How the Gendèr makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the Gendèr 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
A gendèr is a type of metallophone used in Balinese and Javanese gamelan music. It consists of 10 to 14 tuned metal bars suspended over a tuned resonator of bamboo or metal, which are tapped with a mallet made of wooden disks (Bali) or a padded wooden disk (Java). Each key is a note of a different pitch, often extending a little more than two octaves. There are five notes per octave, so in the seven-note pélog scale, some pitches are left out according to the pathet. Most gamelans include three gendèr, one for sléndro, one for pelog pathet nem and lima, and one for pelog pathet barang.
Other struck idiophones
More instruments from Indonesia
Frequently asked questions
What does the Gendèr 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 Gendèr?
It is classified as struck idiophones (Hornbostel–Sachs 111.222).
Where does the Gendèr come from?
The Gendèr originates from Indonesia.
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q2991844 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Gendèr – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Fir0002 – GFDL 1.2