(VOVworld) – Without a stage, colorful lights, an amplifier system, or loudspeakers, and even without chairs for the audience, performances by the ‘Buskers’ group’ always attract the attention of pedestrians passing by the Le Thai To Statue in Hanoi. The audience makes a big circle around the group of young people, who beat the Cajon drum, play the guitar, and one sings. All mix together to create a typical chorus.
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| With a guitar, everybody can play either Vietnamese or foreign songs but in 'Buskers' Group' style (Photo: hocdan.com)
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At 3 p.m. every Sunday afternoon, members of the Buskers’ Group gather at Ly Thai To Statue in Hanoi. They are eager to meet friends after a hard-working week. The number of group members in each performance varies but at maximum they can include nearly 100 people. They are students, pupils, civil servants who work in different sectors but share the same passion: loving music and playing the guitar. Apart from those from Hanoi, many come from other provinces such as Thai Nguyen and Hai Phong. They take a bus to Hanoi to participate in a performance and then return home immediately.
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| Foreign pedestrians find interested in performances by Buskers’ Group (Photo: hocdan.com) |
Woody, a British audience member, has this to say: “I’ve seen a lot of street performers in many countries. Their style is pretty interesting. There was quite a lot of and almost of them still young and very talented. I saw many girls who can play their guitars very well. Watching them and listening to their performance in Hoan Kiem Lake can be a very interesting feeling.”
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| Pursuing their own music initiative is top goal of Buskers’ Group (Photo: hocdan.com) |
The ‘Buskers’ group’ was initiated by Tran Tri Hieu who is also an administrator of www.hocdan.com, an online page that teaches guitar-playing and passes on the passion to learn to play the musical instrument. Starting in October 2011, the website had only 10 members and aimed to gather friends and relatives of Hieu to exchange guitar techniques and pieces of music they love. Now the ‘Buskers’ group’ is gathering ever members at hocdan.com, and has become well-known across the nation. Hieu says the group’s slogan:
“Everything can be simple, it is not necessary to be complicated. With a guitar, everybody can play either Vietnamese or foreign songs. We create a style that is uniquely Vietnamese. Young people play the music around Sword Lake, the heart of Vietnam.”
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| A group's female member is passionately playing her little acoustic guitar (Photo: hocdan.com) |
‘Buskers’ group’ is simply a venue where the youth can share the same tastes in music and act on their own initiative. Founder Tri Hieu says:
“In our performances, we usually sing/play simple pieces of music with simple accompaniment. Sometimes they play incorrectly but they play with lots of enthusiasm. This is what gives our music spirit. We use acoustic guitars so in order to be able to listen to the music, you should be close to the band. Everyone wants to get closer to each other and play together.”
Busking adds diversity to the spiritual life of youngsters and partly helps the audience to understand who these street artists are. The pieces of music, which are played randomly or sometimes are audience’s requests are a gift to listeners. Nguyen Thanh Tuyen joined the “Buskers’ Group” in its early days.
“At first, I felt a bit shy when I played the guitar in front of an audience in the street. Then I gradually got used to it and now feel happy and relaxed. Joining the group has benefited me a lot. I have a chance to play what I like, make friends, and now I have friends from everywhere.”
Joining the “Buskers’ Group” every weekend afternoon, listeners seem to leave behind the stress of their busy lives. Music is a string which links people together and inspires them for the new week.