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{{Short description|Southeast Asian traditional instrument}}{{About|the traditional instrument|the Philippine province|Kumintang  (historical polity){{!}}Kumintang|the Taiwanese political party|Kuomintang}}{{Infobox Instrument
|name=''Kulintang''
|names=Calculintang, Gulingtangan, Kolintang, Kulintangan, [[Tifa totobuang|Totobuang]]
|image=Mindanao Bangsamoro Islamic Musical Instruments.jpg
|caption= A ''kulintang'' ensemble of the [[Maranao people]] with elaborate ''[[okir]]'' carvings in the [[Museum of the Filipino People]]
|image_size            = 260px
|classification=
*[[Percussion instrument]]
*[[Idiophone]]
*[[Gong]]
|range= [[Pelog]] and [[Slendro]] scales
|related= [[bonang]],<ref name=Frame>Frame, Edward M.. "The Musical Instruments of Sabah, Malaysia." Ethnomusicology 26(1982):</ref> [[kenong]], canang, keromong,<ref name= Matusky2/> kromong, [[kethuk]],<ref name=Embassy >{{cite web
 | year = 2007
 | url = http://www.indonesian-embassy.de/en/culture/ethnic_music.htm
 | title = Ethnic Music
 | publisher = Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Berlin – Germany
 | access-date = February 22, 2007
 | archive-date = July 19, 2011
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110719043936/http://www.indonesian-embassy.de/en/culture/ethnic_music.htm
 | url-status = dead
 }}</ref> trompong/terompong, rejong, [[talempong]],<ref name=Maceda2>Maceda, Jose. Gongs and Bamboo: A Panorama of Philippine Music Instruments. Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press, 1998.</ref> chalempung, caklempong/caklempung,<ref name= Matusky2/> khong wong yai/khong wong lek, khong toch/ khong thom, khong vong, krewaing/krewong<ref name=Cadar3>Cadar, Usopay Hamdag (1971). The Maranao Kolintang Music: An Analysis of the Instruments, Musical Organization, Ethmologies, and Historical Documents. Seattle, WA: University of Washington.</ref>
|developed= [[Javanese people|Javanese]] influence, [[Brunei]],<ref name=Brunei1>{{cite book|editor=Brunei. Jabatan Penyiaran dan Penerangan|title=Brunei Darussalam, Issues 1-41|publisher=Department of Information, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Brunei Darussalam|year=1985}}</ref><ref name=MuziumBrunei>{{cite book|editor=Matussin bin Omar|title=Archaeological Excavations in Protohistoric Brunei Penerbitan khas|publisher=Muzium Brunei|year=1981}}</ref> [[Indonesia]],<ref name=Sachs>Sachs, Curt. The History of Musical Instruments. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., Inc, 1940.</ref><ref name=Kunst>Kunst, Jaap. Music in Java. 2. Netherlands: The Hague, 1949.</ref><ref name=Cadar3/> [[Malaysia]],<ref>KULINTANGAN: A STUDY OF PRODUCTION PROCESS
2019Adsone Matthew Mitty Gabu Gabu10.35631/ijham.25007International Journal of Heritage, Art and Multimedia</ref> [[Philippines]]<ref name=Philippines20>Abdullah, Samsuddin N. PhD. (2020) History, development and influence of kulintang music to the cultural heritage (adat-betad) of Maguindanaon.</ref><ref name=Philippines22>Tremillio, Ricardo (1972). Tradition and repertoire in the cultivated music of the Tausug of Sulu, Philippines</ref> and [[Timor-Leste]]
|musicians=
|articles=
* [[Gamelan]] 
* [[Talempong]]
* [[Piphat]]
}}
{{Infobox music genre
| name              = Kulintang ensemble
| stylistic_origins = [[Music of Southeast Asia]]  • [[Music of Brunei]]• [[Music of Indonesia]] • [[Music of Malaysia]] • [[Music of Philippines]] • [[Music of Timor-Leste]]
| cultural_origins  = [[Brunei]], [[Indonesia]], [[Malaysia]], [[Mindanao|Southern Philippines]], [[Timor-Leste]]
| instruments       = Kulintang • [[Agung]] • [[Gandingan]] • [[Babandil]] • [[Dabakan]]
| derivatives       =
| subgenrelist      =
| subgenres         =
| regional_scenes   =
| other_topics      = 
}}
{{Music of Indonesia}}
'''Kulintang''' ({{langx|id|kolintang}},<ref>{{cite web | title = Kolintang | work = Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia | quote = kolintang /ko·lin.tang/ n Mus alat musik pukul yang terdiri atas bilah-bilah kayu yang disusun berderet dan dipasang di atas sebuah bak kayu (seperti gambang), terutama terdapat di Sulawesi Utara | url = https://kbbi.kemdikbud.go.id/entri/kolintang | language = id}}</ref> {{langx|ms|kulintangan}}<ref>{{cite web | title = Kulintangan | work = Oxford Music Online | year = 2015 | doi = 10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.L2281450 | quote =Gong chime of Sabah, Malaysia. Found throughout Sabah, but especially in the coastal communities, the kulintangan is a set of small, brass, pot-shaped bossed gongs placed horizontally (with boss upward) in a single row in a wooden frame. Along the west coast seven to nine gongs constitute a set, and on the east coast a set can have five to seven or more gongs. Sometimes the gongs are decorated with embossed geometric patterns. The player sits on the floor before the frame and plays the gongs with a pair of wooden beaters| url = https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-4002281450| last1 = Matusky | first1 = Patricia | isbn = 978-1-56159-263-0 }}</ref>)
is a modern term for an ancient instrumental form of music composed on a row of small, horizontally laid [[gong]]s that function melodically, accompanied by larger, suspended gongs and [[drum]]s. 

