Angklung
Angklung
🌍 Indonesia
Indonesia's bamboo shaker — one player, one note, one community making music together
Lin says:
Halo! I'm Lin! The angklung is the most democratic instrument in the world — everyone gets one instrument, everyone plays one note, and together you make music! It's from West Java (Sundanese people) in Indonesia, made from bamboo tubes in a bamboo frame. When you shake it, two or three tuned tubes knock against each other and ring out. UNESCO listed it in 2010. The best part? Total beginners have played full orchestral pieces after just 30 minutes of learning!
Quick Facts
Notes per instrument
Only 1 note (2–3 tubes)
Material
Bamboo (frame + tubes)
UNESCO
Intangible Heritage since 2010
Origin
West Java, Indonesia (Sundanese)
Discover the Angklung
Each angklung instrument plays ONLY ONE NOTE — so to perform a melody, you need as many players as there are notes in the scale! A full angklung performance is a deeply communal act — every person plays their one note at exactly the right moment.
Instrument Type
Percussion
Known As
Angklung
Where It's Played
📷 Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC licence)
For Educators
Music is a universal language! Use this page to spark classroom discussions about culture, history, and how music connects communities around the world.
Did You Know?
Daeng Soetigna, a West Javanese music teacher, expanded the angklung in the 1930s from a pentatonic (5-note) scale to a full diatonic (7-note) scale — enabling it to play Western melodies and opening the instrument to the world.
UNESCO chose the angklung partly because of how it teaches values: "mutual respect, social harmony, and cooperation" — making it not just a musical instrument but a tool for building community.
There is an entire museum dedicated to the angklung in Bandung, West Java — the Saung Angklung Udjo — where visitors learn to play and watch professional performances daily.
What Makes the Angklung Special?
All Bamboo
Every part of the angklung is made from bamboo — the frame, the tubes, the pegs. The tubes are cut to precise lengths to produce specific pitches. A craftsman can make an angklung in hours; tuning it perfectly takes skill and experience.
The Community Instrument
Because each player holds only one note, an angklung ensemble teaches co-operation, listening, and timing — everyone must trust everyone else. UNESCO highlighted this community-building quality in its recognition.
One Instrument, One World Record
In 2011, 5,182 people played angklung simultaneously in Bandung, Indonesia — setting a Guinness World Record for the largest angklung ensemble. The piece they played together was "We Are the World."
Keep Exploring the World!
Music is the heartbeat of every culture. Discover more incredible instruments and the countries where they are played.