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Name: BONANG / KEROMONG
Classification: idiophone
Origin: Javanese

    Bonang Set
    Photo credits: Julie Tan

    The bonang is made up of a set of small knobbed gongs which are placed horizontally on a rack in two rows. They are a part of a family of rack gong sets, all of which are similar but different in the number and sizes of gongs used as well as in the number of rows.

    Lower octave bonang                   Higher octave bonang
    Lower octave bonang  Higher octave bonang
    Photo credits: Ministry of Culture, Arts and Tourism of Malaysia

    The names by which these sets are known depend on their construction and function in a given music ensemble. Besides the bonang, the horizontal rack gong sets are called kenong, canang, caklempong, engkeromong and kulintangan. (Matusky 1985).

    Mallets
    Bonang / Keromong Mallets
    Photo credits: Ministry of Culture, Arts and Tourism of Malaysia