Angklung
previous
next
The Angklung is a sliding rattle. Two or more bamboo tubes hang loosely within a frame and make a sound when shaken sideways. An angklung plays notes of one pitch, with each of the tubes tuned in octaves. In the popular angklung ensembles found in Indonesia, three or more angkiungs play melodies together.
| Family |
| Percussions |
| Pitch range |
| None. |
| Material |
| Bamboo. |
| Size |
| About 20 in (50 cm) tall. |
| Origins |
| The angklung is used widely in Indonesia, in particular the islands of Java and Bali. |
| Classification |
| Idiophone: an instrument that produces its sound through the use of the material from which it is made, without needing strings or a stretched skin. |
| And also... |
| In west Java, a similar instrument, with up to 14 tubes, is played as a xylophone. It plays in an ensemble to accompany dances with four angklung, two drums, and various gongs. |
