This document provides descriptions of various traditional musical instruments from the Philippines. It describes instruments including the kinaban (jaw harp), agung ensemble (gongs), babandil (small metal gong), aruding (bamboo flute), kalutang (percussion bars), bunkaka or bilbil (bamboo instrument), suling (bamboo flute), pagang (bamboo zither), basal (gongs), kusyapi (representative instrument), tuganang (bamboo tongues), kudyapi (lute), korlong (fiddle), guimbal and tugo (drums), buktot (lutes), and litguit (violins). Each

1. University of Northeastern Philippines
Iriga City
Project in Music
Submitted by:
Keithlyn Gjhoi P. Ibias
VII – Sampaguita B
Submitted to:
Ms. Cindy O. Ibo
MAPEH Teacher

2. KINABAN – A musical instrument common to many regions in Asia is the jaw harp or
mouth harp, often referred to as "jew's harp". The jaw harp is a slim bamboo instrument
approximately of ball-pen size, of different shapes and lengths varying from 10 cm. to
40 cm.
AGUNG ENSEMBLE – is a set of two wide-
rimmed, vertically-suspended gongs used by the
Maguindanao, Maranao and Tausug people of the
Philippines as a supportive instrument in kulintang
ensembles. The agung is also ubiquitous among
other groups found in Mindanao, Sabah, Sarawak
and Kalimantan as an integral part of the agung
orchestra.
BABANDIL - abandil or Babandir, in the Philippines, is a
kind of musical instrument. It is part of the so-called
Kulintang Ensemble. The other instruments included in
this ensemble are the Kulintang, Agong, Gandingan, and
Dabakan. The Babandil is a small metal gong that is
struck by a wooden stick on its side producing a high-
frequency sound. It serves as the pace-keeper in the
ensemble. It is usually played first when starting
kulintang music.
ARUDING - This musical
instrument can be made by using
a bolo or "itak". A stick of
bamboo is carved and a pebble is
stuck to help produce the sound
while an extract of honey is used
to put the pieces together. An

3. ideal tool to make this delicate instrument would be a small knife because the intricate
design of the instrument demands the use of a thin, sharp object.
KALUTANG = This is a kind of musical
instrument found in the province of
Marinduque. The "Kalutang" consists of two
pieces of wood, graduated in sizes, to produce
different note ranges, with which bands of 10
to 12 people make music. A pair of percussion
bars which are struck against each other at
specific angles to produce a pitch. These
sticks are a part of an entire ensemble of
kalutang which when playing together
produce melodies. The instrument is cut from
the kwatingan tree which grows in
Marinduque. This specimen was taken from
the kalutang band of Tirso who is a well-
known kalutang player.
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.

4. SULING
bamboo which has very thin surface. The head of suling, near a small hole, is circled with
a thin-band made of rattan or rotan to produce air vibration.
PAGANG - The skin of a single node of bamboo is raised. The strings are raised with
frets underneath. A ring of woven bamboo strips is placed at the end of the bamboo
node to keep the strings from further stripping. There is a crack on one side of the
bamboo to allow the sound to vibrate along the length of the instrument. It is played
by plucking the strings.
BASAL (GONG)
two big gongs, agung, and a pair of
small ringed gongs, sanang, hang
from the wall plates, while the drum,
gimbal, rests on the lateral platform
ready to be played, mainly at dusk
and at night time. This collective
ownership, enhances the
consanguinal ties and the solidarity
binding the people together.

5. KUSYAPI rument is significant to the Museums collection as it is
representative of music making and instrument making in the Philippines, in Southeast
Asia, as well as being an example of the type of instrument that traditional music is
played on.
TUGANANG - A single node of bamboo cut midway to form two vibrating tongues.
The body is incised with the ancient Palaw’an script. It is struck against the palm and is
played as a solo instrument.

6. Kudyapi (guitar of flute) A kudyapi is a
stringed instrument similar to a lute; it
features two strings that are manipulated
when the instrument is played. The
kudyapi is made of wood, and most
measure between four and six feet long.
The instrument is native to the Philippines,
where many residents learn to play the
traditional instrument. Traditionally, a man
with the plan of proposing to a woman
would firstly have to impress her with his
musical skills on the kudyapi. Of course,
these practices are no longer widespread, but the kudyapi remains a part of the local
culture in the Philippines.
Korlong (fiddle) A fiddle is any
bowed string musical instrument,
most often the violin. It is also a
colloquial term for the instrument
used by players in all genres,
including classical music. Fiddle
playing, or fiddling, refers to various
styles of music. Common distinctions
between violins and fiddles reflect
the differences in the instruments
used to play classical and folk music.
However, it is not uncommon for
classically trained violinists to play folk music, and today many fiddle players have some
classical training. A lot of traditional (folk) styles are aural traditions, so are taught 'by
ear' rather than with written music.
Guimbal and Tugo (drums) A tugo is a
musical percussion instrument native to
the Philippines, where it is still played by
many residents. It is large and shaped like
a guitar, but made completely of wood.
The lower part of the instrument is hollow,
but unlike the guitar the tugo has no hole
for the sound to come out of. The player
of the tugo can adjust the strings on the
instrument to produce different pitched
sounds as they hit the tugo base with their
hands or a beater. The tugo could be

7. broadly classed as a percussion instrument (although it does feature strings).
Buktot (lutes) - a word in the filipino language generally meaning a humpbacked
person. The instrument resonator, usually a coconut shell, resembles a hunchback! The
buktot is a Visayan Guitar
Litguit (violins) A litguit instrument is a
traditional Filipino instrument that is used to
make percussion sounds that resemble those
of maracas. The instrument has a long, thin
wooden handle, and, when it is played, it is
struck with another long, slim piece of wood to
produce the distinctive sound. Traditional
musical instruments evoke the spirit of their
"home" countries, adding beauty and
uniqueness to traditional folk music or more
modern musical compositions. Today, many
musicians use traditional Filipino musical
instruments to add special elements to rock,
jazz, or pop music.