he Musical Instruments of Mindanao

CHORDOPHONES (STRINGED INSTRUMENTS)

Kudyapi - is a guitar with two strings. It is about 1 1/2 m long and made of wood. It has a
stick to support in its lower end and is played in the same position as cello. It is common
among Tirurays of Cotabato.
Karaga - is a guitar made up of bamboo where the strings are slit
from the bamboo itself. The bamboo is split and tied back in both
ends, leaving a slit as resonator. The guitar has strings all around
it. This is popular in Eastern Mindanao.

AEROPHONES (WIND INSTRUMENTS)

Sahunay - is a bamboo flute, leaving six holes for the fingers and
trumpet made of coconut leaf. It is about 50 cm long and 3 cm in
diameter. This is a bamboo flute of the Tausugs in Sulu.
Kinapaw - is a nose flute of the Tinguians.

IDIOPHONES (PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS)

Kulintang - is a set of eight knobbed gongs in graduated sizes from

largest to smallest mounted in a wooden frame, about a meter long.
Muslim carvings decorated the frame. The kulintang is played by
striking the gongs with two pieces of wood, about 12 inches long
while the player squats on the floor. The instruments is popular in
Sulu.
Gabbang - is similar to a xylophone. It is made of wooden box with
one end wider than the other, and with an open top. Across top,
wooden bars of different lengths are placed to fit the shape of the
box, about 1 cm from each other. It is played by striking the wooden
bars with a wooden hammer. This instruments is popular in Sulu.
Bunkaka or Bilbil - is a bamboo musical instruments used by the
Tinguians. It is a two-proged bamboo struck against the palm of
one hand.
Agung - hangs from horizontal pole or wooden frame. The player
stands besides the rim of the gong where he inserts his left arm
through the ropes which suspend the instrument to position his
hand comfortably at the knob. On the right hand, the player hold a
mallet padded with rubber.
Gandingan - is a set of four graduated gongs, with thin rims and lower central knobs. They
hang in pairs with the knobs of the lower pitched gongs facing each other. The same with the
two higher pitched gongs. The pair of lower pitched gongs is positioned on the player's left
side while the pair of the higher pitched gongs is on the right. The player usually a woman
who stands between the two pair of gongs. Her body touches slightly the gong in the middle
to prevent from swinging. She uses two padded mallets (one mallet for each air) to strike the
gong's knobs.
Babendil - is small gong with thin rims and low central knobs. It is struck with thin bamboo
sticks to produce a metallic sound.
There are three ways to play the babendil.

1. by striking the rim of the suspended gong with a pair of sticks on the left hand.
2. by striking the gong's rim with the right hand using one stick while the left hand grasps
the rim.
3. by laying the instruments upside and striking the gong's rim with the two sticks.

MEMBRANOPHONES (DRUM INSTRUMENTS)

Dabakan - is a goblet -shaped drum, which has a single head covered with goat, lizard or
snake skin. It is struck with two thin bamboo sticks about 18 inches in length.
Neguet - is a drum from Cotabato, 30 cm high, 20 cm in diameter

Sulibaw - is a drum 1/2 meter long and 15 cm in diameter

Tugo - is a tiruray drum 25 cm long, 20 cm in diameter.