Exploring Bamboo Music

ILOILO CITY NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
SPECIAL PROGRAM IN THE ARTS

Molo, lloilo City, Iloilo
TULTUGAN: EXPLORING THE ART OF MAKING MUSIC USING SELECTED

BAMBOO INSTRUMENTS MAASIN, ILOILO
A Thesis Production presented to

The Faculty of the Special Program in the Arts
Iloilo City National High School
M. H. Del Pilar St. Molo, Iloilo City
In partial fulfilment of the requirements

For Grade 10 completer
Music Instruments Major
Bautista, Bela-Marye D.
Dadivas, Jessa L.
Penaverde, Gislyn Love I.
Tayone, Love Joy S.
Tobisi, April Rose S.

Zerrudo, Denise T.
Arsenio, Kirk F.
Celeste, Adrriane P.
Collamar, Lorynz Miguel D.
Escultor, Immanuel D.
Garcia, Marco M.
Perales, Christopher John D.
Vasques, Jhen Mark A.
Table of Content
Approval Sheet………………………………………………………………………. i
Acknowledgement………………………………………………………………….… ii
Abstract………………………………………………………………………………. iii
CHAPTER
1 INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Statement of the Problem
Scope and Delimitation
Significance of the Study
2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
3 METHODOLOGY
Research Method Used
Research Procedure
Research Purpose
Data Gathering
Data Analysis
Research Table
4 RESULTS
5 SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
REFERENCES
APPROVAL SHEET
This thesis production entitled Tultugan: Exploring the Art of Making Music Using
Selected Bamboo Instruments Maasin, Iloilo, prepared and submitted by Arsenio, K.,
Bautista, B., Celeste, A., Collamar, L. M., Dadivas, J., Escultor, I., Garcia, M.,
Penaverde, G. L., Perales, C. J., Tayone, L. J., Tobisi, A. R. Vasquez, J.M. Zerrudo, D.,
has been approved and accepted as partial fulfilment of the requirements for the grade
10 completers.
MA. CARMELA G. CORDERO
TEODOLFO G. CORDERO
Adviser
DEXIE MAY B. MOLETA
Research Teacher
REGINA S. ESCUETA
SSHT IV-MAPEH
BLESILDA V. FLORO, Ph. D.
Principal IV
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We would like to express our gratitude to everyone who supported us
throughout the marketing plan. We are thankful for their aspiring guidance,
invaluably constructive criticism and friendly advice during project work.
First and foremost praises and thanks be to the Almighty God, for
showering us the wisdom and blessings throughout the research and giving us
enough strength and teamwork to complete our work.
To Ma’am Dexie May Bernardo-Moleta, for the valuable guidance and advice.
She inspired us greatly to work hard on this project. Her willingness to motivate us
contributed tremendously to our project.
To Mr. Teodolfo G. Cordero Jr. and Mrs. Ma. Carmela G. Cordero who have
willingly help the researchers out of their abilities and motivated us in order to make
this research a success.
An honorable mention to our families and friends for their understanding
and support in completing the project.
- The Researchers
ABSTRACT
This study was conducted in order to make a musical composition in use of
instruments out of bamboo of Maasin, Iloilo. Selected and identified bamboo
instruments were used in crafting the piece. Ethnic to modern transformational genre of
the musical production.
The researchers were accompanied by their specialization teachers, Mr.
Teodolfo G. Cordero and Mrs. Ma. Carmela G. Cordero, in conducting interviews with
Mr. Dionesio Ollasa, Mr. Claudio Mediana, and Mr. Wilhem Puljanan, in the immersion
conducted, in order to gain knowledge and techniques and ask questions how to make
a good musical compistion out of the said bamboo products.
The researchers gathered information from the different web sites and journals
as well as some articles from electronic media.
In this study, a qualitative research approach for this study was chosen because
qualitative methods are especially useful in discovering the meaning that people give to
events that they experience, specifically the phenomenological method. Researcher-
made question was done through an immersion conducted to gather information and
knowledge about crafting a musical composition for music presentation.