As part of the larger [[gong-chime]] culture of [[Southeast Asia]], kulintang music ensembles have been playing for many centuries in regions of the [[Mindanao|Southern Philippines]], [[East Malaysia|Eastern Malaysia]], [[Regions of Indonesia#Eastern Indonesia|Eastern Indonesia]],  [[Brunei]] and [[Timor]],<ref name="Amin">{{cite web
 | last = Amin
 | first = Mohammad
 | year = 2005
 | url = https://sulawesistudies.blogspot.com/2005/09/comparison-of-music-of-philippines-and.html
 | title = A Comparison of Music of the Philippines and Sulawesi
 | publisher = Sulawesi
 | access-date = February 22, 2007
}}</ref> Kulintang evolved from a simple native signaling tradition, and developed into its present form with the incorporation of knobbed gongs from [[Sundanese people]] in [[Java Island]], [[Indonesia]].<ref name=Cadar3/> Its importance stems from its association with the indigenous cultures that inhabited these islands prior to the influences of [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]], [[Islam]], [[Christianity]] or [[Western world|the West]], making kulintang the most developed tradition of Southeast Asian archaic [[gong-chime]] ensembles.

Technically, ''kulintang'' is the [[Maguindanao people|Maguindanaon]], [[Lumad people|Lumad]] [[Ternate]], [[Moluccas]], and Timor term for the [[idiophone]] of metal gong kettles which are laid horizontally upon a rack to create an entire kulintang set.<ref name="Benitez">Benitez, Kristina. The Maguindanaon Kulintang: Musical Innovation, Transformation and the Concept of Binalig. Ann Harbor, MI: University of Michigan, 2005.</ref> It is played by striking the bosses of the gongs with two wooden beaters. Due to its use across a wide variety groups and languages, the ''kulintang'' is also called ''kolintang'' by the people of  [[Maranao]] and [[Sulawesi]], ''kulintango'' by [[Mongondow people|Mongondow]],<ref name="Prasetyadi 2021 j728">{{cite news | last=Prasetyadi | first=Kristian Oka | title=Menabuh Kulintango, Menyelamatkan Bintauna | work=kompas.id | date=2021-12-11 | url=https://www.kompas.id/baca/nusantara/2021/12/11/menabuh-kulintango-menyelamatkan-bintauna | language=id | access-date=2023-11-07}}</ref> ''[[Tifa totobuang|totobuang]]'' by those in central [[Maluku Islands|Maluku]], ''kulintangan'' and ''gulintangan'' by those in [[Brunei]], [[Sabah]], [[North Kalimantan]] and the [[Sulu Archipelago]].<ref name=Cadar1>Cadar, Usopay H.. "The Role of Kolintang Music in Maranao Society." ''Asian Music'' Vol. 27, No. 2. (Spring – Summer, 1996), pp. 80–103.</ref> Gulintangan or gulingtangan literally means rolling hands in [[Brunei]], [[Sabah]] and [[Sulu]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fass.ubd.edu.bn/SEA/vol14/SEA-v14-facal.pdf|title=Silat martial ritual initiation in Brunei Darussalam}}</ref>

By the twentieth century, the term ''kulintang'' had a  come to denote an entire Maguindanao ensemble of five or six instruments.<ref name=Cadar2>Cadar, Usopay Hamdag. "Maranao Kolintang Music and Its Journey in America." ''Asian Music'' 27(1996): 131–146.</ref> Traditionally the Maguindanao term for the entire ensemble is ''basalen'' or ''palabunibunyan'', the latter term meaning “an ensemble of loud instruments” or “music-making” or in this case “music-making using a kulintang.”<ref name=Aga2>{{cite web
 |last        = Butocan
 |first       = Aga Mayo
 |year        = 2007
 |url         = http://www.skyinet.net/~taomusic/taomusic/tao_maguindanao.html
 |title       = Maguindanao Kulintang
 |publisher   = Tao Music
 |access-date  = February 22, 2007
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20070705125351/http://www.skyinet.net/~taomusic/taomusic/tao_maguindanao.html
 |archive-date = July 5, 2007
}}</ref>

==Geographic extent==

[[Image:Gong and Chime Culture Map.jpg|thumb|left|275px|Map of kulintang music in [[Southeast Asia]].]]

Kulintang belongs to the larger unit/stratum of “knobbed gong-chime culture” prevalent in [[Southeast Asia]]. It is considered one of the region's three major gong ensembles, alongside the [[gamelan]] of western Indonesia and [[piphat]] of [[Thailand]], [[Burma]], [[Cambodia]] and [[Laos]], which use gongs and not [[wind instrument|wind]] or [[string instrument|string]] instruments to carry the melodic part of the ensemble. Like the other two, kulintang music is primarily [[orchestral]] with several rhythmic parts orderly stacked one upon another. It is also based upon the [[pentatonic scale]]. However, kulintang music differs in many aspects from [[gamelan]] music, primarily in the way the latter constructs melodies within a framework of skeletal tones and prescribed time interval of entry for each instruments. The framework of kulintang music is more flexible and time intervals are nonexistent, allowing for such things as improvisations to be more prevalent.<ref name=Maceda2/>

