The takumbo is a parallel-stringed

tube zither The tube zither is a stringed musical instrument in which a tube functions both as an instrument's neck and its soundbox. As the neck, it holds strings taut and allows them to vibrate. As a soundbox, it acoustic resonance, modifies the sound and ...

made from

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...

, and is found in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. It is made from a heavy bamboo tube about 40 cm long, with both ends closed with a node. Two strands of strings, about 5 cm apart, are partially etched out from the body of the bamboo. Small wooden bridges are inserted beneath the strings at both ends. At the center of the bamboo tube, below the strings, a small hole is bored. The small hole is covered with a bamboo plate clipped to the strings.

Playing techniques

In playing the takumbo, the musician can either strike the center plate or the string, or he can also pluck the string with his fingers (Batak). The instrument can be also played by striking the body of the bamboo.

Instrument variations

The takumbo instrument, with slight variations, is also found in northern

Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...

(

Isneg The Isnag people (also referred to as Isneg, Yapayao and Apayao) are an Austronesian ethnic group native to Apayao province in the Philippines' Cordillera Administrative Region, though they are also found in parts of Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, and ...

. Bambam,

Pasing Pasing is a district in the city of Munich, Germany, and part of the borough Pasing-Obermenzing. Overview Pasing is located west of the Munich city centre, at the north-western edge of the city's innermost traffic zone. The district is mainly res ...

Kalingga Kalingga (; zh, t=訶陵, p=Hēlíng; Middle Chinese: ɑ.lɨŋ or She-po or She-bo ( zh, c=闍婆, p=Shépó; Middle Chinese: ͡ʑia.buɑ in Chinese sources, or Ho-ling in Arabic scriptures of Umayyad Caliphate era; was a 6th-century Indian ...

, Tambi; in

Zambales Zambales, officially the Province of Zambales (; ; ; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region. Its capital is Iba, Zambales, Iba, which is located in t ...

( Ayta Magkunana. Tabenbbeng; in

Mindoro Mindoro is the seventh largest and eighth-most populous island in the Philippines. With a total land area of 10,571 km2 ( 4,082 sq.mi ), it has a population of 1,408,454, as of the 2020 census. It is located off the southwestern coast of ...

( Hanunuo, Kudlong ; in

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...

(

Manobo The Manobò (sometimes also spelled Menobò, Manuvù , Menuvù , or Minuvù) are an indigenous peoples from Mindanao in the Philippines, whose core lands cover most of the Mindanao island group, from Sarangani island into the Mindanao mainland in ...

Katimbok), Tabobo ; Subanon Tabobok, Thambabok); and in

Palawan Palawan (, ), officially the Province of Palawan (; ), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of . The capital and largest c ...

(

Batak Batak is a collective term used to identify a number of closely related Austronesian peoples, Austronesian ethnic groups predominantly found in North Sumatra, Indonesia, who speak Batak languages. The term is used to include the Karo people ( ...

, Patigunggung). The Subanon instrument has an opening on the upper node which the player covers and uncovers while performing. The Subanon play the thambabok mainly for self-entertainment and relaxation.

Parallel-stringed half-tube zither

The bamboo half-tube

zither Zither (; , from the Greek ''cithara'') is a class of stringed instruments. The modern instrument has many strings stretched across a thin, flat body. Zithers are typically played by strumming or plucking the strings with the fingers or a ...

found among the

Ifugao Ifugao, officially the Province of Ifugao (; ), is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Lagawe and it borders Benguet to the west, Mountain Province to the north, Isabela t ...

is called ''Tadcheng'', ''Tedcheng'', ''Gacheng'', or ''Ayudding''. It has two to four strings which, depending on the style of playing, are plucked with the fingers or struck with small bamboo sticks. Boys and men play the tadcheng for entertainment, often tapping rhythms patterned after those played on the

gongs A gongFrom Indonesian and ; ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ; ; ; ; is a percussion instrument originating from Southeast Asia, and used widely in Southeast Asian and East Asian musical traditions. Gongs are made of metal and are circular and fl ...

References

{{reflist Chordophones Philippine musical instruments Idiochords Bamboo musical instruments

Playing techniques

Instrument variations

Parallel-stringed half-tube zither

See also

References