The goong is a plucked stringed instrumentmade of a bamboo section. Its two ends have nodes. Its length is eighty centimeters and its diameter is five to eight centimeters. In some places, people tie a dry gourd to this instrument to increase resonance. The goong can have from eight to eighteen strings, but nine to twelve strings is the most popular. Each string produces one sound. To play this instrument, the instrumentalist puts the bottom of this instrument against his stomach and puts the head of this instrument in front of him to create a 45˚ angle. Two little fingers support the instrument and the rest pluck it. The goong instrument is only for men. It imitates the sound of the gong set. While gongs are allowed to be played only in some special occasions, the goong instruments can be played in anywhere in the Central Highlands.

Lưu thủy trường is one of the series of six Bắc pieces belonging to the twenty principal musical pieces of Đờn ca tài tử art. It consists of thirty-two eight-bar phrases. Among the six Bắc pieces, Lưu thủy trường is considered the typical one played for opening Đờn ca tài tử performances. The tempo is moderate and musical characteristics are joyful and strong. This is a solo performance of the tranh (sixteen-string zither) performed by master musician Vĩnh Bảo—a famous teacher of Đờn ca tài tử in Ho Chi Minh City. The tranh is a plucked string instrument without a neck. It is made of wood and has rectangle-shaped resonator. On the surface, the bridge is put at one end and the pegs at the other end. The sixteen strings are typically tuned to a pentatonic scale and suspended over bridges and secured through a gauge, which is located in the middle. The gauge is not fixed and is adjusted to modify the sound and change the musical scale according to the piece. The players use the left hand to press the strings and the right hand to pluck the strings. It can be plucked by using fingernails or artificial nails made of metal, plastic, or tortoiseshell.

This song includes two melodies Nam xuân (twenty phrases) and Nam ai (twenty-eight phrases). Nam xuân, Nam ai are two out of three Nam pieces belonging to the twenty principle pieces. The piece takes on melancholic and deliberate characteristics. This musical piece is played by the bầu (monochord), the kìm (moon-shaped lute), and the violin. The bầu, a plucked string instrument made of wood, has a long rectangular resonator. A small arm made of bamboo or plastic is put through a gourd cover and attached to the resonator. At the end of the resonator, a metal or wooden peg is attached. The instrument has a metal string and has no frets. When playing the monochord, the musician creates overtones by lightly pressing the nodal points along the metal string. The violin is a western instrument that has some modifications to its strings when being used in Tài tử orchestra. For information about the kìm, please refer to the description for track 2.

This solemn piece belongs to the series of seven Nhạc pieces. The complete version consists of thirty-eight four-bar phrases. The lyrics are about parents’ inmost feelings and their reminders to the daughter. This musical piece is played by the cò (two string fiddle) and the kìm (moon-shaped lute). The kìm, a plucked string instrument, has two strings. It is made of wood and has a flat and round resonator. On the surface, the gauges are attached. It has a long neck with nine frets. The rest three frets are on the surface. The two silk or nylon strings are tuned at a perfect fifth interval. The players use the left hand to press the frets and the right hand to pluck the strings. The instrument can be plucked using a fingernail or a bamboo or plastic plectrum. The cò is a bow stringed instrument with two iron strings tuned to a fourth or a perfect fifth interval. The body of the instrument is cylindrical and the top surface is covered with snake skin. The neck is made of wood and does not have frets. The bow is strung with horsetail. The players use the left hand to press onto the neck to create pitch and the right hand to bow.