Because kulintang-like ensembles extended over various groups with various languages, the term used for the horizontal set of gongs varied widely. Along with it begin called kulintang, it is also called kolintang, kolintan, kulintangan,<ref name=Sutton>Sutton, R. Anderson. "Reviewed Work: Sama de Sitangkai by Alan Martenot and Jose Maceda." Ethnomusicology 27(1983):</ref> kwintangan, k’lintang, gong sembilan, gong duablas, momo, totobuang, nekara,<ref name=Kartomi1>Kartomi, Margeret J.. "Is Malaku still musicological "terra incognita." An overview of the music-cultures of the province of Maluku." Journal of Southeast Asian Studies 25(1994): 141–173.</ref> engkromong, kromong/enkromong and recently kakula/kakula nuada. Kulintang-like instruments are played by the [[Maguindanao people|Maguindanaon]]; the [[Maranao]], [[Iranun people|Iranun]], [[Hilltribes of Mindanao|Kalagan]], Kalibugan, [[Tboli people|Tboli]], [[Blaan people|Blaan]], [[Subanon people|Subanon]], and other [[Lumad]] tribes of Mindanao, the [[Tausūg people|Tausug]], [[Sama-Bajau people|Sama-Bajau]], [[Yakan people|Yakan]] and the [[Sangirese people|Sangir/Sangil]] of the [[Sulu archipelago]]; the [[Ambon, Maluku|Ambon]], [[Banda Islands|Banda]], [[Seram]], [[Ternate]], [[Tidore]], and Kei of Maluku; and the [[Bajau]], [[Tausūg people|Suluk]], [[Murut people|Murut]],<ref name=Garfias2 >{{cite web
 | last = Garfias
 | first = Robert
 | url = http://aris.ss.uci.edu/rgarfias/courses/philindo/listening.html
 | title = Music of Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines
 | work = Anthro 1385
 | publisher = University of California, Irvine
| access-date = February 22, 2007
|archive-url = https://archive.today/20070204234003/http://aris.ss.uci.edu/rgarfias/courses/philindo/listening.html |archive-date = February 4, 2007}}</ref> [[Kadazan people|Kadazan]]-[[Dusun people|Dusun]], Kadayah and Paitanic Peoples of [[Sabah]], the [[Malays (ethnic group)|Malays]] of Brunei, the [[Bidayuh]] and [[Iban people|Iban]]/[[Sea Dayaks|Sea Dayak]] of Sarawak, the [[Bolaang Mongondow language|Bolaang Mongondow]] and [[Kailinese]]/[[Toli-Toli]] of [[Sulawesi]] and other groups in [[Banjarmasin]] and [[Tanjung, South Kalimantan|Tanjung]]<ref name=Hans1>{{cite web
 | last = Brandeis
 | first = Hans
 | year = 2006
 | url = http://aedv.cs.tu-berlin.de/~brandeis/music.html
 | title = Photographs of Mindanao, Philippines
 | work = Gallery of Photographs from Mindanao, Philippines.
 | publisher = Filipino Association of Berlin
 | access-date = February 12, 2007
 | archive-date = February 16, 2005
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050216085618/http://aedv.cs.tu-berlin.de/~brandeis/music.html
 | url-status = dead
 }}</ref> in [[Kalimantan]] and [[Timor]].

==History==
[[File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Een groep mannen van de Ngadastam met trommels en gongs TMnr 10006043.jpg|thumb|left|280px|A group of men from the Ngada tribe with drums and gongs (Kulintang) in [[Ngada Regency|Ngada]], [[Flores]], [[Dutch East Indies]] ([[Indonesia]]). in 1913]]
[[File:Lumad Kulintang (Philippines).jpg|thumb|A [[Lumad people|Lumad]] kulintang ensemble from [[Bukidnon]] with the traditional carvings]]
[[File:Maranao agong.jpg|thumb|[[Maranao people|Maranao]] ''agong'']]
Kulintang music is considered an ancient tradition that predates the influences of [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]], [[Islam]], [[Christianity]], and [[Western world|the West]]. In the Philippines, it represents the highest form of gong music attained by [[Filipino people|Filipinos]]<ref name=Benitez/> and in [[North Maluku]], it is said to have existed for centuries.<ref name=Kartomi1/>

As ancient as this music is, there has never been substantial data recorded regarding the kulintang's origins.<ref name=Cadar3/> The earliest historical accounts of instruments resembling those of the present day kulintang are in the writings of various European explorers from the 16th century who would have seen such instruments used in passing.<ref name=Blair>Blair, Emma, and James Robertson. The Philippine Islands. Cleveland: The Arthur K. Clark Co, 1903.</ref><ref name=Forrest>[[Thomas Forrest (navigator)|Forrest, Thomas]]. ''A Voyage to New Guinea and the Moluccas: 1774–1776''. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press, 1969.</ref><ref name=Vives>Vives, E.D.. The Rio Grande of Mindanao. 2. Cagayan de Oro: Xavier University, 1995.</ref>

Because of limited data concerning gong music prior to European exploration, theories abound as to when the prototypes of what is now the kulintang came to be. One theory suggest that the bronze gong had an ancient history in Southeast Asia, arriving in the [[Indonesian archipelago]] two or even three thousand years ago, making its way to the Philippines from China in the third century AD.<ref name=Sachs>Sachs, Curt. The History of Musical Instruments. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., Inc, 1940.</ref> Another theory lays doubt to the former claim, suggesting the kulintang could not have existed prior to the 15th century due to the belief that [[Javanese people|Javanese]] (Indonesian) gong tradition, which is what the kulintang was believed to be derived from, developed only by the 15th century.<ref name=Skog>Skog, Inge. "North Borneo Gongs and the Javanese Gamelan." Ethnomusicology Research Digest 4(1993): 55–102.</ref>

In Borneo, the kulintang was originally played during the harvest festival and the Bruneian court. With the expansion of Bruneian empire which at some point encompassed the island of [[Borneo]] and souther Philippine, the tradition of kulintang was adopted by the inland Dayak tribes. With that, the tradition of kulintang was expanded to include various tribe ceremonies such as before and after head-hunting expeditions and silat.<ref name=Brunei1/><ref name=MuziumBrunei/>

Though different theories abound as to the exact centuries the kulintang was finally realized, there is a consensus that kulintang music developed from a foreign musical tradition which was borrowed and adapted to the indigenous music tradition already present in the area.<ref name=Maceda2/> It's likely the earliest gongs used among the indigenous populace had no recreational value but were simply used for making signals and sending messages.<ref name=Frame/>

Kulintang music likely evolved from this simple signaling tradition, transitioning into a period consisting of one player, one-gong type ensembles (like those found among the [[Ifugao people|Ifugao]] of [[Luzon]] or [[Teduray people|Tiruray]] of [[Mindanao]]), developing into a multi-gong, multiplayer ensemble with the incorporation of concepts originating from [[Sundanese people|Sunda]] (Indonesian) and finally transforming into the present day kulintang ensemble, with the addition of the [[dabakan]], [[babandil]] and musical concepts of Islam via Islam traders.

==Instrument==
[[Image:Kulintang 03.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Kulintang from Mindanao.]]

