How the slenthem makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the slenthem 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.
Players shape its sound through technique and materials; the resonating body filters the raw vibration, boosting some harmonics and damping others.
From Wikipedia
The slenthem (also slentem or gender panembung) is an Indonesian metallophone which makes up part of a Javanese gamelan orchestra.
The slenthem is part of the gendér family. It consists of a set of bronze keys comprising a single octave: there are six keys when playing the slendro scale and seven when playing the pelog. These keys are suspended by leather cords over individual bamboo tube resonators in a wooden frame, which are cut so that the placement of the bamboo's node causes the functional length of the resonator to be shorter for higher notes. The instrument is played by striking the keys with a mallet, called a tabuh, which has a short handle and a thin wooden disk edged in cloth or rubber. One hand is left free to dampen notes. It is a low-pitched instrument with a softer sound than the saron demung.
Other struck idiophones
Frequently asked questions
What does a slenthem 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 slenthem?
It is classified as struck idiophones (Hornbostel–Sachs 111.222).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q4260715 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Slenthem – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Tropenmuseum – CC BY-SA 3.0