Angklung

The Angklung is a musical instrument of Javanese origin, made of bamboo. The word Angklung originated from two words angka and lung. Angka means "tone", and lung means "broken" or "lost". Angklung then means "incomplete tone".

The Angklung in its "crude" form dates back to ancient times, long before the acceptance of the gamelan orchestra, which was introduced into Indonesia with the arrival of Hindu culture. When attractive and more functional Western instruments began pouring in from Europe, interest in the native bamboo instrument waned. However, through the passage of time, the Angklung received a more international attention and became popular throughout Southeast Asia.

 The smaller angklungs, each corresponding to individual notes, which are usually played by the girls as it's lighter :p

 The bigger angklung, which comprise of notes from one chord, are played by the guys as it's heavier :p

Angklung is a musical instrument consisting of two or more bamboo tubes of differing lengths attached to a bamboo frame. The tubes are carved so that they have a resonant pitch when struck, which corresponds to a specific octave. An angklung player holds the instrument in one hand and shakes it with the other, causing a rapidly repeating note to sound. A melody is performed by providing as many angklungs and players as required by the different pitches of the tube.

The Angklung group will be performing ‘Naik-Naik Ke Puncak Gunung’ and ‘Burung Kakak Tua’, which are children songs from Indonesia. During their rehearsals, they were first guided by Ibu Eli and Ibu Yuke, while the student conductor takes over after that. Though the students have minimal practice time of only 3 practice sessions, they were already able to play the whole song out smoothly by the 2nd practice! These students do indeed have noticeable talents:D

 Music score

  Students playing the song under the guidance of Ibu Eli & Ibu Yuke

The student conductor takes over and facilitates the practice

A trial run of the song without looking at the music score, under the guidance of the student conductor

In the midst of the practice, problems they face include the ability to hold the notes for the right amount of time and keeping in beat with the conductor. Though there were some mistakes along the way, they were able to work together and rectify it, thereby improving each practice to a higher standard. As commented by some students, learning to play the instrument and knowing when to play their note by reading the score was easy. However, the most challenging issue they face was the memorisation of the music score, which will in turn affect the timing they have to play their respective notes, as they had to perform without it.

Everyone enjoyed the process of making music and also achieved a sense of accomplishment as the ability to perform the song smoothly requires great teamwork and coordination. Be sure to lookout for their amazing performance on Bahasa Indonesia I project day on 25 March 2011 and be prepared to sway along with their captivating music!