Normally, the song is usually accompanied by a picture of  boy or girl drummers with axehead-shaped  turbans and long-shaped drums hung loose from the neck down to about the belly. This drum is called Trong Com, whichcontributes an unique sound - now happy and cheerful, now low, soft andwoeful recalling the innermost feelings of one's native country, one'shomeland...

The history behind

Legend  goes that  once upon  a time,  there was a poor Confucian disciple who was  very unlucky  in competitions  and examinations and had to go begging. Everyday, he went past the mansion  ofa wealthy family where there was always a girl waiting to give himrice. One day, so moved by her good deed, the young man came to thankthe girl. However, she  said  thatshe had done just what she had been ordered to do by her youngmistress. On learning that, the man requested to see the mistress, whowas a  kind-hearted  girl. Seeing the poor scholar bowing with joined hands, the damsel hurriedly bent down to raise him and said: "Never  mind,please! I understand and sympathize with your unlucky lot. Since youdepart now, I would like to give you a small sum as travelling expensesand this golden hair pin in the earnest hope that one day you will succeed in  making a living and come back to the native land, and then...". The girl left the sentence unfinished, but  the scholar had got the message. Fully conscious of his fated misfortune,he decided to turn to music with a determination to achieve success. Astime passed, he became famous. Bearing in mind the old promise, hereturned to the native village, hoping to meet again his benefactor.Unfortunately, upon arrival, he learnt that the damsel had just passedaway due to illness. In his great lament, the young man brought alonghis musical instrumentalist guild to pay tributes to the deceased andhimself created a small, cylindrical drum with rice stuck against bothdrumheads in commemoration of the ill-fated girl. The strip from whichthe drum was hung was made of white cloth symbolizing the mourningband. And as he clapped the drumheads, the doleful sounds echoed hisdeep pain and the loss of his sweetheart. 

The description

The Trong Com is held at both ends by a strip hanging over the performer's neck. It thus lies horizontally against the belly of the drummer who uses both hands to clap the drumheads. Inthe past, people stuck a handful of glutinous rice to each drumhead.The glutinous rice stuck against the drumhead lends its name to thedrum (Trong Com in Vietnamese literally means "Rice Drum"). 

TheTrong Com gets its name from the practice of placing a pinch of hotsteamed rice in the middle of the drum skin to "tune" the instrument.Cylindrical drums are straight-sided. They may have one head, but moreoften have two heads (one head at each end). One head may have a snare(buzzing string) stretched across it. The body of the drum is made ofwood in a tubular shape with the ends slightly tapered. A string ispassed through the holes pierced on the edge of each of its faces andstrung across it in a zigzag fashion to regulate its tension. The soundobtained from one face is five tones higher than the other. The soundof the trong com is a little dull, somewhat similar to the large-sizeddan ho, and it is used to express sadness.

The Trong Com is one of the percussion instruments used in worshipping and various ceremonies, in accompanying Tuong or Cheo drama and in Phuong Bat Am or an octet (a  popular  ensemble  of  eight  instrumental timbres). Itsuse has also spread to Cai luong (reformed opera) and other orchestras.The player, when standing, has the Trong Com slung over his stomach.When sitting he rests his instrument on his lap. He strikes the facesof the drum with his fingers with varied style.

Meaningfulflow of sound in a rotating cylindricity of Trong Com is so popular inVietnamese traditional festivals, that always bring about differentfeelings for the listeners, now happy and cheerful, now low, soft and woeful...