CORDILLERA'S MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

Gangsa

It is a single hand-held smooth-surfaced gong with a narrow rim. A set of gangsa, which is played one gong per musician, consists of gangsa tuned to different notes, depending on regional or local cultural preferences. The number of gangsa in a set varies with availability, and depends on the tradition of a particular ethnic group of the Luzon Cordillera: Kalinga, Ifugao, Bontoc, etc.Among the Kalinga people in the Cordillera region of Luzon Island, the gangsa is played in two ways. One way is called "toppaya" and the other is called "pattung." In "toppaya" style, the musicians play the surface of the gangsa with their hand while in a sitting position, with a single gangsa resting on the lap of each musician. In the "pattung" style, a gangsa is suspended from the musician's left hand and played with a padded stick held in the musician's right hand. In the "pattung" style of playing, the players are standing, or they keep in step with the dancers while bending forward slightly.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gangsa)

Kalaleng or Tongali (nose flute)

    Because the kalaleng is long and has a narrow internal diameter, it is possible to play different harmonics through overblowing—even with the rather weak airflow from one nostril. Thus, this nose flute can play notes in a range of two and a half octaves. Finger holes in the side of the bamboo tube change the operating length, giving various scales. Players plug the other nostril to increase the force of their breath through the flute.

Tongatong

It is a bamboo percussion instrument used by the people of Kalinga to communicate with spirits during house blessings. It is made of bamboo cut in various lengths. When you hit it against soft earth a certain drone reverberates though the instrument's open mouth. When an entire set of Tongatong is played in interloping rhythm and prolonged with the tribal chanting, it could put the audience and the dancers in a trance.

 (http://philippinesheritage.ph/filer/toledo-cebu/Cordillera-Musical-Instruments.pdf)

Diwas (Dad-ayu (Balangaw), Diwdiwas (Bontoc), Saggeypo (Kalinga), Dewdew-as (Tingguian) 

    It is a native bamboo wind instrument in the Philippines which is a variation of the well-known panflutes or panpipes. It is made of bamboo with one of its end closed via the node of the bamboo. It also does not have finger holes (or tone holes) which is unlike popular aerophones like flutes that have finger holes or tone holes to play different pitches on the instrument. But Diwas compensate on this by grouping pipes of graduated length together. So to produce sound with varying pitch, you shift from one pipe to another.

( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diwas)

Saggeypo

    In Kalinga, Saggeypo and Diwas are the same because Saggeypo is the individual pipes in Diwas. There is no significant difference in the physical features of Saggeypo and Diwas. However, since Diwas is a group of Saggeypo strung together, the lengths of the pipe are more fixed.

    It is a bamboo pipe that is closed on one end by a node with the open end held against the lower lip of the player as he blows directly across the top. The pipe can be played individually by one person or in ensembles of three or more. 

(http://philippinesheritage.ph/filer/toledo-cebu/Cordillera-Musical-Instruments.pdf

Solibao

    It is hallow wooden Igorot drug topped with pig skin or lizard skin this is played by striking the drum head using the palm of the hand. A head is stretched over one side of a drum shell made by hollowing out a long piece of wood. The head is tied to the body by a piece of rattan and tightened. The player holds the instrument at an angle to the body and plays by striking. It is played together with gongs and the like to form a sulibao ensemble.

(http://philippinesheritage.ph/filer/toledo-cebu/Cordillera-Musical-Instruments.pdf)

Bungkaka

    It is a percussion instrument (idiophone) made out of bamboo common in numerous indigenous tribes around the Philippines such as the Ifugao, Kalinga, and Ibaloi. The instrument is constructed from a length of buho (bamboo) with a node at the bottom end.     The upper half is shaped such that there are two tongues facing each other, while the bottom end acts as a (acoustic resonance|resonator chamber)

    It is also known as:bamboo buzzer, avakao (Bontok), balingbing, ubbeng (Kalinga), pewpew (Ifugao), bilbil, pahinghing, pautaw (Isneg, Tingguian), pakkung (Ibaloi)

Kullitong/Kolitong
    A Kolitong is a bamboo polychordal tube zither from Bontok, Kalinga, Philippines 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. In the Kalinga group, men play the Kolitong at night as a solo instrument

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolitong

REFERENCES:

·        Wikipedia”GANGSA”(2015,March).Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gangsa

·        Wikipedia”KALALENG”(2016,October 30) Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalaleng

·        Wikipedia”DIWAS”(2016,December 14) Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diwas

·        Wikipedia”BUNGKAKA”(2016,September 4) Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bungkaka

·        Kalinga Music “Music Lecture”(2010,July 25) Retrieved from: https://sppcfreshmen20102011.wordpress.com/2010/07/25/kalinga-music/

·        Wikipedia”KULLITONG”(2015,November 7) Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolitong

·        Musiko Cordillera”CORDILLERA’S MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS”(2013,February25) Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolitong