HISTORY:
Karinding
is a Sundanese traditional musical instrument made of bamboo which is
categorized as a folk game, which as the story goes there’s been in Sundanese
Land since 600 years ago before the invention of Kecapi. Karinding formerly
used by the ancestor to repel pests in the rice fields because karinding have a
low decible sounds that destructive pest concentration. Karinding not only used
for the benefit of farm out the rice field, but Sundanese anchestor played it
in ritual or ceremonial.
Karinding is one of the traditional
wind instrument Sunda, Indonesian nation. There are several places which is
famous as the origin of the creation of this Karinding, in the village
citamiang, pasirmukti tasikmalaya and lewo Malangbong Karinding arrowroot is
made from tree bark kawung materials (palm tree). In contrast to the limbangan
and wax ci bandung, Karinding made of wooden splinters a tree.
Karinding yore used by women to
implant the hair in the plug in gulunag, while Karinding made of palm tree in
use by men, its shorter form for the purpose can be saved in the pocket of
antiquity in use as a place of mangroves , there are three sections in
Karinding
Type of the material & type of
karinding design showed differences age, place, and as differences of the
gender user. Material such as bamboo is more like pin of a women bun, this is
for women because it is said that they keep it plugged in their bun. While the
man using the midrib of palm tree with shorter size because they are usually
stored in a tobacco storage.
Generally karinding have a size of
10cm long and 2cm wide. However, this measure doesn’t apply absolute; depending
the taste of the user and the maker. Karinding divided into 3 segment: the
first segment is a place to tap karinding and it cause vibrations in the middle
segment. In the middle segment there’s a section of bamboo that cut to vibrate
when the karinding tapped with finger. And the third segment (far left) serves
as a handle. Gamelan Degung - Classical Music Of Sunda, West Java
This
instrument was endangered extinction, but as the time goes, finally karinding
can be saved thanks to Abah Olot & assisted by “death metal” community in
Bandung to be reintroduced to the society, especially young people.
Endang
Sugriwa is his real name, but many people knew him as Abah Olot. He was the man
who meritorious in preserving karinding in West Java. Abah Olot have the
expertise to make and play karinding, his expertise is hereditary legacy that
he obtained from his family.
In
1940-1960’s, karinding familiar in Sundanese People’s lives. Karinding usually
played to entertain the farmers after hasvesting rice or when drying the crop.
Karinding usually played in the evening as a form of joy over the crop that
gets. In addition, karinding also played when the farmers watch over the rice
fields, because insects usually get away when the karinding played.
After
the 1970’s the rise of modern musical instrumental, influence the peoples music
taste from the city to the villages. Karinding who often played after the rice
harvest, or in ritual/traditional ceremonies such as wedding or circumcision,
started to disappear.
Entering
the era of the 1990’s, karinding was disappeared as if swallowed by the
earth. The lack of knowledge and publications about karinding be one
factor in this decline of traditional musical instruments. Karinding
in 1990’s only sustainable in a small number of families just because many
parents and young people who assume there was useless playing karinding.
Because
have a responsibility feeling to preserve karinding, Abah Olot establish
Sundanese traditional music group named Giri Kéréncéng located in Desa
Cimanggung Kecamatan Parakan Muncang, Kabupaten Sumedang. In his
house, Abah Olot with the help of five craftsman make karinding & other
musical instrument made of bamboo, such as Celempung (a sort of kecapi), Toleat
(similar with flute), and Kokol (similar with kulintang) where those tools is
an instrument that played to accompany the karinding sound.
Along
with the almost extinction of karinding, Abah Olot was trying to bring the
youth in his village to play karinding. Although many people who reject it, but
Abah Olot keep trying to promote karinding to various regions in West Java. The
results of his effort to promote & introduce karinding finally prospected.
In 2008, coincide with the anniversary of Bandung City, he met the creative
community of young people who joined in “Bandung Commonrooms" who asked
Abah Olot traditional musical group to play karinding in public.
Starting
from there, many young people who became interested & want to learn to play
karinding to Abah Olot. In the same year, formed music group “KARINDING ATTACK”
which have eight member. KARINDING ATTACK personnel isn’t a traditional
sundanese artists. They come from the underground music community and death
metal that is often considered “budak baong” (bad boy) by most of people. Abah
Olot is the person who actualy teach them how to play karinding.
The
result, in various of rock & punk music perfomances, like at Bandung
Deathmetal Festival in October 2009, KARINDING ATTACK also participate to play
karinding with their own style. Starting from this death metal community,
finally karinding became popular among young people and many of musical group
and community emerge to play karinding, such as KARMILA (Karinding Militan),
MARKIPAT (Mari Kita Merapat), REPUBLIK BATUJAJAR, and KARINDING SKATEBOARD.
KINDS OF
KARINDING:
There are two kinds of karinding, is
it:
1. Karinding lanang
made of palm tree, and produce a louder sound, and usually
played by men
2. Karinding wadon
made of bamboo, and produce the sound on the contrary, other
than as a musical instrument, this instrument can also be used as
a hairpin for women
HOW TO PLAY
KARINDING :
Method
of playing karinding is farly simple, namely by attaching the middle segment in
front of the mouth that slightly open, then tapped or hit right most end of the
karinding segment with one finger up until “the needle” that placed in the
middle segment start to vibrating intensely. From vibration or vibra of “the
needle” that is what produced the sound that later in resonance by mouth. Sound
that produced will depend on the oral cavity, breathing, and tongue of each
player.
HOW TO MAKE
KARINDING:
Tools and Materials:
1. Bamboo
2. Knife
3. Saw
4. Sandpaper
5. Pencil
6. Cleaver
Steps:
- - First, split bamboo around 12cm
- - Second, measure the bamboo using a finger, three
fingers of eachmark using a pencil, until there are three
parts
- - After that, cut each boundary using a
saw (do not get broken), then shaved the middle of
each section to form a rectangular space.
- - Then, shaved the back of karinding with knife
- And then, make a holes in the middle of
bamboo, and form a line,two lines, if it completed, trim
the area around the line with the hole using a knife,
- then, check the sound
- - Last, trim Karinding, and Karinding ready
to play.
WHEN TO HEAR:
first, Karinding used only for insect repellent, for rituals, and some
traditional ceremonies, but now we can hear Karinding
anywhere in the Sundanese music, or we can hear the
songs from the band "Karinding Attack" (the most
popular music and group band with KARINDING) and other band of karinding.
WHERE TO GET:
1. Death
metal/Underground accessories store (Rottrevore(my recommendation store)) start
from Rp 35.000,00
2. Karinding Craftsman start from Rp
15.000,00
3. Online shop (tokobagus.com) start from Rp 50.000,00
this is a one of karinding group.. let's see..
if you see at the video, there is any other musical instrumental. there is :
TOLEAT
Toleat is like suling bambu, but toleat have a big sound like bass more than bass sound from suling bambu. the diameters of toleat is more big than suling bambu.
CELEMPUNG
Celempung is made of bamboo. it like kacapi but the sound of celempung more big and if you want to play it, you must hit the top of celempung, not plucked like playing kacapi
