VIETNAMESE CULTURE OF MUSIC
Three main musical styles exist in Vietnam: traditional Vietnamese music, which includes folk song and theater, Western European art music, and popular music. There is also a new traditional style.
Regional differences in traditional Vietnamese music are noticable in the use of scales, ornamentation, and song lyrics, although there are characteristics in common as well.In traditional Vietnamese music, a melody is repeated by several different instruments. This repetition displays instrument timbres and allows musicians to improvise pitch and rhythm. Scales and modes are used to remind listeners of certain moods.
Vietnamese theater productions are all musical productions. They combine vocal and instrumental music, dance, mime, costumes, decorations, and painted faces.There are several folk song traditions in Vietnam that express the strongly marked cultural differences among regions of the country and the preferences of rural people to live in the villages of their ancestors. There are also specific kinds of songs, such as wishing songs, card game songs, and stories.
