The kolitong is a bamboo polychordal

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 ...

from Bontok, Kalinga,

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 ...

with six strings that run parallel to its tube body. The strings are numbered from one to six, from lowest to highest pitch. The body acts as the instrument's resonator. The body may be a whole tube or a half tube. In both cases, the two ends of the body are closed by the bamboo nodes. To help with the resonance of the instrument, holes are made on both nodes and long cracks are made along the body parallel to the strings. A variety of bamboo tube zithers are found throughout the Philippine archipelago, with each zither differing from the other in name, size, and design, depending on its associated ethnic group. In the Kalinga group, men play the kolitong at night as a solo instrument.

Polychordal tube zithers

Polychordal tube zithers are widespread in the Philippines. They are found in the Cordilleras and in the Mindanao and Palawan area. The instrument is made from a bamboo tube (approximately 10 cm. in diameter and averaging half a meter long) closed on both ends by nodes, which are partially opened for more

resonance Resonance is a phenomenon that occurs when an object or system is subjected to an external force or vibration whose frequency matches a resonant frequency (or resonance frequency) of the system, defined as a frequency that generates a maximu ...

. Strings are etched out of the bamboo body and remain attached at both ends. To give the string more tension, two small wooden frets are inserted beneath each strings near the ends. The fret positions determine the pitch of the instrument when plucked. The number of strings vary from five to eight or nine and occasionally up to eleven.

Playing techniques

The strings of the instrument are played mainly by plucking using the player's fingers. In the Kalinga '' kulibit'', two strings on the frontal side are plucked by the thumbs of both hands and four strings on the dorsal side are plucked by the middle and index fingers. The player holds the instrument with both hands and plucks. One end of the instrument is made to rest against the player's lower waist. A continuous melody is formed by the use of alternate fingers of both hands. The Subanon ''sigitan'' player plucks the strings and may be joined by another performer who taps a drone on the body of the instrument with two bamboo sticks. The Ilonggot ''kollesing'' is played with the instrument being held by a man, while the woman strikes the strings with small bamboo sticks. The Tirurai ''tangke'' is played by two women. Using a

plectrum A plectrum is a small flat tool used for plucking or strumming of a stringed instrument. For hand-held instruments such as guitars and mandolins, the plectrum is often called a pick and is held as a separate tool in the player's hand. In harpsic ...

, one plucks a drone while the other plucks a melody.

Instrument variations

Polychordal tube zithers in the Philippines vary from place to place. Each instrument is different from the other by size, shape, aesthetic design, and the number of strings. The Kalinga ''kulibit'' has six or sometimes eleven strings. The

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 ...

''ohitang'' has five strings: two in front and three in the back. The Ilonggot ''kollesing'' has five or six strings. The Subanon ''sigitan'' has five strings. The Tirurai ''tangke'' and the Maguindanao ''tangkel'' has eight strings. 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 ...

''tugo'' has seven strings. The

Bukidnon Bukidnon (), officially the Province of Bukidnon (; ; ; Bukid language, Binukid and Higaonon language, Higaonon: ''Probinsya ta Bukidnon''), is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Northern Mindan ...

Matigsulug ''saluray'' has six strings. The

T'boli The T'boli people () are an Austronesian indigenous people of South Cotabato in southern Mindanao in the Philippines. Ethnology T'bolis currently reside on the mountain slopes on either side of the upper Alah Valley and the coastal area of ...

''s'ludoy'' has five strings.

References

External links

* {{commonscat-inline Tube zithers Bamboo musical instruments Idiochords Philippine musical instruments Culture of Kalinga (province)

Polychordal tube zithers

Playing techniques

Instrument variations

See also

References

External links