Why is Google Doodle Celebrating Angklung? The instrument still holds a significant cultural significance, as evidenced by its listing as a Unesco World Heritage item. They held rituals and played the instrument during the harvest season in the hopes that the deity would grant them abundant harvests. The top artisans in the area made angklungs every year out of unique black bamboo. Villagers in West Java believed Déwi Sri, the goddess of rice and wealth, could be attracted by the sound of bamboo hundreds of years ago. A repeated note is produced by shaking the instrument from side to side while grasping the base of the frame with one hand.īecause angklungs can only play one note, musicians in an ensemble must work together to construct a whole melody by playing their instruments at varied pitches at the appropriate times. The tubes have a resonant pitch when struck because of how they are cut.

The angklung is an instrument made in Indonesia from various bamboo tubes fastened to a bamboo frame. The fact that every player is of a different ethnicity shows how widespread the angklung is. Continue reading to learn more about the historical creation that is still a common sight in the nation of Southeast Asia.Īn animation of six cartoon characters playing the angklung serves as the Google Doodle’s tribute to the instrument.

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