Listen to the kenong
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
How the kenong makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the kenong 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
The Kenong is a musical instrument of Indonesia used in gamelan music. It is a kind of gong and is placed on its side. It has the same length and width. Thus, it is similar to the bonang, kempyang, and ketuk, which are also cradled gongs. Kenongs are generally much larger than the aforementioned instruments. However, the kenong has a considerably higher pitch. Its sound stands out because of its unique timbre. Kenong sticks are taller than those of the bonang. The kenong is sometimes played by the same player as the kempyang and ketuk.
Most of the instruments in the gamelan 'family' are originally from Java, Indonesia, but they spread throughout Southeast Asia.
Other struck idiophones
Frequently asked questions
What does a kenong sound like?
Listen to 2 recordings on this page. As one of the struck idiophones, its sound comes from the way the body is struck directly.
What type of instrument is the kenong?
It is classified as struck idiophones (Hornbostel–Sachs 111.241.21).
Sources & credits
- Kenong Pelog koleksi Jurusan Karawitan ISBI Bandung by Salomo Christian Hutajulu – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Kenong Salendro koleksi Jurusan Karawitan ISBI Bandung by Salomo Christian Hutajulu – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q6391285 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Kenong – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Culturehistory – CC BY-SA 4.0