Bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...
s natural hollow form makes it an obvious choice for many
musical instruments
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person who pl ...
.
Overview
Bamboo has been used to create a variety of instruments including flutes, mouth organs, saxophones, trumpets, drums, xylophones.
Flutes
There are numerous types of
bamboo flutes
The bamboo flute, especially the bone flute, is one of the oldest musical instruments known. Examples of Paleolithic bone flutes have survived for more than 40,000 years, to be discovered by archaeologists. While the oldest flutes currently kn ...
made all over the world, such as the
''dizi'',
''xiao'', ''
shakuhachi'', ''
palendag
The palendag, also called Pulalu (Manobo and Mansaka), Palandag (Bagobo), Pulala (Bukidnon) and Lumundeg ( Banuwaen) is a type of Philippine bamboo flute, the largest one used by the Maguindanaon, a smaller type of this instrument is called the Hu ...
'' and ''
jinghu''. In the Indian subcontinent, it is a very popular and highly respected musical instrument, available even to the poorest and the choice of many highly venerated maestros of classical music. It is known and revered above all as the divine flute forever associated with
Lord Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one of ...
, who is always portrayed holding a ''
bansuri'' in sculptures and paintings. Four of the instruments used in
Polynesia
Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...
for traditional
hula
Hula () is a Hawaiian dance form accompanied by chant (oli) or song ( mele). It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Native Hawaiians who originally settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli or mele in a visua ...
are made of bamboo:
nose flute
The nose flute is a musical instrument often played in Polynesia and the Pacific Rim countries. Other versions are found in Africa.
Hawaii
In the North Pacific, in the Hawaiian islands the nose flute was a common courting instrument. In Haw ...
, rattle, stamping pipes and the
jaw harp. Bamboo may be used in the construction of the Australian
didgeridoo instead of the more traditional
eucalyptus
''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as e ...
wood.
Other bamboo instruments
In Indonesia and the Philippines, bamboo has been used for making various kinds of musical instruments, including the ''
kolintang
Kolintang is a traditional Minahasan percussion instrument from North Sulawesi, Indonesia, consisting of wooden blades arranged in a row and mounted on a wooden tub. Kolintang is usually played in ensemble music. Kolintang in the Minahasan commu ...
'', ''
angklung
The ( Sundanese: ) is a musical instrument from the Sundanese people in Indonesia made of a varying number of bamboo tubes attached to a bamboo frame. The tubes are carved to have a resonant pitch when struck and are tuned to octaves, simila ...
'' and ''
bumbong''.
Bamboo is also used to make
slit drum
A slit drum or slit gong is a hollow percussion instrument. In spite of the name, it is not a true drum but an idiophone, usually carved or constructed from bamboo or wood into a box with one or more slits in the top. Most slit drums have one slit ...
s. Traditional Philippine ''
banda kawayan'' (bamboo bands) use a variety of bamboo musical instruments, including the
marimba
The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbre ...
, ''angklung'',
panpipes
A pan flute (also known as panpipes or syrinx) is a musical instrument based on the principle of the closed tube, consisting of multiple pipes of gradually increasing length (and occasionally girth). Multiple varieties of pan flutes have been ...
and ''bumbong'', as well as bamboo versions of western instruments, such as
clarinets,
saxophone
The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...
s, and
tuba
The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the ne ...
s.
The
Las Piñas Bamboo Organ
The Las Piñas Bamboo Organ in St. Joseph Parish Church in Las Piñas, Philippines, is a 19th-century church organ. It is known for its unique organ pipes; of its 1031 pipes, 902 are made of bamboo. It was completed after 6 years of work in 182 ...
in the Philippines has pipes made of bamboo culms. The modern amplified string instrument, the
Chapman stick
The Chapman Stick is an electric musical instrument devised by Emmett Chapman in the early 1970s. A member of the guitar family, the Chapman Stick usually has ten or twelve individually tuned strings and is used to play bass lines, melody lines ...
