How the diwas makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the diwas belongs to the free reeds and interruptive aerophones: air is periodically interrupted by a vibrating reed or blade – the accordion, harmonica, sheng and bullroarer.
More broadly it is one of the aerophones (wind instruments), where sound comes from vibrating air.
Press play above and watch the spectrum: the evenly spaced peaks are harmonics, and their relative strength is what gives the instrument its character.
From Wikipedia
The Diwas is a native bamboo wind instrument from the Philippines that is a variation of the well-known pan flute or panpipes. It is made of bamboo, with one end closed with bamboo nodes. It does not have finger holes (or tone holes) like other popular aerophones, such as flutes. The Diwas compensates by grouping pipes of graduated lengths together. The player shifts from one pipe to another to produce sounds with varying pitches. In Kalinga, these individual pipes are known as saggeypo, which is why the Diwas is sometimes called saggeypo. The number of attached saggeypos can range from five to eight.
Other free reeds and interruptive aerophones
Accordion
Free reeds and interruptive aerophones
Harmonica
Free reeds and interruptive aerophones
Pump organ
Free reeds and interruptive aerophones
Siren
Free reeds and interruptive aerophones
Bandoneon
Free reeds and interruptive aerophones
Sheng
Free reeds and interruptive aerophones
Concertina
Free reeds and interruptive aerophones
Melodica
Free reeds and interruptive aerophones
Frequently asked questions
What does a diwas sound like?
As one of the free reeds and interruptive aerophones, its sound comes from the way air is periodically interrupted by a vibrating reed or blade.
What type of instrument is the diwas?
It is classified as free reeds and interruptive aerophones (Hornbostel–Sachs 412.112).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q5284752 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Diwas – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Axilepesa – CC BY-SA 3.0