Angklung

The Angklung is a musical instrument originating in Indonesia. The region most famous for the Angklung is West Java. The Angklung is not made with any metal or nails whatsoever. It is made wholly of bamboo, from the main body of the Angklung to its stand. And holding the musical instrument together, bamboo strings are used, which are stronger than plastic or other materials. Bamboo strings have long been used by rural people for tying up buffaloes, building houses and pulling carts. Most importantly, bamboo strings do not influence or change the Angklung's note.

The Angklung comes in various sizes, the small ones are household ornaments, medium sized Angklungs are usually used for orchestras. The largest ones can be more than 1.5 meters high and may be many years old, often an heirloom. In other countries around the region, sets of Angklung are sometimes used to accompany performances of pencak silat self-defence, comedies and satires.

Most Angklungs play a single note. The interval between the differently-sized bamboo tubes on each Angklung is one octave. But there are some types of Angklung that are able to produce triads and chords, where each bamboo tube has been specially carved to produce a different pitch. Most Angklung sets today are tuned to the western chromatic and diatonic scales. An orchestra may have only one octave, but a complete set comprises 85 Angklungs. In addition, the set may be made larger for mass performance comprising thousands of Angklungs.