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:
- - 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
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 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 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