===Description===
The instrument called the “kulintang” (or its other derivative terms) consist of a row/set of 5 to 9 graduated pot gongs, horizontally laid upon a frame arranged in order of pitch with the lowest gong found on the players’ left.<ref name=Canave-Dioquino >{{cite web
 | last = Canave-Dioquino
 | first = Corazon
 | year = 2007
 | url = http://www.ncca.gov.ph/about_cultarts/comarticles.php?artcl_Id=155
| title = Philippine Music Instruments
 | work = Articles on Culture & Arts
 | publisher = National Commission For Culture And The Arts
| access-date = February 22, 2007
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060117211206/http://www.ncca.gov.ph/about_cultarts/comarticles.php?artcl_Id=155 |archive-date = January 17, 2006}}</ref> The gongs are laid in the instrument face side up atop two cords/strings running parallel to the entire length of the frame, with bamboo/wooden sticks/bars resting perpendicular across the frame, creating an entire kulintang set called a "pasangan".<ref name=Aga>{{cite web
 |last        = Butocan
 |first       = Aga M.
 |year        = 2006
 |url         = http://www.freewebs.com/kulintang/palabunibunyan.htm
 |title       = Palabunibunyan
 |work        = Kulintang and the Maguindanaos
 |access-date  = February 22, 2007
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20080118205335/http://www.freewebs.com/kulintang/palabunibunyan.htm
 |archive-date = January 18, 2008
}}</ref>

[[Image:Kulintang 04.jpg|thumb|right|The different sized brass kulintang gongs.]]
[[Image:Kulintang 10.jpg|thumb|right|The light beaters used to strike the gong bosses.]]

The gongs weigh roughly from two pounds to three pounds each, and have dimensions of 6 to 10&nbsp;inches for their diameters and 3 to 5&nbsp;inches for their height.<ref name=Kalanduyan1/> Traditionally they were made from [[bronze]] but due to the disruption and loss of trade routes between the islands of Borneo and Mindanao during World War II, resulting in loss of access to necessary metal ores, and the subsequent post-war use of scrap metal, [[brass]] gongs with shorter decaying tones are now commonplace.

The kulintang frame is known as an "antangan" by the Maguindanao (which means to “arrange”) and "langkonga" by the Maranao. The frame can be crude, made from simple bamboo/wooden poles, or it can be highly decorated and rich with traditional [[okir|okil/okir]] [[Motif (visual arts)|motifs]] or arabesque designs.  The frame is a necessary part of the instrument, and functions as a resonator.

It is considered [[taboo]] to step or cross over the antangan while the kulintang gongs are placed on it.<ref name=Spark>{{cite web
 | year = 2006
 | url = http://www.kqed.org/arts/people/spark/profile.jsp?id=4324
 | title = Danongan Kalanduyan
 | work = Spark| publisher = KQED – Arts and Culture
 | access-date = February 22, 2007
}}</ref>
[[Image:Diagram of the individual kulintang gongs.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Individual names for each kulintang gong]]
[[Image:Kulintang 05.jpg|thumb|right|Those in the Sulu Archipelago play the kulintang on the floor.]]

===Technique===
The kulintang is played by striking the bosses of the gongs with two wooden beaters. When playing the kulintang, the Maguindanao and Maranao would always sit on chairs while for the Tausug/Suluk and other groups that who play the kulintangan, they would commonly sit on the floor.<ref name=Muzium>An Introduction to the Traditional Musical Instruments of Sabah. Kota Kinabalu: Sabah State Muzium, 1992.</ref> Modern techniques include twirling the beaters, [[toss juggling|juggling]] them in midair, changing the arrangement of the gongs either before or while playing, crossings hands during play or adding very rapid fire strokes all in an effort to show off a player's grace and virtuosity.<ref name=Cadar1/>

===Casting===
[[Image:Kulintang 02.jpg|thumb|right|''Tongkol'' process using a hammer to tune the gongs.]]
Kulintang gongs are made using the [[cire perdue|''cire perdue'' method]], a lost-wax process used for casting the individual gongs.<ref name=Garfias>Cadar, Usopay H., and Robert Garfias. "Some Principles of Formal Variation in the Kolintang Music of the Maranao." Asian Music Vol. 27, No. 2. (Spring – Summer, 1996), pp. 105–122.</ref> The first phase is the creation of wax molds of the gongs. In the past, before the availability of standardized wax sheets made specifically for foundry use, the molds were made out of either [[beeswax]] (''talo'') or [[Paraffin wax|candle wax]] (''kandilà'').<ref name=Cadar3/> The wax mold is covered with a special mixture of finely powdered coal/mud, which is applied on the wax surface using a brush.

The layers are then left to dry under the sun, after which the entire mold is heated in a furnace to melt away the wax and hardening the coal/mud mixture, leaving behind a hollowed shell.<ref name=Maceda2/> With this hardened mold, molten bronze is poured down the mold's mouth cavity, cooled to a certain degree, then the coal/mud is broken apart, revealing a new gong. The gong is then refined, cleaned, and properly identified by the blacksmith (''pandáy'').<ref name=Benitez/> Finally, the gongs are refined using the ''tongkol'' process, tuning these either by hammering the boss from the inside to slightly raise its pitch, or by hammering the boss from the outside to lower the pitch.<ref name=Maceda2/> The correct tuning is found by ear, with players striking a sequence of gongs, looking for a melodic contour they are familiar with.<ref name=Trimillos>{{cite web
 | last = Trimillos
 | first = Ricardo D.
 | year = 2004
 | url = http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/9527/9527.ch01.html
 | title = Performing Ethnomusicology: Teaching and Representation in World Music Ensembles
 | work = California: The University of California Press
 | publisher = The University of California Press
 | access-date = February 22, 2007
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070107092434/http://ucpress.edu/books/pages/9527/9527.ch01.html
 | archive-date = January 7, 2007
 | url-status = dead
 }}</ref>

