Changgo consists of an hourglass-shaped body with two heads made from animal skin. The two heads produce sounds of different pitch and timbre, which when played together are believed to represent the harmony of man and woman.

Origin place:

Korea

Year of origin:
 57 BC–935 AD

Process of developing:

Jorongmok is the round tube in the middle connecting the left and right side of the hourglass-shaped body. The two skin heads are lapped onto metal hoops placed over the open ends of the body and secured by rope counter-loops.

How to use:

Traditionally the janggu is played using yeolchae on the right hand high pitch area and uses the bare hand on the low pitch area.

Interesting point:

 The performer can use his or her hands as well as sticks, various sounds and tempi, deep and full, soft and tender, and menacing sounds, and fast and slow beats, can be created to suit the mood of the audience.

By: Sorenson Yeo(31) and Nong Yu Qiao(29)
Class: S1/09

Where:

Why:

How:

When:

By: Enya Joy Tey(4) and Soh Rui Chin(15)
Class: 109

WHERE & WHY:
     In the early stage of the production, the drum was mainly used for activities related to religion, military, communication , folk customs, ceremonies, etc., and it was a practical function. Later, with its rich sound and vivid rhythm, people began to use the drum as an aesthetic object, used in daily entertainment or folk dance music and dance music, the drum began to have the expressive power of music art .

   Since the beginning of history, drums have often been used as accompaniment instruments or props for folk dances. Drums are the main role of dance. They control the rhythm and inspire the dance emotions with loud drums. Drums are an important instrument in various ethnic instrumental music. For example, the percussion ensemble in the ensemble is a form of pure ensemble composed of percussion instruments, including the gongs and drums in the large sets of drums  Under the combination of different drums and other percussion instruments, the rich and complex tone, rhythm and intensity change, showing a passionate or light and lively atmosphere.

HOW:
   Paigu are usually played with two people.  It is played by beating the heads (and sometimes also the body) with sticks. Most drums are double-sided and turnable. Both sides have different tunings. The reason for the four-five degree relationship is that although only one side is tapped while playing, the drum skin on the other side is not static and will resonate. Therefore, the two sides of the drums are fixed as the Concord interval
 

   On the one hand, it is easy to fix the sound, on the other hand, the pronunciation can be pure, because the sound of the tapping is the material of the music itself, making the sound sound and pleasant, with a clear rhythm . 

 Presented By: 
 Raeanne Tay (17) and Lee Jiaying (7),  Class: 109

The balafon is generally capable of producing 18 to 21 notes, though some are built to produce many fewer notes (16, 12, 8 or even 6 and 7).
WHAT:
The balafon is a kind of xylophone or percussion idiophone which plays melodic tunes, and usually has between 16 and 27 keys.

WHERE: It has been played in Africa since the 12th century according to oral stories; it originated in Mali, according to the Manding history narrated by the griot
HOW:
Balafon keys are traditionally made from bacna wood, dried slowly over a low flame, and then tuned by shaving off bits of wood from the underside of the keys. Wood is taken off the middle to flatten the key or the end to sharpen it.
WHY:
The wood is then kiln-baked to ensure no moisture remains. The skill involved in making and playing these instruments is immense. They are often made by craftsmen who have no small hand tools.


Interesting Points:
        As the balafon cultures vary across West Africa, so does the approach to the instrument itself. In many areas the balafon is played alone in a ritual context, in others as part of an ensemble. In Guinea and Mali, the balafon is often part of an ensemble of three, pitched low, medium and high. In Cameroon, six balafon of varying size perform together in an orchestra, called a komenchang

Done by : Wei Ling 02 
                  & Jia Li 21
Class: 109

• a musical instrument of Indonesia, that is used in the gamelan.

• normally has seven bronze bars placed on top of a resonating frame (rancak)

• usually about 20 cm (8 in) high, and is played on the floor by a seated performer

HOW: 

• a single hammer-shaped wooden beater (tabuh) is used to strike the keys 

WHY:

• holes for anchoring the keys on its casing are drilled at one-quarter of a key’s total length from each end (which are nodal points in the mode of vibration for rectangular keys)

• The keys rest on the top edge of the resonator’s sideboards, separated from it by cube-shaped cushions made of folded rattan

• the keys and their cushions are anchored in place with pins (made from nails) that run through the holes in the keys and the cushions beneath them into the wooden sideboard  

WHEN: 

• it is used in the gamelan which is the traditional ensemble music of Java and Bali in Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussive instruments.

WHERE:

•Origin: Borobudur in the 9th century

INTERESTING FACTS: 

• In a pelog scale, the bars often read 1-2-3-5-6-7 across (the number four is not used because of its relation to death)

Done by: Cadence Koh (01) & Chen Pingxin (03)
Class: 109

Where: Originated from Tang Dynasty in China (Year 618- 907), introduced to China more than 1000 years ago from invaders from the North and the West which is Modern-day Mongolia and Russia.

Why: It is fully standardised and developed in the 1900s and is the most iconic and representative of Huqins.

How: The erhu is played with the bow lodged between its two strings. Rosin is applied to the erhu bow and movement of the bow hair against the erhu strings produces the different sounds, through the different actions. It does not have a fingerboard, which makes it more difficult to control the pitch. However, it allows for more dramatic expressions as well as richer palette of tone colours.

When: It was used for Orchestra performances for its soothing yet powerful sounds.

Interesting points: 

-Due to its resemblance in function to the violin, it is occasionally called the “Chinese Violin”.

Done by Xuan Ling (9) and Zi Xin (10)
Class: 109

•Ghatam meaning comes from the word <i>ghata</i> in Sanskrit, meaning pot.

•The ghatam as an instrument was first described by Sage Valmiki in the ancient poem Ramayana, dated roughly 500 CE.

•The ghatam began as a folk instrument in several parts of India and remains a prominent part of many folk traditions today, particularly in Punjab.

• It was only until the 19th century that the ghatam was included in South Indian Carnatic classical music performances.
How to play a ghatam?:
It is played with the heel of the palms and the fingers, while held in the lap, the mouth facing the stomach of the musician. By changing the distance between the pot and the stomach, the musician can vary the tone of the instrument. 
Done by: keon(33),zening(35)