Philippine Musical Instruments Quiz

Chordophones

• Chordophones are stringed instruments typically made of bamboo or wood.
• Philippine zithers are found in Northern Luzon, Mindanao, and Palawan.
• Polychordal zithers have multiple strings around the tube, while parallel strung zithers have two strings on one side.
• The Philippine harp bandurria is a 14-string instrument with 16 frets and a shorter neck than its 12-string counterpart.
• The Filipino bandurria is part of the rondalla orchestra and is tuned one step lower than the Spanish version.
• Filipino bandurrias have been made from coconuts.

Idiophones

• The bungkaka, or bamboo buzzer, is a percussion instrument made of bamboo.
• The gangsa is a two-octave metallophone with ten rectangular-shaped keys made of bronze.
• Kalutang is a pair of percussion bars which are struck against each other to produce a pitch.
• The tanggunggu is a set of eight small gongs made of iron.

Membranophones

• Membranophones are single and double-headed drums shaped like cones, cylinders, goblets, or barrels.
• The dabakan is a single-headed drum used as a supportive instrument in the kulintang ensemble.
• The gambal, or gadang, is a war drum played to boost warrior's esteem.
• The tambul is a percussion instrument consisting of a hollow shell or cylinder with a drumhead stretched over one or both ends.
• The libit is a conical drum used by the Ifugao and played with a gong during harvest time.
• The solibao is a conical tenor drum played by the Bontoc and Ibaloi people.

Other Instruments

• The gambang kayu is a xylophone-like instrument used in Indonesian gamelan and kulintang ensembles.
• The gandingan is a set of four, large, shallow-bossed, thin-rimmed gongs, hung vertically.
• The kagul is a Philippine bamboo scraper gong/slit drum of the Maguindanaon and Visayans.
• The kubing, subing, or ulibaw is made of bamboo and held horizontally.
• The kalagong is a wind instrument which provides bass and sometimes the melody for select musical pieces.
• The kulintang is a row of from five to 11 brass and bronze gongs graduated in pitch.
• The saronay is a metallophone of eight tuned knobbed metal plates.
• The tongatong is a percussion instrument made of various lengths of bamboo.
• The kulintang a kayo is a Philippine xylophone of the Maguindanaon people with eight tuned slabs.
• The laud is a traditional instrument used by folk string musical groups.
• The octavina is a traditional Filipino instrument played in an ensemble called a Rondalla.

Aerophones

• Philippine bamboo aerophones include various types of flutes, pan-pipes, and reed pipes.
• The saggeypo is a bamboo pipe closed on one end by a node.
• The palendag is a type of Philippine bamboo flute, the largest of which is used by the Maguindanaon.
• The tongali, or kaleleng, is a nose flute played with the extreme forward edge of the right or left nostril.
• The tulali is a bamboo flute with three holes and a mouth opening.
• The tumpong is similar to the palendag and makes a sound when players blow through a bamboo reed.
• The sahunay is a bamboo flute with six holes for the fingers.

Lute-Like Instruments

• The faglung, or fagalung, is a two-stringed, lute-like instrument of the B’laan.
• The kutiyapi, or kudyapi, is a Philippine two-stringed, fretted boat-lute, carved out of solid soft wood.
• The kudlong is a two-stringed lute that is boat-shaped with wooden tightening rods and frets made of beeswax.
• The kolitong is a bamboo polychordal tube zither from Bontok, Kalinga, Philippines.
• The takumbo is a bamboo polychordal tube zither.
• The gitgit, or the three-stringed indigenous violin of the Hanunoo-Mangyan, serves as a vessel for some of the ambahan scripts.

Chordophones

• Chordophones are stringed instruments made of bamboo or wood, including zithers, lutes, and bowed strings
• Philippine zithers have resonating bodies made of bamboo tubes or half tubes with parallel strings
• Bandurria is a 14-string bandurria with 16 frets and a shorter neck, traditionally featured in rondalla orchestras
• Laud is a string instrument often used in rondalla string ensembles alongside the guitar and bandurria
• Octavina is a traditional Filipino instrument played in a Rondalla ensemble alongside the Bandurria, Laud, and Double Bass
• Faglung / Fuglung is a two-stringed, lute-like instrument of the B'laan people with a wooden boat-shaped body and geometric designs
• Kudyapi is a Philippine two-stringed, fretted boat-lute commonly made from jackfruit wood, with one string playing a drone and the other playing the melody
• Kudlung is a two-stringed lute that is boat-shaped with wooden tightening rods and frets made of beeswax, with one string playing a drone and the other string playing a melody
• Kolitong is a bamboo polychordal tube zither from Bontok, Kalinga, Philippines with six strings that run parallel to its tube body
• Takumbo is a bamboo flute of the Tausugs in Sulu
• Tambuli is an indigenous Filipino instrument fashioned from the Carabao horn that produces long, melodious sounds
• Diw-Diw-As is an instrument made of five nodes of bamboo of varying length tied in a row with a rattan string, played by blowing across the open holes
• Paldong is an open, single end-blown flute made from bamboo with three fingerholes and an upper edge cut away obliquely

Idiophones

• Idiophones are instruments that produce sound from wood or metal, and can be struck, scraped, plucked, shaken, or rubbed
• Metal Idiophones are divided into flat gongs and bossed gongs
• Agung is a set of two wide-rimmed, vertically suspended gongs used in kulintang ensembles
• Agung-A Tamlang is a type of Philippine slit drum made of hollowed out bamboo in imitation of the real agung, used for practice
• Patatag / Pateteg is a bamboo xylophone played by striking the blades with bamboo sticks
• Gambang / Gambang Kayu is a xylophone-like instrument used in Indonesian gamelan and kulintang ensembles
• Gandingan is a set of four, large, shallow-bossed, thin-rimmed gongs, vertically hung
• Kagul is a type of Philippine bamboo scraper gong/slit drum of the Maguindanaon and Visayans
• Kubing / Subing / Ulibaw is a bamboo instrument held horizontally with the bamboo tongue in front of the opened mouth
• Kalagong is a wind instrument which also provides bass and sometimes the melody for musical pieces, played when two paddles are struck on hollow bamboo tubes
• Kulintang is a row of from five to 11 brass and bronze gongs graduated in pitch
• Sarunay is a metallophone of eight tuned knobbed metal plates strung together and suspended over a frame
• Tongatong is a percussion instrument made of various lengths of bamboo, used in healing rituals
• Kulintang A Kayo is a Philippine xylophone of the Maguindanaon people with eight tuned slabs strung horizontally
• Bungkaka is a percussion instrument (idiophone) made out of bamboo
• Gangsa is a two-octave metallophone with ten rectangular-shaped keys suspended by rope and posts
• Kalutang is a pair of percussion bars which are struck against each other at specific angles to produce a pitch
• Tanggunggu is a set of eight small gongs made of iron, usually hanging on a rest of rope

Membranophones

• Membranophones are single and double-headed drums found in the Philippines, shaped like cones, cylindrical, goblets, or barrels, made from animal skins
• Dabakan is a single-headed Philippine drum primarily used as a supportive instrument in the kulintang ensemble
• Gambal is a war drum played to boost the warrior's esteem and get them ready for battle
• Tambul is a percussion instrument consisting of a hollow shell or cylinder with a drumhead stretched over one or both ends
• Libit is a conical drum with a deer or goat skin head used by the Ifugao
• Solibao is a conical tenor drum played by the Bontoc and Ibaloi people of the Philippines