===Tuning===
Unlike westernized instrumentation, there is no set tuning for kulintang sets throughout the Philippines.<ref name=Schramm>Schramm, Adelaida Reyes. "Music from the Tausug of Sulu: Moslems of the Southern Philippines." Asian Music 2(1971):</ref> Great variation exist between each set due to differences in make, size and shape, alloy used giving each kulintang set a unique pitch level, intervals and timbre.<ref name=Maceda1>Maceda, Jose M.. The Music of Maguindanao in the Philippines. Ann Arbor: University Microfilms, 1963.</ref> Though the tuning varies greatly, there does exist some uniformity to contour when same melody heard on different kulintang sets.<ref name=Garfias/> This common counter results in similar interval relationships of more or less equidistant steps between each of the gongs.<ref name=Kiefer>Kiefer, Thomas M.. Music from the Tausug of Sulu: Moslem of the Southern Philippines. New York: Anthology Record and Tape Corporation, 1970.</ref> This tuning system, not based upon equal temperament or upon a system of standard pitches but on a similar/certain pattern of large and small intervals, could also be found among the gamelan orchestras of western Indonesia.<ref name=Trimillos/> In fact, though the Maguindanao, Maranao and Tausug artists technically have no concept of scale (because emphasis placed on the concept of “rhythmic modes”), the [[Pelog]] and [[Slendro]] scales of [[Java]] were found to be most satisfactory to their own varying [[pentatonic scale|pentatonic]]/[[heptatonic scale|heptatonic]] scales.

[[Image:Kuilintang notation.jpg|thumb|left|Example of kulintang cipher notation.]]

===Notation system===
Kulintang repertory lacked an indigenous [[musical notation|notation system]].<ref name=Trimillos/> Compositions were passed down orally from generation to generation negating the need for notation for the pieces.<ref name=Philip>{{cite web
 |last = Mercurio
 |first = Philip Dominguez
 |year = 2006
 |url = http://www.pnoyandthecity.blogspot.com
 |title = Traditional Music of the Southern Philippines
 |work = PnoyAndTheCity: A center for Kulintang – A home for Pasikings
 |access-date = February 25, 2006
}}</ref> Recent attempts have been made to transcribe the music using [[cipher notation]], with gongs indicated by a numbering system for example, starting from 1 to 8 with the lowest gong starting at number 1 for an eight gong kulintang set.<ref name=Garfias/>

===Feminine instrument===
The kulintang is traditionally considered a women's instrument by many groups: the Maguindanao, Maranao, Tausūg/Suluk, Samal, Badjao/Sama, Iranun, Kadazan, Murut, Bidayuh and Iban.<ref name=Evans>Evans, Ivor H.. Among Primitive Peoples in Borneo. London: Seeley, Service & Co., 1922.</ref> Traditionally, the playing of the kulintang was associated with graceful, slow, frail and relaxed movements that showed elegance and decorum common among females.<ref name=Otto/> Nowadays, the traditional view of kulintang as strictly for women has waned as both women and men play all five instruments, with some of the more renowned kulintang players being men.<ref name=Gaerlan>Gaerlan, Barbara. Philippine Muslim Kulintang: Music of Modernization. 1991.</ref>

==Performance==
[[Image:Kulintang 06.jpg|thumb|left|A kulintang ensemble performance in [[Daly City, California]]]]
[[File:Kaamulan 2007 - Matigsalug kulintang ensemble.jpg|thumb|A traditional kulintang ensemble being played by the [[Matigsalug people]] during the 2007 [[Kaamulan Festival]] of [[Bukidnon]], [[Philippines]]]]
The main purpose for kulintang music in the community is to function as social entertainment at a professional, folk level.<ref name=Otto/> This music is unique in that it is considered a public music in the sense everyone is allowed to participate.<ref name=Cadar2/> Not only do the players play, but audience members are also expected to participate.<ref name=Kalanduyan1/> These performances are important in that they bring people in the community and adjacent regions together, helping unify communities that otherwise may not have interacted with one another. Traditionally, when performers play kulintang music, their participation is voluntary.<ref name=Cadar1/> Musicians see performances as an opportunity to receive recognition, prestige and respect from the community and nothing more.<ref name=Gaerlan/>

Generally, performances can be classified as either formal ones or informal. During formal performances adherents follow a traditional set of rules that would govern playing and it usually involved people from outside the home. Informal performances are quite the opposite. The strict rules that normally govern play are often ignored and the performers are usually between people well acquainted with one another, usually close family members.<ref name=Cadar1/> These performances usually were times when amateurs practiced on the instruments, young boys and girls gathered the instruments, substituting the kulintang with the [[saronay]] and inubab.<ref name=Benitez/> Ensembles didn't necessary have to have five instruments like formal performances: they could be composed of only four instruments (three [[gandingan]] gongs, a kulintang, an [[agung]], and a [[dabakan]]), three instruments (a kulintang, a dabakan, and either an agung or three gandingan gongs) or simply just one instrument (kulintang solo).<ref name=Maceda2/>

==Social functions==
[[Image:Kulintang 09.jpg|thumb|400px|right|A kulintang ensemble being used for purpose of entertainment.]]
Kulintang music generally could be found as the social entertainment at a host of different occasions. It is used during large [[feasts]], festive/harvest gatherings, for entertainment of visiting friends and relatives, and at [[parades]].<ref name=Frame/> Kulintang music also accompanies ceremonies marking significant life events, such as [[weddings]] and returnees from the [[Hajj]].<ref name=Muzium/> Kulintang music also plays a significant role during state functions, used during official celebrations, entertaining of foreign dignitaries and important visitors of distant lands, court ceremonies of either the [[sultanate]] or village chieftains, [[enthronement|enthroning]]/[[coronations]] of a new leader and the transferral of a [[sultanate]] from one family to another.<ref name=Kartomi1/>

[[Image:Kulintang 07.jpg|thumb|left|A [[Maguindanao people|Maguindanaon]] kulintang ensemble accompanying a healing ritual dance called [[Sagayan]].]]

