Can You Shake It?

The Angklung of Southeast Asia

By Professor Kuo-Huang Han

School of Music

Northern Illinois University

Angklung is a popular bamboo musical instrument in Southeast Asia. It is the easiest instrument
to play: you just shake it. It is now widely used in music education. In this article, you will be
informed about the background, usage, and playing methods of this instrument.

A. Bamboo in Asia

Bamboo is a type of plant of the grass family. There are about 75 genera and
approximately 1000 species in the world. Asia, especially Southeast Asia and the Far
East, has the major concentration of bamboo production. In fact, the word "bamboo"
came from a Malay term, "bambu", which originally described the crackling sound of
burning bamboo: "bam"! "bu"!

Bamboo seems to grow everywhere in these regions. It is one of the most important
materials in many Asian peoples’ daily lives. It is also a symbol of good luck and an
essential part in their spiritual lives.

1. Material Culture

Bamboo is strong but light and elastic. Throughout the ages, it has been used for a great
variety of purposes. It is used as building material for houses, fences, bridges, irrigation
pipes, bulletin boards, tables, chairs, and beds. It is also used as a carrying pole, a
walking stick, chopsticks, water containers, cups, pencil holders, bow and arrows, etc.
Split bamboo is used for weaving nets, hats, baskets, and umbrellas. Finally, bamboo
shoots and bamboo seeds can be eaten.

Bamboo pulp fibers were used to make paper. In ancient times, bamboo slips were used
for carving characters. In art, bamboo is used for handicrafts. In the realm of music, many
musical instruments were and still are made of bamboo.

In fact, in Chinese writing, many musical instruments’ names are crowned with the
character, "bamboo" (zhu), an indication of the material from which they were made.

2. Spiritual Culture

Bamboo grows rapidly. It is seen as embodying the force of growth and fertility in many
Asian societies. The Dusun people of north Borneo Island (Kalimantan, Indonesia) pay
homage to a sacred bamboo to assure fertility and also believe that yellow bamboo can
ward off evil spirits. In Taiwan, myth tells how bamboo was brought to earth by a man
 from heaven. In India, myth tells how King Rama’s wife, Sita, had an extra finger on one
hand, which she cut off and planted. From it grew a bamboo plant, which in its sections
contained all kinds of grain, which became available to human kind through a hole in the
bamboo, chewed there by a pig. (Wessing 1998: 51).

3. Aesthetics, Philosophy, and the Arts

Bamboo is regarded as a symbol of virtue and good character in most Far Eastern
cultures. The Chinese scholar Su Shi (Su Dongpo, 11th century) of the Song Dynasty
wrote:

"Meals can be without meat, but living cannot be without bamboo.

The lack of meat makes one thin; the lack of bamboo makes one vulgar.

A thin person can become fat, but a vulgar person cannot be cured."

(translated by K. H. Han)

Bamboo occupies an important role in the literati life in China, Korea, Japan, and
Vietnam. Composing poems on bamboo or painting bamboo became a fashion among
scholars. Because bamboo is strong and upright, it is used as a metaphor for a virtuous
person. Some Chinese boys are given the name, "Zhujun" which is translated as "bamboo
gentleman".

The anthropologist Robbins Burling characterized Southeast Asia as the bamboo culture
(1965: 29). It seems that most parts of Asia can be labeled as the area of bamboo culture.

B. Bamboo in Southeast Asian Music

Since bamboo is such an important material in Asian people’s lives, it is not surprising to
find numerous bamboo musical instruments. As far as Southeast Asia is concerned,
bamboo is used for three out of four categories of musical instruments, namely,
aerophones (winds), chordophones (strings), and idiophones (percussion without
membrane).

Aerophones (winds)

Numerous bamboo flutes exist in Southeast Asia. The most famous are probably the
Indonesian ring flute, suling, and the Thai recorder, khlui, both end-blown. Among the
tribal people in the Philippines and Malaysia, the nose flute, a magical instrument, is
common. Bamboo panpipes are found among the tribal people in the Philippines while
bamboo mouth organs (with wooden or gourd chambers) are common among the hill
tribes in mainland Southeast Asia. Lowland people in Thailand and Laos are famous for
their long bamboo mouth organ, the khaen. Indonesians even invented a bamboo "gong":
blowing a smaller bamboo tube which is placed inside a bigger one.

