap.

[@marafolse8347]

I am fascinated by one string instruments, and I really think this one is the best of all of them. Maybe I could get one someday

[@SamuelNguyenHoangViet]

Mesmerizing music. Thank you!

[@michellecostanzo620]

Jason’s performance was incredible using his one-string guitar!

[@malaquiasalfaro81]

Being American, I learned about “Diddley Bows” and went down a mono chord / very small scales rabbit hole

[@forcewayne9884]

Amazing Ted talk!!!😍💯

[@christalboyd2787]

Always great to see you perform ❤️❤️

[@Ecojami102]

What a unique instrument! Love your performance!!!

[@jaivkoltun4948]

Amazingly expressive instrument. . . I would love to hear it played with more variations thru some tasty fx pedals, and altho' the note bending is a nice technique, way less could def be more effective and contrasting, using it more as a feature. . . Easy. . .

[@cooldebt]

Literally genre bending - great stuff!

[@hoangnguyen3424]

Amazing. Thanks

[@leonduong4249]

Adidaphat

[@jeremyfisher8512]

This is probably really great for somebody who listens to that style of music but half of it sounds out of tune and the pre recorded track only makes it worse.

[@NicoSensei]

Eeeew, why this awful playback backdrop? It just kills the instrument imho.... All the subtleties are lost.