Making of an Angklung

I’ll admit that I had never heard of an angklung before coming to Indonesia. The angklung is a traditional musical instrument made of bamboo, originating here in Indonesia and popular throughout southeast Asia. Angklungs come in many sizes - from very small to very large. Each angklung consists of 2 bamboo tubes attached to a bamboo frame.

angklungs for every size and budget

The tubes are carved to make a certain pitch when struck and are tuned to octaves. The base of the frame is held in one hand, while the other hand shakes the instrument rapidly. This causes a repeating note to sound. Each angklung plays a single note. When angklungs are played in a specific order, they actually make melodies that sound quite nice! I’ve attended 2 angklung performances since coming to Bandung, and have learned to appreciate their sound, although I’m still probably not ready to buy an angklung CD! Angklungs are also easy to learn to play and a lot of fun too!

I read somewhere that the oldest surviving angklung is 400 years old. A museum here in Bandung houses a number of antique angklungs. Even though bamboo is light in weight, it is very strong. It also grows easily here, making it in plentiful supply.

The late Udjo Ngalagena founded an art center here in Bandung for the purpose of art performance and education. Many children in Indonesia learn to play the angklung while still very young. Some of its advantages are that it’s easy to play, inexpensive to purchase and actually fun.

Ronnie & Jan at Saung Angklung Udjo

Below is a link to Saung Angklung Udjo where you can hear traditional Indonesian songs being played on the angklung and other bamboo instruments by children of various ages. You can also see the workshop at the very end of the clip where the above photos were taken.