Chordophones (strings)
 Bamboo strips are detached out of the body but remain attached at both ends. Small
bridges are then inserted between the strips and the body. The player plucks the strips
(strings) like playing a zither. This type of instrument is called idiochord and is found
among the tribal people in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and along the
Burma-Thailand border. The more famous sassandu of Timor, now using metal strings,
probably began with bamboo strips.

Idiophones (percussion)

There are more bamboo idiophones in Southeast Asia than anywhere else in the world.
Bamboo tubes can be struck against each other, struck by sticks or mallets, stamped
against hard objects, or shaken. Half-cut bamboo tongues in jew’s harps (mouth harps)
are plucked.

Stamping bamboo tubes are common among the Akha people in Thailand and the
Kalinga people in the Philippines, and to a lesser extent, in some part of Sabah, Malaysia.

Bamboo tubes of various sizes are arranged in gradual order to form a musical scale. The
Sundanese calung ensemble is a good example.

But more common is the single-unit xylophone type. It is found everywhere in Southeast
Asia, for instance, Vietnamese t’rung, Sundanese Calung (single-unit), Javanese
gambang, and Balinese grantang. In fact, the entire ensemble can be made of bamboo
xylophones in Bali (Gamelan Jogog) and Banyumas, Central Java. The bars of some Thai
renad xylophones are also made of bamboo.

The mouth harp (or jew’s harp; jaw’s harp) is a common courting instrument among
tribal peoples all over Southeast Asia. The tongue of the instrument is half cut from a
piece of bamboo. Some people consider this an aerophone, but most still consider it an
idiophone.

Finally, bamboo is essential in some folk dances in the Philippines. Instead of wood, the
castanets in the Philippines are made of bamboo. The dancers of the famous Tinikling
dance hop in and out of two long bamboo poles -- which serve as dance tools as well as
give rhythm.

C. Angklung, the Bamboo Shaker

The most indigenous Southeast Asian bamboo idiophone is the angklung, the bamboo
shaker. An angklung is a pair (or more) of bamboo tubes mounted on a bamboo frame.
The tubes are in different lengths and are cut halves at the upper two-thirds. The lower
end of each tube is closed by a node. Two prongs extend out and fit loosely into a
corresponding slot of the horizontal bass tube.
 The structure of an angklung

The two tubes are tuned an octave apart (three tubes can be two octaves or can form a
chord). When shaken, the concussion of the tubes against the base produces a pitch. Since
each instrument makes only one pitch, it takes many single angklungs to make a
complete melody.

Even though angklung can be found in many parts of Southeast Asia, it is generally
believed that it originated on the island of Java. There are many reports about the 'funny'
manner of angklung performance in Sunda, West Java by European travelers in the
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Traditional angklung music is also used in East
Java, Central Java and other islands, but Sunda is the most representative area.

1. Traditional Angklung Music in Sunda

The villagers in Java believe in a rice field goddess, Sri Dewi, who oversees the benefit
of the fields and the people. When she is properly served with rituals there will be a
bumper harvest and peace in the region.

On the other hand, there may be drought, epidemics, and even wars. Javanese villagers
used to make rituals to her by performing angklung music. This traditional style, which is
usually performed outdoors, uses angklung tuned to an untempered pentatonic scale (5-
pitches) and plays ostinato melody (cyclic). This is still practiced in villages in Sunda.
Traditional angklung music is accompanied by drums, gongs, metal plates, and an
optional double-reed oboe (tarompet). A lion mask dancer is added in some forms.
Shouts and action are part of the performance. In some forms, performers fall into trance.
 However, traditional angklung music like what is described can also be used for
entertainment. Other traditional angklung music is performed indoors. Dance
improvisation is common in all forms. Some of the names for traditional angklung music
in Sunda are Reak, Buncis, Ogel, etc. (Baier 1985-6).