Kulintang music is prohibited from being played inside [[mosques]]<ref name=Gaerlan/> and during Islamic rites/observances/holidays, such as the fasting month of [[Ramadan]], where playing is only allowed at night when people are allowed to eat after [[Iftar]].<ref name=Cadar1/> It is also prohibited during the mourning period of the death of an important person, during [[funerals]], and during the peak times of the planting and harvest season.<ref name=Matusky2>Matusky, Patricia. "An Introduction to the Major Instruments and Forms of Traditional Malay Music." Asian Music Vol 16. No. 2. (Spring-Summer 1985), pp. 121–182.</ref>

[[Image:Gandingan 06.jpg|thumb|right|The [[gandingan]] is normally chosen for playing ''apad'' renditions]]

===Other uses===
Kulintang instrument has uses other than public performances. It also is used to accompany healing ceremonies/rituals (pagipat)/animistic religious ceremonies. Though this practice has died out among the Maranao due to its non-[[Islamic]] nature, some areas in [[Mindanao]], [[Sabah]] and [[Maluku Islands|Maluku]] still practice this ancient tradition.<ref name=Cadar1/>

Kulintang music can be used for communicating long distance messages from one village or longhouse to another.<ref name=Matusky2/> Called [[Gandingan#Communication|''apad'']], these renditions mimic the normal speaking tones of the [[Maguindanao language]], creating a specific message or, through the use of double entendre, a social commentary understood by nearly any adult native Maguindanao speaker.<ref name=Danny2>{{cite web
 |last=Kalanduyan 
 |first=Danongan Sibay 
 |year=2006 
 |url=http://www.kulintang.com/instruments.html 
 |title=What is Kulintang? 
 |work=Palabuniyan Kulintang Ensemble – Traditional Gong Music and Dance from Mindanao Island, Philippines 
 |access-date=November 1, 2006 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060831050943/http://www.kulintang.com/instruments.html 
 |archive-date=August 31, 2006 
}}</ref> However, ''apad'' is falling into disuse because times have changed, and the necessity of its use for long-distance communication purposes has faded away.  ''Anun'' as a music without a message, is used instead to express sentiments and feelings, and has come more and more into use due to its compatibility with the musical elaborations and idiosyncratic styles of the times.<ref name=Benitez/>

[[Image:Agung 11.jpg|thumb|left|An agung contestant performing on the [[agung]] using two balus.]]

Kulintang music was also crucial in relation to courtships<ref name=Goddio>Goddio, Franck. Lost at Sea: The strange route of the Lena Shoal junk. London: Periplus, 2002.</ref> due to the very nature of Islamic custom, which did not allow for unmarried men and women to intermingle.<ref name=Philip/> Traditionally, unmarried daughters were kept in a special chamber in the attic called a lamin, off-limits to visitors and suitors.<ref name=Cadar1/> It was only when she was allowed to play during kulintang performances that suitors were allowed to view her. Because of this, kulintang music was one of the rare socially approved vehicles for interaction among the sexes.<ref name=Gaerlan/>

Musical contest, particularly among the Maguindanao, have become a unique feature of these kulintang performances.<ref name=Benitez/> They occur at almost all the formal occasions mentioned above, particularly weddings.<ref name=Kalanduyan1/> What has made the Maguindanao stand out from the other groups is that they practice solo gong contest – with individual players showcasing their skill on the various ensemble instruments – the agung, gandingan and the kulintang – as opposed to only group contest, where performers from one town and another town are pitted against each other.<ref name=Gaerlan/>

==Compositions==

===Rhythmic modes===
[[File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Muzikanten tijdens het bespelen van een totobuang en trommen Amahusu TMnr 20018272.jpg|thumb|right|260px|Musicians playing a totobuang (Kulintang) in [[Ambon, Maluku|Ambon]], [[Maluku Islands|Maluku]], [[Indonesia]]. Circa 1980]]
Kulintang music has no set compositions due to its concept of rhythmic modes.<ref name=Amin/> A rhythmic mode (or designation or genre or pattern) is defined as a musical unit that binds together the entire five instrument ensemble.<ref name=Otto/> By adding together the various rhythms of each instrument, one could create music and by changing one of the rhythms, one could create different music.<ref name=Amin/> This is the basis of the rhythmic mode.

===Improvisation===
The kulintang player's ability to improvise within the parameters of a rhythmic mode is a must.<ref name=Trimillos/> As with gamelan orchestras, each kulintang mode has a kind of theme the kulintang player “dresses up” by variations of ornamentation, manipulating segments by inserting repetitions, extensions, insertions, suspensions, variations and transpositions. This occurs at the discretion of the kulintang player.<ref name=Otto/> Therefore, the kulintang player functions not only as the one carrying the melody, but also as the conductor of the entire ensemble. She determines the length of each rendition and could change the rhythm at any time, speeding up or slowing down, accord to her personal taste and the composition she plays.<ref name=Terada>Terada, Yoshitaka. "Variational and Improvisational Techniques of Gandingan Playing in the Maguindanaon Kulintang Ensemble." Asian Music XXVII.2 (1996): 53–79.</ref>

This emphasis on improvisation was essential due traditional role of the music as entertainment for the entire community.<ref name=Posner>Posner, Karen L. "A Preliminary Analysis of Style in Maguindanao Kulintang Music." Asian Music XXVII.2 (1996): 19–32.</ref> Listeners in the audience expected players to surprise and astound them by playing in their own unique style, and by incorporating improvisation to make newer versions of the piece.<ref name=Cadar1/> If a player simply imitated a preceding player, playing patterns without any improvisation, the audience members would believe she/he to be repetitious and mundane.<ref name=Scholz>Scholz, Scott. "The Supportive Instruments of the Maguindanaon Kulintang Music." Asian Music XXVII.2 (1996): 33–52.</ref> This also explains why set performance pieces for musical productions are different in some respect—young men/women would be practicing before an event, therefore rarely relying on improvisations.<ref name=Gaerlan/>