, is also constructed using bamboo. The ''
khene
The ''khene'' (; spelled "Can" in English; Lao: ແຄນ; th, แคน, , ; km, គែន - ''Ken''; Vietnamese: ''khèn'') is a Lao mouth organ whose pipes, which are usually made of bamboo, are connected with a small, hollowed-out h ...
'' (also spelled ''khaen'', ''kaen'' and ''khen'';
Lao: ແຄນ, th, แคน) is a mouth organ of Lao origin whose pipes, which are usually made of bamboo, are connected with a small, hollowed-out hardwood reservoir into which air is blown, creating a sound similar to that of the cello. In the
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...
island of Madagascar, the ''
valiha
The valiha is a tube zither from Madagascar made from a species of local bamboo; it is considered the " national instrument" of Madagascar. The term is also used to describe a number of related zithers of differing shapes and materials.
T ...
'', a long tube zither made of a single bamboo stalk, is considered the national instrument.
Bamboo has also recently been used for the manufacture of guitars and
ukulele
The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings.
The tone and volume of the instrumen ...
s. Bamboo Ukuleles are constructed of solid cross laminated bamboo strips not plywood. The bamboo solid wood strips are similar to bamboo manufactured flooring.
Gallery
File:Shakuhachi-2.png, Top and bottom-side views of a shakuhachi, end-blown bamboo flute
The bamboo flute, especially the bone flute, is one of the oldest musical instruments known. Examples of Paleolithic bone flutes have survived for more than 40,000 years, to be discovered by archaeologists. While the oldest flutes currently kn ...
s from Japan
File:টকা বাদ্য.JPG, Toka, bamoo clapper, Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
, Nepal
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Buisciter van bamboe TMnr 1027-5.jpg, Bamboo tanggetang tube zither
The tube zither is a stringed musical instrument in which a tube functions both as an instrument's neck and its soundbox. As the neck, it holds strings taut and allows them to vibrate. As a soundbox or it modifies the sound and transfers it to ...
, Sumatra
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Buisciter van bamboe TMnr 15-410.jpg, Bamboo tube-zither drum
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Buisciter met één snaar TMnr 1330-130.jpg, Bamboo tube-zither drum
File:Agung a Tamlang.jpg, Bamboo gong or slit drum, Agung a tamlang, Philippines
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Spleettrom van bamboe TMnr 15-415.jpg, Indonesian slit drum
A slit drum or slit gong is a hollow percussion instrument. In spite of the name, it is not a true drum but an idiophone, usually carved or constructed from bamboo or wood into a box with one or more slits in the top. Most slit drums have one slit ...
File:Alat Musik Sasando 2.jpg, Sasando tube zither
File:Chinese half-tube bamboo zithers.jpg, Bamboo half-tube zithers
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Dubbel enkelriet ('dubbel-klarinet') van bamboe TMnr 4296-5a.jpg, Double-reed clarinet, North Africa
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Dubbel enkelriet (klarinet) van bamboe TMnr 3492-4.jpg, Magruna double reed clarinet, Libya
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Trompet van bamboe TMnr 2236-1.jpg, Bamboo trumpet, Sulawesi, Indonesia
File:Siku (09).jpg, Siku, Pan pipes
A pan flute (also known as panpipes or syrinx) is a musical instrument based on the principle of the closed tube, consisting of multiple pipes of gradually increasing length (and occasionally girth). Multiple varieties of pan flutes have bee ...
, Bolivia or Peru, Andes Mountains
File:PNG Pipes QM r.jpg, Pan pipes
A pan flute (also known as panpipes or syrinx) is a musical instrument based on the principle of the closed tube, consisting of multiple pipes of gradually increasing length (and occasionally girth). Multiple varieties of pan flutes have bee ...
, New Ireland Province
New Ireland Province, formerly New Mecklenburg (german: Neu-Mecklenburg), and Nova Hibernia, is the northeasternmost province of Papua New Guinea.
Physical geography
The largest island of the province is New Ireland.
Also part of the province a ...
, Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, establishe ...
