How the calung makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the calung belongs to the struck idiophones: the body is struck directly – bells, gongs, xylophones and cymbals.
More broadly it is one of the idiophones, where the solid body of the instrument itself vibrates, without strings or a stretched membrane.
Its timbre – the colour that lets you tell it apart from other instruments playing the same note – comes from the mix of overtones its body and resonator emphasise.
From Wikipedia
The Calung (Sundanese: ᮎᮜᮥᮀ) is a type of Indonesian bamboo xylophone originating from Baduy culture and commonly used in Baduy, Bantenese, Sundanese, Banyumasan, and Balinese performances. The calung (instrument) consists of multiple bamboo tubes which are struck at the base to produce a woody sound.
In the Balinese Gamelan gong kebyar, the metallophone jublag can also be known as Calung, it has a one-octave range, and is generally utilized to play mid-range melodies.
Other struck idiophones
Frequently asked questions
What does a calung sound like?
As one of the struck idiophones, its sound comes from the way the body is struck directly.
What type of instrument is the calung?
It is classified as struck idiophones (Hornbostel–Sachs 111.212).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q4201135 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Calung – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Tropenmuseum – CC BY-SA 3.0