===Maguindanaon and Maranao compositions===
{{listen
 | filename     = Sinulog a Kamamatuan Ver. 1.ogg
 | title        = "Sinulog a Kamamatuan Ver. 1"
 | description  = This is an example of kamamatuan style of the Maguindanao.
 | format       = [[Ogg]]
 | filename2    = Tagunggo Ver. 1.ogg
 | title2       = "Taggungo Ver. 1"
 | description2 = This sample of Taggungo is used only to accompany healing rituals with trance dancers performing the dance [[Sagayan]].
 | format2      = [[Ogg]]
}}
Though allowing such a variety of rhythms would lead to innumerable patterns, generally one could categorize these rhythmic modes on the basis on various criteria such as the number of beats in a recurring musical phrase, differences in the melodic and rhythmic groups with the musical phrase, differences in the rhythmic emphasis, and differences in the opening formulas and cadential patterns.<ref name=Benitez/> For the Maguindanao, three to five typical genres can be distinguished:<ref name=Otto/> Duyug, Sinulog, Tidtu, Binalig and [[Tagonggo]].<ref name=Posner/> The Maranao on the other hand have only three typical genres—Kapromayas/Romayas, Kapagonor/Onor, and Katitik Pandai/Kapaginandang.<ref name=Garfias/>

These general genres could be further grouped among each other into styles/subcategories/stylistic modifiers,<ref name=Benitez/> which are differentiated from one another based on instrumentation, playing techniques, function and the average age and gender of the musicians as well.<ref name=Terada/> Generally, these styles are differentiated by what is considered traditional or “old,” and more contemporary or “new.”

Old styles are considered slow, well-pronounced and dignified like the Maguindanao's kamamatuan and the Maranao's andung.<ref name=Maceda1/> Genres classified under this style have moderate tempos, are rhythmically oriented, balanced, lack many improvisations and are usually played by the older folks and are therefore always played first, to give due respect to the older generation.<ref name=Terada/>

New styles such as the Maguindanao's kagungudan and the Maranao's bago, are considered fast, rhythmic and showy.<ref name=Aga2/> Generally genres under this classification have faster tempos with an emphasis on power and speed, are highly rhythmic and pulsating, and are highly improvised with musicians employing different rhythmic/melodic formulae not used with old patterns.<ref name=Maceda2/> “Young” musicians, specifically young men, gravitate toward this style because of its emphasis on virtuosity and one's individualism.<ref name=Terada/> Generally played after all kamamatuan pieces have been played to give younger musicians the opportunity to participate.<ref name=Kalanduyan1/>
[[Tagonggo|Tagunggo]] cannot be easily classified under one of these styles, being more ritualistic than recreational in nature.<ref name=Aga/> Tagunggo is a rhythmic mode often used to accompany trance and dance rituals such as [[sagayan]].<ref name=Scholz/> During the playing of these pieces, a ritual specialist would dance in rhythm with the music calling on the help of ancestral spirits (tunong).<ref name=Benitez/>

===Sulu-type kulintangan compositions===
Sulu-type compositions on the kulintangan are found among the [[Tausūg people|Tausug]], [[Samal people|Samal]], [[Yakan people|Yakan]], [[Bajau|Sama]]/[[Badjao]], [[Iranun]] and [[Kadazan-Dusun]]. Though there exist no identifiable rhythmic or melodic differences between patterns with names such as the Maguindanao, each group has their own music compositions. For instance, the Tausug have three identifiable compositions—Kuriri, Sinug, and Lubak-Lubak—the Yakan have two—Tini-id and Kuriri—and the Dusun have three—Ayas, Kudidi and Tidung. Though these melodies vary even within groups like the Maguindanao and Maranao, one theme which characterizes the Sulu-type is the exchange of short melodic phrases between the kulintangan and the Agungs, where both instruments imitate and duplicate each other's rhythms very quickly. This is clearly seen in the Tausug Sinug and Yakan Tini-id and Kuriri compositions where this sort of jousting becomes a game of skill and virtuoso playing.<ref name=Maceda2/>

===Composition titles===
[[Image:Kulintang 11.jpg|thumb|Kulintang]]
The kulintang repertoire has no fixed labels because the music itself is not considered a fixed entity. Due to the fact it is [[oral tradition|orally transmitted]], the repertoire itself is considered something always in a state of flux due to two primary reasons. First, standardized titles weren't considered a priority. Though to the musicians themselves the melodies would sound similar, the labels they would place on a particular rhythmic mode or style could vary even from household to household within that same village. For the musicians, the emphasis is on the excitement and pleasure of playing the music without much regard to what the piece was referred to as. Secondly, because musicians improvised their pieces regularly, modes and styles were continually revised and changed as they were passed on to a newer generation of musicians, making the pieces and therefore the labels attached to them relevant only during a certain frame of time.

Such issues made attempts to codify the compositions in a uniform manner impossible.<ref name=Otto/> An example of this could be found among the Maguindanao where the word binalig is used by contemporary musicians as a name for one of the rhythmic modes associated with kangungudan but it has also been used as a term designating a “new” style.<ref name=Combes>Combes, Francisco. Historia de las Isles de Mindanao in the Philippine Islands. Clevaland: Clark, 1903.</ref> Another example concerns the discrepancy among “old” and “new” genres. With “new pieces” continuously proliferating even up till now, pieces only created decades ago are now considered “old” even though this is considered a tradition spanning many centuries.<ref name=Otto/> These differences could sometimes make discussing this repertoire and the modes and styles within it a bit confounding.

