Kendang
previous
next
The Kendang is a double-headed barrel drum from Indonesia. The kendang player directs the other players in the gamelan, the traditional Indonesian percussion orchestra. Gamelan music often changes speed, and from one piece to another, so the kendang player signals the tempo, style, and starting and finishing points to the rest of the orchestra.
| Family |
| Percussions |
| Pitch range |
| None. |
| Material |
| Wooden body, with buffalo-hide drum heads. |
| Size |
| Variable : this example is 26 in (66 cm) long ; the drum heads are 13 in (33 cm) and 14.5 in (37 cm) in diameter. |
| Origins |
| The kendang is native to the islands of Java and Bali and is derived from the Indian mrdanga. |
| Classification |
| Membranophone: an instrument that produces its sound by the vibration of a stretched skin. |
| And also... |
| Kendang drums are tuned and played in pairs, with the "female drum" (kendang wadon) leading, and the "male drum" (kendang lanang) following. |
