The Angklung is an Indonesian musical instrument made up of two to four bamboo tubes, suspended in a bamboo frame, bound with a rattan cord. The tubes are cut and whittled by a master craftsperson to make specific notes when the frame is tapped or shaken.
Each tube produces a single note, so several Angklung players must collaborate in order to play melodies. Music derived from the angklung has become vital to the cultural identity of Sundanese communities. It is popular throughout the world, but it originated in West Java and Banten provinces, and the Sundanese have played it for centuries. Taking part in an orchestra of angklung players promotes teamwork, respect, and harmony, and is accepted as a symbol of social harmony.
Dr. Groneman stated that the angklung was already the favorite musical instrument of the entire archipelago before the Hindu period. Dewi Sri, the goddess of fertility, was honored with the angklung in ceremonies during the Hindu period and the Kingdom of Sunda to bring her blessings and protect the land, the people, and nature. The angklung was also played to signal when prayers were to be held, and it has been played since the 7th century in the Kingdom of Sunda as martial music during the Battle of Bubat, according to the Kidung Sunda. Angklung has also been adopted by its Austronesian neighbors, including Malaysia and the Philippines, where it is played as part of bamboo xylophone orchestras.
The famous music teacher Daeng Soetigna developed an angklung based on the diatonic scale in 1938 instead of the traditional pélog or sléndro scales. Sutigna's angklung is now used for education and entertainment in addition to accompanying Western instruments in an orchestra. Education is often passed orally from generation to generation, and increasingly through educational institutions. Angklung music promotes cooperation, mutual respect, and artistic and musical feelings, along with discipline, responsibility, concentration, and the development of imagination and memory.
Today, angklung has developed into a traditional and modern musical instrument, which is in demand not only in Indonesia but also in other parts of the world. According to the Baduy/Kanekes Tribe, (the last remaining remnant of the old Sundanese), the tradition of playing angklung as a form of asking for fertility and rice prosperity is still carried out.