Pi Le flute in the cultural and artistic life of the Dao people

The gentle sound of Pi Le trumpet at Dao people's wedding.

The trumpet music in a wedding is different from the trumpet music in a funeral. Only those who know how to play and understand music can distinguish it. Most people who don't know music hear it and feel the same. The trumpet is not played monotonously but must be synchronized, including gongs, drums and cymbals, in which the trumpet is the head, gongs, drums and cymbals are played according to the music of the trumpet, so the trumpet player always goes first. The most important technique for beginners to learn the trumpet is how to regulate breathing by holding the breath, releasing the breath and holding the breath. The blower usually takes breath through the nose, pushes the breath out of the mouth through the blowing head, impacting the small holes on the body of the trumpet. With their own feelings, the blower will flexibly and skillfully perform the breath vibration techniques, coordinating with the fingers pressing and stroking on the body of the trumpet to create the desired sounds.

The unique thing about the Pi Le flute is that it can play many different songs. At the wedding ceremony, when the bride arrives, there are songs such as: Welcoming the bride's family, welcoming the bride, seeing off the bride's family... As for the Pai Toong (worshiping the road) part alone, there are three different songs (worshiping the ancestors, worshiping the parents, worshiping relatives and the elderly). The melody is sometimes lively and cheerful, sometimes mournful, expressing the homesickness of the new bride when she arrives at her husband's house. As the festival progresses, the sound of the flute becomes more intense and mournful, causing everyone attending the wedding to feel a surge of joy. For the Dao people, especially the Red Dao people, a wedding is the most important ceremony in a person's life, so no matter the circumstances, there must be a flute. The sound of the flute represents the solemnity and dignity of the family. This is also a sacred object, driving away bad luck, bringing luck and peace.

Although it has a simple structure, the Pi Le trumpet is a difficult musical instrument to practice.

According to experienced people, the raw materials for making Pi Le trumpets include wood, copper metal and the cocoon of the tea worm. The wood used to make the trumpet body is mainly from the trunk of the wild mulberry tree, using the corn, not the core, cutting a straight section, bringing it home to dry thoroughly, cutting each section from 32cm to 35cm long, using a very sharp knife to round it like a tree, then using an iron bar as a red-hot awl to pierce the roughly shaved piece of wood. The first hole on top is only the size of a chopstick, the bottom end is twice as big as the top end, then shave it until it is smooth and the top end is as big as the index finger, the bottom end is as big as the big toe, shave the trumpet body into 8 bulging notches and punch 7 holes at 7 waist points of the trumpet body evenly spaced to fit 7 fingers on the belly of the trumpet (top side), one hole on the back of the trumpet (bottom side), those are 8 air holes to create different musical notes.

In addition to the body of the trumpet, there is also the head and the horn speaker made of very thin brass. The upper part of the trumpet is 5cm long, the upper part is the part that is in contact with the tongue as big as the tip of a chopstick, the lower part is the size of an index finger (the part that is in contact with the upper part of the wooden trumpet body). This part must also have 1-3 hollow bulges to create good sound. The lower part of the horn speaker is 12-13cm long, the upper part is as big as a big toe, connecting to the lower part of the wooden trumpet body, the lower part flares out to 10-12cm, the larger the speaker, the louder the sound. The entire long body of the trumpet, both ends, is made of brass and the wooden part of the Pi Le trumpet is about 50cm long. Next is the tongue of the trumpet, made from the cocoon of a tea leaf-eating worm. It is a type of leaf-eating worm with a cocoon about 2-3cm long, as big as half the tip of a chopstick (the mouth of the cocoon), the tail of the cocoon gradually gets smaller. The cocoon makers take the cocoon home, gently grind it thin and evenly to make it easier to blow. Although it is only a very short part, it is the tongue that creates the sound. Without this tongue, the trumpet will lose its function...

For the Dao people, the Pi Le flute is considered a treasure of the clan. This is a typical musical instrument, a cultural beauty of the Dao people that needs to be preserved, maintained and promoted. The Pi Le flute represents a special connection between the spiritual world and the real world, guiding people back to their ancestors.

H.Anh (Synthesis)

Source: https://baotuyenquang.com.vn/van-hoa/202508/ken-pi-le-trong-doi-song-van-hoa-nghe-thuat-cua-nguoi-dao-b6e34c7/