Traditional angklung – Reak, Mengunarga Village, Sunda, Indonesia

Photo by K. Han

Traditional angklung – Buncis, Linggajaye Village, Sunda, Indonesia

Photo by K. Han

2. Modern Angklung Music in Southeast Asia

By the beginning of the twentieth century, traditional angklung music gradually

disappeared in the cities due to its vulgar nature. In the 1930s, Daeng Sutigna, a Western
 educated teacher in the Dutch school in Sunda, cooperated with an instrument maker and
introduced the newly tuned angklung instruments to a boy scout troop. This gave birth to
modern angkung music (Perris 1971: 404). Before long, many schools established
angklung clubs as part of their extra-curriculum activities. By now, one can find this new
style of angklung band almost everywhere in Southeast Asia. The new angklungs are
tuned to the Western tempered diatonic scale. They play familiar Western folksongs or
contemporary local popular songs. The new angklung music is characterized by the use
of all seven pitches of the tempered diatonic scale (some even use accidentals). (Photo 4)
Western triadic harmony is easily utilized. Instead of gongs and drums, a string bass and
a drum-set can be found in some ensembles. In some cases, a bamboo xylophone called
Gambang arumba is added. More often than not a conductor is used in performance. In
short, it is like a Western bell-choir. It is this style that can be easily introduced in
schools, church, and social clubs.

Malaysian Children playing modern angklung music

Malaysian Panorama, vol. 9, no. 1, 1979

*How to Play the Angklung?

Hold the instrument loosely with one hand and grab one edge of the bottom tube of the frame.
Shake it rapidly sideways. You make a pitch! That is all.

In some cases, one person can play more than one instrument by holding one in each hand or by
hanging one on one’s forearm while holding another.

Each angklung plays only one pitch of the scale. When there are five, you can play a pentatonic
scale; when there are seven or more, you can play most simple folksongs. For instance, to play
"Mary Had a Little Lamb", you need only four angklungs (four pitches). Nowadays, angklung
sets can be purchased in the U.S. and colleges and schools are using them in classes and social
activities.
 Malaysian students at NIU playing modern angklung
Directed by the author

High school students playing traditional angklung at NIU

Directed by the author

*How to Use the Cipher Notation?

There are several notational systems. One easy one is the cipher system. Each pitch of the scale
is represented by a number. In the key of C, which is most common in angklung instruments, C
(do) = 1, D (re) = 2, E (mi) = 3, F (fa) = 4, G (sol) = 5, A (la) = 6, B (ti) = 7. When a pitch is an
octave higher than the middle range, a dot is placed above the number; when a pitch is an octave
lower, a dot is placed beneath it. Two dots denote two octaves higher or lower. But in general,
very few folksongs have too high or too low pitches.
Rhythm is represented by a combination of pitch numbers, lines, and dots (using a quarter note
as a unit in 2/4, ¾, and 4/4 times):

1. Single number = quarter note.

2. Single number with a line after it = a half note.
3. Two numbers with a line above = 2 eighths notes.
4. Four numbers with 2 lines above = 4 sixteenth notes.
5. A number with a dot after followed by a number with a line above =
dotted quarter + an eighth.
6. A number with a line above and a dot after followed by a number with 2
lines above = dotted eighth + a sixteenth.
7. A number followed by a line and a dot = a half and a quarter (3 beats).
8. 0 = rest.
9. Vertical lines = bar lines.
10. Slur above numbers = tied-over notes (syncopation).
11. When there are two or more lines, players perform both lines
simultaneously. The result is harmony.
12. Fermata, da capo, repeat, and other signs are the same as staff notation.

References:

Baier, Randall. 1985-6. "The Angklung Ensembles of West Java." Balungan, vol. 2, nos. 1-2: 8-
16.

Burling, Robbins. 1965. Hill Farms and Padi Fields: Life in Mainland Southeast Asia.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Perris, Arnold B. 1971. "The Rebirth of the Javanese Angklung."Ethnomusicology, vol. 15, no.
3: 403-7.

Wessing, Robert. 1998. "Bamboo, Rice, and Water." In Garland Encyclopedia of World Music,
vol. 4: Southeast Asia, ed. by Terry E. Miller and Sean Williams: 47-54.

Widaja, Elizabeth A. 1980. "The Angklung and other West Javanese Bamboo Musical
Instruments." In Bamboo Research in Asia: Proceedings of a Workshop held in Singapore, 28-30
May 1980, ed. by Gilles Lessard and Amy Chouinard: 201-4. Ottawa: International Development
Research Centre.
Musical Examples
The following are simple modern and traditional musical examples to be used in angklung
performance. For additional resources, demonstrations, and workshops, contact the Center for
Southeast Asian Studies, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL. 60115. Or e-mail us at
[email protected].