Iu Mien Double-Reed Woodwind 1

The dzat, the highly celebrated and ever-present instrument found in Iu Mien musical heritage, is otherwise uncommon in the highland cultures of Southeast Asia, though it can be found in the neighboring countries of China, Myanmar, and Tibet.

This folk double-reed woodwind is fashioned with a teak body, sculpted with equally spaced hollows where seven finger holes and a thumb hole have been pierced, and fitted with a mouthpiece, composed of a brass air pipe and blowing-shield, and a brass bell for amplification.

What makes the dzat distinctive is that its ‘reed’ is not made of bamboo or brass but, astonishingly, of the fibrous chrysalis, dzao, of the tamarind pod-borer, a weevil living inside tamarind tree seeds. To transform the dzao into a reed, the chrysalis is soaked in boiling water, the insect is blown out, two diagonal cuts are made at the chrysalis tip creating a ‘double reed,’ and the dzao is then slipped onto the dzat’s small wind pipe. Sound is created when a musician encircles the reed with his lips and, using circular breathing, causes the tips of the chrysalis to vibrate together.

Dzat tuning is based on ancestral Iu Mien practices, rooted in a pentatonic scale rather than a standardized, Western equal-tempered scale. Precise pitch is determined by the player through his embouchure, breath control, and the specific reed used.

With a strident buzzing tone able to carry long distances, the dzat is played by male musicians most often outdoors for dances, festivals, and special rites, including those honoring P’an Hung, the mythic father of the Iu Mien people.  Illustrations of a musical ensemble can be found on one of the Tom Hoi Fan Taoist sacred paintings, celebrating Iu Mien novitiates’ attempt to climb a ritual sword ladder, a feat that marks achieving a higher level of Taoist knowledge.

Notably, the penetrating improvisations and melodies of the dzat double-reed shawm play a significant role during major three-day wedding ceremonies, tom ching ca, as they soar above the driving, synchronized pulse of the chao jae cymbals, bo lor gong, and pang drum. Such a musical troupe accompanies every phase of an Iu Mien wedding, playing a variety of styles for different purposes and effects.

Recording
Wedding Music, played on a dzat shawm and percussion (bo lor gong; chao jae cymbals, and dzoe drum) (Iu Mien)

Nai Sheng, dzat, and male percussion ensemble, Ban Nam Thin, Phayao Province, Thailand, March 2007

Ethnic Group: Iu Mien

Local Name: Dzat

Type: Double-Reed Woodwind 

Class: Double-Reed Aerophone

Tuning: Pentatonic scale

Age: Early to Mid-19th c.

Materials: Teak, bronze, cotton, plastic, insect cocoon

Dimensions: 44 x 11 dia. cm / 11.3″ x 4.33″ dia.

Location:
Ban Thon Peung
Phrayo District, Thailand

Owner / Instrument Maker:
Dzat Musician, Friend of Nai Sheng
Note: This Mien dzat, which dates back to the early 19th century, has been treasured by all the sons who inherited it from their fathers over generations.

Catalog Number: 5847