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
The bamboos are the evergreen perennial flowering plants in the sub-family
Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. The word “bamboo” comes from the
Bannada term bamboo which was introduces to English through Indonesian and Malay.
Tultugan is an indigenous Illonggo bamboo drum used centuries ago by the
natives of Panay to communicate with each other. The drum was used by the natives to
send messages of distress to the community by making fast beats. Upon hearing, the
beats neighbors will then follow the pattern. The transference of beats is crucial to the
evoking the immediate action of everyone in the community (localphilippines.com).
The municipality of Maasin Iloilo is famous of its annual Tultugan
Festival showcasing Maasin’s bamboo industry. Set one day before the town fiesta,
Tultugan Festival features competition of tribes and street dancing with participants
wearing native costumes made of bamboo as dominant material and dancing to the live
beats of bamboo instruments. Tultugan comes from the root word Tultug, an action
verbalizing the act of playing sound on bamboo. Usually this is rendered through a
bamboo stick striking it against the body of the bamboo, thus becoming a rhythmic
instrument called Tultugan. This is classified in ethno musicological term as idiophone
because the source of sound is the body of the instrument being used as percussion in
contrast to the membranophone where a membrane or animal skin is being struck as a
drum (psa.gov.ph).
Maasin has terrain ranging from the plain to strongly hilly and mountainous.
Mountainous areas cover approximately 8,212.8 hectares or 48% of the total municipal
areas located at northwestern portion of the town. All of the urban barangays are
located in the lowlands. Soil found in Maasin is clay-loam suited to agricultural crops. By
nature, rocks formation is present in mountainous areas of the Municipality of Maasin
which cover almost 30% of the total land area (psa.gov.ph).
As Junior High School students under the Special Program in the Arts of Iloilo
City National High School, the researchers decided to conduct this study to explore the
art of making music using selected bamboo instruments from Maasin town, Iloilo.
Statement of the Problem
The purpose of this study is to explore the art of making music using selected
Bamboo instruments. This study also aims to identify the different bamboo instruments
crafted in Maasin, Iloilo.
Specifically, it seeks answer to the following questions:
1. What are the different kinds of bamboo instruments crafted in Maasin, Iloilo?
2. How do crafters select the bamboo used in making instruments?
3. What are the common musical passages of the instruments crafted in Maasin,
Iloilo?
Delimitation of the Study
This ethnographic study aims to explore the art of creating music using selected
bamboo instruments. This study also aims to identify the different bamboo instrument
used in Tultugan Festival and to know the concepts, purpose of each instrument.
This study will be conducted at Maasin, Province of Iloilo during the second
semester of 2019-2020.
The place was chosen for the study because it is the home of Tultugan Festival
where bamboo plants area abundant. The research will be interviewing 3 music
directors from different groups who participates in the Tulltugan Festival. This study
limits its coverage in the said town. The researchers will be observing and video record
the rehearsals of the 3 groups.
Significance of the Study
The results of the study will be beneficial to the following:
Students. This research will familiarize and introduce them the different aspects of
music specifically the exploration of Art in making bamboo music using the selected
bamboo instruments.
Future Researchers. This study will be the basis or foundation of another study. They
will need other research paper and articles by making their own research. Also, this will
help them or give them ideas on how to make a research paper, most especially to
those whose topics are related to this study.

Maasin Government. This study also promotes the music of Maasin town that could
boost the tourism and help them to preserve of what remained in their culture.
Music Aspirants. This study also aims to boost enthusiasm and passion for people that
are music aspirants. Through this research, they will also be introduced by different
bamboo instruments for bamboo music that the town of Maasin could offer.
Music Teachers. This study will make them knowledgeable of Philippine Bamboo
Music that they could teach students for more learnings.

CHAPTER II
Review of Related Literature
Conceptual Literature
Bamboo The instrument is played by striking the body of the bamboo with a stick to
produce a rhythmic pattern. While drums are loud and upbeat, tultugan is pleasing and
close to nature. Another is the gabbang. It is a xylophone with more or less
12 bamboo keys separated by nails.
Gabbang also known as bamboo xylophone, is a musical instrument made of bamboo
widely used in the southern Philippines.Among the Tausug and Sama ,it is commonly
played to accompany songs and dances as a solo instrument or accompanied by biola.
Marimba (bamboo xylophone) The bamboo marimba is the instrument of Maasin,
Iloilo played the melodic part.
Kalatong (Woodblock) is a small wooden slit-drum. When you strike the woodblock, it
produces a resonant and penetrating sound, which can be clearly heard above the
other instruments in an orchestra.
Bamboo pipes bamboo tubes are very thick, wherein the ratio between the wall
thickness. It played as a bass.
Kiskis (Bamboo scraper) a bamboo piece with ridges and serves as a percussion
instrument. It’s a Filipino word which means “to scrath” or “to rub” against something. It
is played by rubbing a rattan stick on its ridges.

