How the agung makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the agung belongs to the struck idiophones: the body is struck directly – bells, gongs, xylophones and cymbals.
More broadly it is one of the idiophones, where the solid body of the instrument itself vibrates, without strings or a stretched membrane.
Press play above and watch the spectrum: the evenly spaced peaks are harmonics, and their relative strength is what gives the instrument its character.
From Wikipedia
The agung, also transliterated as agong, is a set of two wide-rimmed, vertically suspended gongs used by the Maguindanao, Maranao, Sama-Bajau and Tausug people of the Philippines as a supportive instrument in kulintang ensembles. The agung is also ubiquitous among other groups found in Palawan, Panay, Mindoro, Mindanao, Sabah, Sulawesi, Sarawak and Kalimantan as an integral part of the agung orchestra.
Other struck idiophones
Frequently asked questions
What does an agung sound like?
As one of the struck idiophones, its sound comes from the way the body is struck directly.
What type of instrument is the agung?
It is classified as struck idiophones (Hornbostel–Sachs 111.241.2).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q398619 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Agung – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Philip Dominguez Mercurio (PhilipDM) – CC BY-SA 2.5