The Kendang Drum

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The typical double-sided membrane drums are known throughout Malaysia, Southeast Asia and India. One of the oldest image of kendang can be found in ancient temples in Indonesia, from the ninth century Borobudur and Prambanan temple. Among the Malay peoples, the kendang has one side larger than the other, with the larger, lower-pitched side usually placed to the right, and are usually placed on stands horizontally and hit with the hands on either side while seated on the floor, and are played on either one or both sides using a combination of hands and/or sticks. The kendang usually has the function of keeping the tempo while changing the density, and signaling some of the transitions to sections of the ensemble and showing the end of the piece. In the dance performance, the kendang player will follow the movements of the dancer, and communicate them to the other players in the ensemble. In West Java, kendang are used to keep the tempo of Gamelan. Kendang are also used as main instrument for Jaipongan dances. In another composition called Rampak Kendang, a group of drummers play in harmony. Among the Makassarese people, the Ganrang (kendang) drums have much more importance, with it considered the most sacred of all musical instruments, comparable to gongs in Java. This can be seen in local origin stories, accompaniments for local ceremony, dance, and martial arts, even local government ceremonies are opened by official sounding of a ganrang rather than the usual gong in Java. They are usually played alone with multiple drums playing different patterns creating syncopation. Kendang making Good kendang instruments are said to be made from the wood of jackfruit, coconuts or cempedak. Buffalo hide is often used for the bam (inferior surface which emits low-pitch beats) while soft goatskin is used for the chang (superior surface which emits high-pitch beats). The skin is stretched on y-shaped leather or rattan strings, which can be tightened to change the pitch of the heads. The thinner the leather the sharper the sound.

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