Tultugan Festival. Tultugan Festival is the main tourist attraction of the municipality. It
gives tribute to Panay's rich culture. The festival features a competition between tribes
wearing costumes with bamboo as dominant material and dancing to the beat of
bamboo musical instruments. Also in the festival is the Gwapo-Gwapa Carabao, a
contest of carabaos dressed in fancy costumes.

CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research Method Used
A qualitative research approach for this study was chosen because qualitative
methods are especially useful in discovering the meaning that people give to events that
they experience (Merriam, 1998. Specifically, the phenomenological method was used
to understand how participants make meaning of the phenomenon being studied; i.e.,
the researchers would like to determine the Tultugan as the art of creating music using
the selected bamboo instruments of Maasin, Iloilo. Phenomenology is effective in
studying a small number of subjects – in this case, 3 participants – to identify the core of
their experiences with the phenomenon (Creswell, 2003).
Research Procedure
After verifying the validity of research, the researchers made a 3-question
interview for the respondents. The researchers, then, secured a writte letter asking
permission to the faculty and staff of the Iloilo City National High School to conduct the
interview. After the researchers is given permission, then researchers will travel in the
town of Maasin and will look for respondents, specifically the music directors who won
in the Tultugan Festival in previous years, that are suit for the study to gather the
necessary data needed. The researchers sought to find that these respondents are
capable of answering the study's instrument.

Research Purpose
This study was conducted to explore the art of making music in selected bamboo
instruments based on the Tultugan fesitival of Maasin, Iloilo.
Furthermore, the study aim to create and come up with the production of musical
composition with the use of identified and selected bamboo instruments. Ethnic to
modern music is the transformation al genre of musical piece.
Data Gathering
The primary data gathering method used was by asking out 3 questions.
Researcher-made question was done through an immersion conducted to gather
information and knowledge about crafting a musical composition for music presentation
The researchers conducted an interview with Mr. Wilhelm L. Puljanan, a musical
director, to asked and know more about the utilization of bamboo instruments that were
used to create music. Mr. Puljanan taught the researchers how to make rhythmic
pattern in producing a musical composition.
A follow-up interview was made with two bamboo instrument makers namely, Mr.
Dionesio Ollosa and Mr Caludio Mediana. Mr Ollosa and Mr. Mediana taught and
presented to researchers the creation of instruments and characteristics of bamboo to
be used.
Data Analysis
This ethnographic study will be using an inductive thematic analysis to interpret
data. Researchers will be identifying themes that are linked to the data. According to
Ryan and Bernard (2003), some processes for interpreting data included cutting and
sorting, finding similarities and differences and discovering indigenous typologies.
Research Table
The following table outlines the research design, procedure and analysis:
Table 1: Research Questions, Data Sets and Units of Analysis
Research Questions Data Sets Units of Analysis

1. What are the different  Interviews Thematic Analysis
kinds of bamboo Procedure:

 Observations (field)
instruments crafted in
 Inductive Method
 Related Documents
Maasin, Iloilo?
such as pictures -Indigenous Typologies
2. How do crafters select the
and Video
bamboo used in making -Cutting and Sorting
recordings
instruments? -Finding similarities and
(Permission will be
3. What are the common Differences
asked)
musical passages of the
instruments crafted in
Maasin, Iloilo?
CHAPTER IV
Results
This chapter presents the results of Qualitative data gathered. Data gathering
was achieved by conducting interviews, observation and internet researches.
The purpose of this study is to be conducted is to explore the art and deepen the
knowledge of making music in selected bamboo instruments based on the Tultugan
fesitival of Maasin, Iloilo. This study aims to produce a musical composition out of
bamboo instruments. The data gathered by the researchers served as the guide and
information which enabled to compose a musical piece. Phenomenological method was
used in the study.

