How the kemanak makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the kemanak 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.
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
Kemanak (Javanese: ꦏꦼꦩꦤꦏ꧀, romanized: Kemanak) is a banana-shaped idiophone made of bronze, used in Javanese gamelan music. It is actually a metal slit drum. It is struck with a padded stick and then allowed to resonate. It has a specific pitch, which can be varied by covering the slit, but it is not matched to the other instruments of the gamelan. Kemanak are usually played in pairs, although they can be played in sets of four as well. They are used to accompany the bedhaya and serimpi, female court dances.
Kemanak is also the name of a style of gendhing which includes, in addition to kemanak, only colotomic instruments, a kendang, and a sindhen.
Other struck idiophones
Frequently asked questions
What does a kemanak 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 kemanak?
It is classified as struck idiophones (Hornbostel–Sachs 111.14).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q278597 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Kemanak – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Tropenmuseum – CC BY-SA 3.0