Name: GEDOMBAK
Classification: membranophone
Origin: South East Asia

Photo credits: Julie Tan

The gedombak is a goblet shaped single-headed drum found in Malay folk music. The frame is made from one type of hard wood, usually jackfruit tree wood or angsana.   The wider end is covered by goat skin which functions as a sound producer, tensioned using woven rattan strings. The other end is left open.

In the performance context, the gedombak is played in pairs, called Gendang Ibu (Mother Drum) and Gendang Anak (Child Drum). Gedombak Ibu is able to produce a lower pitch than the Gedombak Anak, but both have the same frame size. The drumheads are struck with one hand, while the other is used to stabilize the mnemonic sounds like 'doh', 'phat', and 'ting'. They are usually played by two players, accompanying traditional theatre such as Wayang Kulit and Menora. (Nik Mustapha, 1998).


AUDIO EXAMPLE
Sound of the gedombak
(Courtesy of Ang Yaw Feng)

 

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