How the palendag makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the palendag belongs to the flutes (edge-blown): an air jet is split on a sharp edge, setting the air column vibrating – flutes, recorders, whistles and panpipes.
More broadly it is one of the aerophones (wind instruments), where sound comes from vibrating air.
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
The palendag, also called Pulalu (Manobo and Mansaka), Palandag (Bagobo), Pulala (Bukidnon) and Lumundeg (Banuwaen) is a type of Philippine bamboo flute, the largest one used by the Maguindanaon, a smaller type of this instrument is called the Hulakteb (Bukidnon). A lip-valley flute, it is considered the toughest of the three bamboo flutes (the others being the tumpong and the suling) to use because of the way one must shape one's lips against its tip to make a sound. The construction of the mouthpiece is such that the lower end is cut diagonally to accommodate the lower lip and the second diagonal cut is make for the blowing edge. Among the Bukidnon, a similar instrument with the same construction except that it is three-fourths the length of the palendag, is called the hulakteb
For the Maguindanaon, the palendag was used for intimate gatherings for families in the evening.
Other flutes
Frequently asked questions
What does a palendag sound like?
As one of the flutes, its sound comes from the way an air jet is split on a sharp edge, setting the air column vibrating.
What type of instrument is the palendag?
It is classified as flutes (edge-blown) (Hornbostel–Sachs 421.141.12).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q7127113 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Palendag – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Philip Dominguez Mercurio PhilipDM – CC BY-SA 2.5