, Australia
File:Maultrom 2a.jpg, bamboo Jew's Harp
File:Mukkuri.jpg, Ainu Jew's Harpo
File:Nusa-Dua Bali Indonesia Xylophone-player-01.jpg, Bali Indonesia Xylophone-player, photo by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas
File:Bala player.jpg, Bala, African xylophone
File:Boo I.jpg, Bamboo marimba, one of the instruments created by Harry Partch
File:Severalbambooflutes.jpg, bamboo flutes
File:Bansuri bamboo flute 23inch.jpg, Bansuri, Indian Subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
File:Thổi sáo.jpg, Sáo
The ''sáo'' (Chữ Nôm: 筲, also called ''sáo trúc'' or "sow trook", pronounced ) is a family of flutes found in Vietnam that is traditionally thought to contain the culture and spirit of Vietnam's countryside. The most common variety is playe ...
, Vietnamese flute
File:Angklung-arumba.jpg, Angklung
The ( Sundanese: ) is a musical instrument from the Sundanese people in Indonesia made of a varying number of bamboo tubes attached to a bamboo frame. The tubes are carved to have a resonant pitch when struck and are tuned to octaves, simila ...
, Indonesia
File:Angklung-kolintang.jpg, Kolintang
Kolintang is a traditional Minahasan percussion instrument from North Sulawesi, Indonesia, consisting of wooden blades arranged in a row and mounted on a wooden tub. Kolintang is usually played in ensemble music. Kolintang in the Minahasan commu ...
xylophone and angklung
The ( Sundanese: ) is a musical instrument from the Sundanese people in Indonesia made of a varying number of bamboo tubes attached to a bamboo frame. The tubes are carved to have a resonant pitch when struck and are tuned to octaves, simila ...
, Indonesia
File:Bamboo organ of Las Piñas I (cropped).jpg, Bamboo organ, Saint Joseph Parish Church, Las Piñas
Las Piñas, officially the City of Las Piñas ( fil, Lungsod ng Las Piñas), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 606,293 people.
Las Piñas ...
, Metro Manila, Philippine
File:Saxos de bambú por Angel Sampedro del Río, luthier argentino.jpg, Bamboo saxophone
The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...
, Argentina
File:Khenesarong.jpg, Khene
The ''khene'' (; spelled "Can" in English; Lao: ແຄນ; th, แคน, , ; km, គែន - ''Ken''; Vietnamese: ''khèn'') is a Lao mouth organ whose pipes, which are usually made of bamboo, are connected with a small, hollowed-out h ...
, mouth organ
A mouth organ is any free reed aerophone with one or more air chambers fitted with a free reed.
Though it spans many traditions, it is played universally the same way by the musician placing their lips over a chamber or holes in the instrument, a ...
, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos
File:Chinese flutes circa 1900.JPG, Sheng mouth organ, China
File:Miao musicians.jpg, Lusheng
The ''lusheng'' (, ; Vietnamese: ''Khèn Mông''; also spelled ''lu sheng''; spelled ''ghengx'' in standard Hmong and ''qeej'' in Laotian RPA Hmong) is a Hmong musical instrument. It has a long history of 3000 years in China, traced back to the T ...
mouth organ
File:Ploong.jpg, Ploong
A ploong (or plung) is a musical instrument of the Mru (or Murung) people, who inhabit the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh and also in Burma. It is a mouth organ made from gourds and bamboo and is of varying sizes. The largest ploong has eig ...
, a musical instrument of the Mru people Mru or Mro may refer to:
* Mru people, also known as Mro, Murong, Taung Mro, Mrung, or Mrucha, a tribal people of Myanmar, Bangladesh, and India
**Mru language
Mru, also known as Mrung (Murung), is a Sino-Tibetan language of Bangladesh and My ...
, Bangladesh
File:Jinghu.jpg, Jinghu, Chinese bowed string instrument
File:Agustinus Sasundu Maestro Musik Tiup Bambu Indonesia.jpg, Musician Agustinus Sasundu of Sangihe, with a bamboo wind instrument
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bamboo Musical Instruments