CHAPTER V
Summary
The purpose of the study is to create a composition using different kinds of
selected bamboo instruments and to import knowledge to the aspiring musician, so that
they may know the concept and purpose of each instruments. The data gathered by the
research served as the source of information in which enable them to produce a music
piece/composition using selected bamboo instruments crafted in maasin,iloilo
Recommendations
Based on the findings, there are the following recommendations:
Students, especially the music major students, should be familiarized
and introduced of the different aspects of music specifically the

exploration of art in making bamboo music using the selected bamboo
instruments
1. Future Researchers should not be afraid to create and utilized this
study that will be the basis or foundation of another study. They will
need other research paper and articles by making their own research.
2. Maasin Government should do more efforts to promote the music
culture specifically the Tultugan festival that could boost the tourism
and help them to preserve of what remained in the culture.
3. Music Aspirants should boost enthusiasm and passion. Through this
research, they will also be introduced by different bamboo instruments
for bamboo music that the town of Maasin could offer.
4. Music Teachers should be knowledgeable of Philippine Bamboo
Music that they could teach students for more learnings.
REFERENCES
Grundmeyer, T., A. (2012). Capstones, Theses and Dissertation. IOWA STATE

UNIVERSITY. Ames Iowa.
Websites
DJS Research. Accessed: September 12, 2019,

https://www.djsresearch.co.uk/glossary/item/Qualitative-Research-Design
Google. Philippine Statistics Authority. Accessed: September 12, 2019,

http://nap.psa.gov.ph/ru6/2/municipality_of_Maasin.htm
Google. Local Philippines. Accessed: September 12, 2019,
Localphilippines.com/events/tultugan-festival
Explorable. Qualitative Research Methods.
Accessed: September 12, 2019 https://www.thoughtco.com/qualitative-research-

methods-3026555
The News Today. Music and the Maasin Tultugan Ensemble published on June 26,
2019.
Accessed: September 12, 2019

http://www.thenewstoday.info/2009/06/26/extraordinary.music.and.the.maasin.tul
tugan.ensemble.html
Revolvy. Accessed: September 12, 2019,

https://www.revolvy.com/page/Gabbang
Accessed: Jul 22, 2018

https://www.slideshare.net/brendaescabal/lesson-8-pangkat-kawayan
Accessed: https://glosbe.com/en/en/bamboo%20tube

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ILOILO CITY NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

SPECIAL PROGRAM IN THE ARTS

TULTUGAN: EXPLORING THE ART OF MAKING MUSIC USING SELECTED

A Thesis Production presented to

In partial fulfilment of the requirements

Tobisi, April Rose S.

Background of the Study

Statement of the Problem

Scope and Delimitation

Significance of the Study

2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Research Method Used

5 SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS

MA. CARMELA G. CORDERO

DEXIE MAY B. MOLETA

BLESILDA V. FLORO, Ph. D.

We would like to express our gratitude to everyone who supported us

invaluably constructive criticism and friendly advice during project work.

enough strength and teamwork to complete our work.

contributed tremendously to our project.

this research a success.

An honorable mention to our families and friends for their understanding

and support in completing the project.

This study was conducted in order to make a musical composition in use of

instruments out of bamboo of Maasin, Iloilo. Selected and identified bamboo

the musical production.

The researchers were accompanied by their specialization teachers, Mr.

a good musical compistion out of the said bamboo products.

as well as some articles from electronic media.

events that they experience, specifically the phenomenological method. Researcher-

knowledge about crafting a musical composition for music presentation.

Background of the Study

Tultugan is an indigenous Illonggo bamboo drum used centuries ago by the

evoking the immediate action of everyone in the community (localphilippines.com).

The municipality of Maasin Iloilo is famous of its annual Tultugan

beats of bamboo instruments. Tultugan comes from the root word Tultug, an action

instrument called Tultugan. This is classified in ethno musicological term as idiophone

contrast to the membranophone where a membrane or animal skin is being struck as a

located in the lowlands. Soil found in Maasin is clay-loam suited to agricultural crops. By

nature, rocks formation is present in mountainous areas of the Municipality of Maasin

which cover almost 30% of the total land area (psa.gov.ph).

Statement of the Problem

crafted in Maasin, Iloilo.

Specifically, it seeks answer to the following questions:

2. How do crafters select the bamboo used in making instruments?

Delimitation of the Study

the rehearsals of the 3 groups.

Significance of the Study

The results of the study will be beneficial to the following:

those whose topics are related to this study.

Music that they could teach students for more learnings.

Review of Related Literature

Bamboo The instrument is played by striking the body of the bamboo with a stick to

close to nature. Another is the gabbang. It is a xylophone with more or less

12 bamboo keys separated by nails.

Gabbang also known as bamboo xylophone, is a musical instrument made of bamboo

played to accompany songs and dances as a solo instrument or accompanied by biola.

Marimba (bamboo xylophone) The bamboo marimba is the instrument of Maasin,

Iloilo played the melodic part.

other instruments in an orchestra.

thickness. It played as a bass.

is played by rubbing a rattan stick on its ridges.