Angklung

Angklung is a musical instrument multitonal (double pitched) that are traditionally grown in the Sundanese-speaking community in the western part of Java Island. This musical instrument made ​​of bamboo, sounded shaken by the way (the sound caused by impact bodies of bamboo pipes) so as to produce sounds that vibrate in the arrangement of tones 2, 3, to 4 tones in every size, both large and small. Barrel (tone) as a musical instrument angklung music is mostly traditional Sundanese and pelog salendro.

Angklung is listed as Masterpieces of the Oral and Cultural Heritage of UNESCO's Man Nonbendawi since November 2010.

Terminology

Angklung is an instrument made from joints of a piece of bamboo. The use of angklung is swayed and shaken by hand. This instrument has been known since a long time ago in some places in Indonesia, especially in West Java, Central Java, East Java, and Bali. The word ‘Angklung’ was originated from Sundanese “angkleung-angkleungan”, that means the movement of angklung player and the sound “klung” that comes from the instrument.

form left to right: melodic angklung 2 tubes, melodic angklung 3 tubes, major accompaniment angklung & minor accompaniment angklung.

Etymology

Etymologically, angklung was taken from the word ‘angka’ that means tone and ‘lung’ that means broken. So, angklung refers to the broken tone or incomplete tone.

Angklung’s Philosophy

Based on Sundanese ancestor, human’s life is symbolized like angklung’s tube. The tube is personified the human itself. Angklung is not an angklung if it consists of only one tube. It symbolizes the human that cannot stand alone and describe that human should socialize with others.
Besides that, the tube of angklung consists of large and small tube that symbolizes human’s growth. The small tube (on the left) is a human’s description that has dreams and the effort to become large (the large tube on the right). Both tubes mean human knows and understand about her/his limits, and like the two tubes that play together so they produce harmony, humans live together to create harmonization in society life

Parts of Angklung

Angklung consists of some parts:
1. Voice tube that consists of two tubes
a. The small tube lies on the left and,
b. The large tube lies on the right.
2. Ancak, that is angklung’s skeleton, divided into some parts:
c. Jejer, part from ancak (angklung’s skeleton)
d. Base tube (below part)
e. Palang Gantung as tube holder.