Listen to the kendang
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
How the kendang makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the kendang belongs to the struck drums: a stretched membrane (drumhead) is struck with hands or beaters.
More broadly it is one of the membranophones (drums), where sound comes from a vibrating 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
A kendang or gendang (Javanese: ꦏꦼꦤ꧀ꦝꦁ, romanized: kendhang, Sundanese: ᮊᮨᮔ᮪ᮓᮀ, romanized: kendang, Balinese: ᬓᬾᬦ᭄ᬤᬂ, romanized: kendang, Tausug/Bajau/Maranao: gandang, Bugis: gendrang and Makassar: gandrang or ganrang) is a two-headed drum used by people from the Indonesian Archipelago. The kendang is one of the primary instruments used in the gamelan ensembles of Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese music. It is also used in various Kulintang ensembles in Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines. It is constructed in a variety of ways by different ethnic groups. It is related to the Indian double-headed mridangam drum.
Other struck drums
More instruments from Indonesia
Frequently asked questions
What does a kendang sound like?
Listen to 4 recordings on this page. As one of the struck drums, its sound comes from the way a stretched membrane (drumhead) is struck with hands or beaters.
What type of instrument is the kendang?
It is classified as struck drums (Hornbostel–Sachs 211.252.12).
Where does the kendang come from?
The kendang originates from Indonesia.
Sources & credits
- Kendang Indung Pencak Silat koleksi Jurusan Karawitan ISBI Bandung by Salomo Christian Hutajulu – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Kendang koleksi Jurusan Karawitan ISBI Bandung by Salomo Christian Hutajulu – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Kendang Anak Pencak Silat koleksi Jurusan Karawitan ISBI Bandung by Salomo Christian Hutajulu – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Kendang Gamelan Degung koleksi Jurusan Karawitan ISBI Bandung by Salomo Christian Hutajulu – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q1553249 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Kendang – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Culturehistory – CC BY-SA 4.0