Young Vietnamese fall in love with cup game and pen tapping

Pen tapping and cup game first appeared in America in the late 20th century. These games quickly became a hot trend thanks to the ability to create joyful, strange sounds.

Cup game requires players to learn from five to eight basic movements, combining with the skillful use of hands to create a song.

Le Phuong, of District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, was attracted by the funny sound of cup game.

This girl has spent three months to learn skills and perform to entertain her parents.

“My mother liked it, while my dad shot a video of me playing the song,” Phuong recalled.

“It’s easy to learn cup game. Players just need a plastic cup to perform anywhere. I have seen some people who tap the cup following the rhythm of a song and sing along. The sound is strange and enjoyable,” she added.

Meanwhile, Vu Duc Minh, student at the city-based Trung Vuong High School, said that players are required to learn theory and practice to be able to play a full, random song with this musical instrument.

Otherwise, they only need three hours to practice a fixed piece of music to become a medium level player.

“I was quite unfamiliar with playing it for the first time. However, it’s easy to become addicted to the game,” Minh explained.

According to Anh Khoa, another cup game player based in District 4, playing the game in group would be more enjoyable, while a large group or noisy playground can affect the sound quality.

In 2010, Nguyen Hoang Minh Tan, lecturer at the Asia Pacific Talent Youth Training Center, added cup game to his training course dedicated to young leaders. Tan said that the combination between rhythm and sound will help improve the brain function.

The founder of cup game was Rich Mulllins with his performance called “Screen Door” in 1987.

A pen-tapping club

In the meantime, with pen tapping, players need to understand basic rhythm created by drumming, tapping, and combining between their right and left hand.

Tran Nhat Phi, of Go Vap District, is the founder of Vietnam’s first-ever pen tapping club.

The fan page entitled “Vietnamese Pentapping Community” has so far drew more than 30,000 members, spanning across the country.

“We usually organize offline meetings where people come for their passion,” he said.

After four years of playing the game, Phi said it has trained his skillfulness and flexibility, as well as encourages him to be more creative in composing.

Although both pen tapping and cup game are not considered art, and neither pen nor plastic cup is recognized as musical instrument, this trend still attracts many youngsters who want to create interesting new songs.