Calung, another Bamboo Music Instrument
Calung is a traditional music instrument from Java precisely from Central Java and West Java. Similar to Angklung, Calung is made from bamboo but they have different form. Calung is a little bit like xylophone. To sound it, simply hit the lath using its stick.
Calung is usually played on special occasion like at the wedding anniversary, a boy’s circumcision celebration, and other anniversary. Dancers called Lengger (girl dancers) dancing along with the music of calung.
Lucky me, there is a calung festival (a competition actually) when I visit Baturaden. Groups of calung players are competing to perform the best. They show their best performance, uniform, music arrangement and choreography. Each group consists of several musicians who play calung, angklung, percussion, and bamboo flute. No electric music instrument is played on the competition, all we hear is acoustic sounds. Four or more dancers are dancing along with the music. The musicians are singing songs in Javanese language with Banyumas dialect.
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The instruments used are all hand made. Usually, each group has an expert who makes, tunes and repairs the instrument. Calung, angklung and flute are made from bamboo; it is from bamboo Wulung, the best kind of bamboo for music instrument. The percussion is made from big plastic barrel and tire for the membrane.
It is so merry. The music is inviting the audiences to dance or just nodding the head. I just wonder how popular those instruments at the past.
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[...] Calung is a bamboo music instrument from the Java Island, Indonesia. This video is a fragment of Calung performance, including the dancers. [...]