LAUSR

The bundengan is an endangered musical instrument from Indonesia. This musical instrument was first developed and played by duck herders. To build the half-dome-shaped resonator, bundengan makers create a woven grid of bamboo splits and arrange the weaving pattern such that the grid spontaneously forms the half-dome shape. The dome is then coated with layers of bamboo sheaths, strapped with sugar palm fibres to hold them in place. Inside the resonator, there is a set of long, thin bamboo plates and some strings. The strings are equipped with small bamboo clips, which vibrate together with the strings. The clipped strings generate metal-like sounds, while the bamboo plates generate drum-like sounds, such that the bundengan as a whole imitates the sound of a set of gamelan, an Indonesian instrumental ensemble. Interactions with the bundengan makers and players allow us to identify an important problem: players find it difficult not only to tune this instrument, but also to keep it tuned for a long time. We ...