===Origin of the gong===
[[Image:Map of migration of the kulintang gong.jpg|thumb|right|275px|Two proposed routes for the migration of the kulintang gong to [[Mindanao]]]]
The kulintang gong itself is believed to have been one of those foreign musical elements incorporated into kulintang music, derived from the [[Sundanese people|Sundanese]] kolenang due to its striking similarities.<ref name=Cadar3/> Along with the fact that they play important roles in their respectively ensembles, both the kulintang and kolenang show striking homogeneity in tapered rims (as opposed to pronouncedly tapered Javanese [[bonang]] and non-tapered Laotian khong vong gongs). Even the word kulintang is believed to be just an altered form of the [[Sundanese word]] kolenang.<ref name=Kunst>Kunst, Jaap. Music in Java. 2. Netherlands: The Hague, 1949.</ref>

It was these similarities that lead theorists to conclude that the kulintang was originally imported to the Philippines during the migration of the kolenang through the [[Indonesian archipelago|Indonesian Archipelago]]. Based on the etymology, two routes have been proposed as the route for the kulintang to Mindanao: one from Sunda through [[Banjermasin]], [[Brunei]] and the [[Sulu Archipelago]], a route where the word “kulintangan” is commonly used for the horizontal row of gongs; the other from Sunda through [[Timor]], [[Sulawesi]], [[Moluccas]] and [[Mindanao]] where the word kolintang/kulintang is commonly seen.<ref name=Cadar3/>

===Future===
The tradition of kulintang music has been waning throughout the Eastern Indonesia, and has become extinct in some places. Sets of five bronze gong-chimes and a gong making up the totobuang ensembles of [[Buru]] island in Central Maluku have also come to disuse.<ref name=Kartomi1/> Kolintang sets of bossed kettle gongs were once played in [[Gorontalo (province)|Gorontalo]], [[North Sulawesi]] long ago but that has all but disappeared, replaced by what locals are presently familiar with—a slab-key instrument known as a kolintang.<ref name=Amin/>

The extent of past kulintang tradition in the Philippines, particularly in the Northern and Central islands of [[Luzon]] and the [[Visayas]], will never be fully known due to the harsh realities of three hundred years of [[Spanish colonization of the Americas|Spanish colonization]].<ref name=Philip2>Mercurio, Philip Dominguez. Expedition into ETHS 545: Music of the Southern Philippines." Manila Bulletin USA: Kababayan Ed. [South San Francisco] 13 OCT 2005, natl. ed.: 8.</ref>  The fact that there are areas which were able to keep kulintang tradition alive during European colonization has caused some observers to aptly term this music “the music of resistance.”

In 1968, at the University of the Philippines, eminent ethnomusicologist Professor José Maceda ushered in a new interest in kulintang music with the kulintang Master, Aga Mayo Butocan. The latter devised a notation system and wrote Palabunibunyan, a collection of kulintang music pieces from Maguindanao—which made its study more accessible. Further, she emphasized the improvisational aspect of performing on the kulintang. This enhanced its popularity among students from all over the country.

Today, the existence of kulintang music is threatened by the influence of [[globalization]], and the introduction of Western and foreign ideals into the region.<ref name=Philip2/> Younger generations would rather listen to American music, or bike in the streets with other children than spend time practicing and imitating on the traditional instruments of their parents.<ref name=Benitez/>

Philippine kulintang music has had a revival of sorts due to the work of Philippine-born, U.S.-educated musicians/ethnomusicologists Master Danongan "Danny" Kalanduyan and Usopay Cadar, as well as their predecessor Professor [[José Maceda]].<ref name=Philip2/> Through the work of Professor [[Robert Garfias]], both Cadar and Kalanduyan began teaching and performing traditional kulintang music in the United States during the late 20th century; quite unexpectedly, the music became a bridge between contemporary [[Filipino American|Filipino American culture]] and ancient Philippine tribal traditions.<ref name=Spark/>

Both Kalanduyan and Cadar have been impressed that so many people lacking Maguindanaon or Maranao background, and some who are not even Filipino, have become dedicated students and supporters of their cultural heritage.<ref name=Cadar2/> An additional surprise came after a decade-long series of American-based kulintang students traveled to Mindanao to perform, sparking a kulintang renaissance in the Philippines. The groundwork for this Renaissance originated as early as 1978 through the work of one of the early cultural pioneers and activists amongst Filipino Americans, Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo. It was his dedication in the early 80's that created the cultural awareness in the Fil-Am community of San Franccisco that sparked a cultural movement. The knowledge of outsiders playing traditional kulintang has encouraged the younger generation of musicians in the Philippines, both in Mindanao and in [[Taguig]], [[Metro Manila]].<ref name=Philip2/> Enthusiastic appreciation by foreigners has given life to a dying tradition, and the music has become a unifying force in the Philippine diaspora.<ref name=Spark/>  For the first time in history, kulintang music is now formally taught to music students at several universities located throughout Metro Manila.

==Composition of various ensembles==

The makeup of kulintang ensembles throughout the region varies between the various cultural groups. Generally, they consist of five to six instruments dominated of course by a melody-playing gong row that functions as a lead/central melodic instrument for the entire ensemble.<ref name=Maranao>The Maranao Man. Mindanao Art and Culture. 4. Marawi City: University Research Center, Mindanao State University, 1980.</ref><ref name=Oellana>Oellana, Dionisio, and Efren Endriga. Maranao Traditional Brasscasting. 2. Iligan City: MSU – Iligan Institute of Technology, 1984.</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em auto; text-align:center;"
|- bgcolor=#cccccc
! colspan=2 | Group and their ensemble name!! [[gong|Horizontal gongs]] !![[gong|Suspended gongs]]!! [[Drum]]s !! Other gong or drum !! Other gong or drum
|-
|
| [[File:Kulintang 06.jpg|85px]]
| [[File:Kulintang 08.jpg|50px]]
| [[File:Agung 10.jpg|50px]]
| [[File:Dabakan 2.jpg|50px]] 
| 
| [[File:Gandingan 01.jpg|50px]]
|-
| [[Maguindanao people|Maguindanaon]]
| Basalen ''/'' 
Palabunibuniyan
| Kulintang
| [[Agung]]
| [[Dabakan]]
| [[Babandil]] (gong)
| [[Gandingan]] (gong)<ref name=Kalanduyan1>Kalanduyan, Danongan S. "Maguindanaon Kulintang Music: Instruments, Repertoire, Performance, Contexts, and Social Functions." Asian Music XXVII.2 (1996): 3–18.</ref>
|-
| [[Maranao]]
| [[Kolintang|Kolintang Ensemble]]
| [[Kolintang]]
| [[Agung|Agong]]
| [[Dbakan]], [[Kendang|Gandang]] (*archaic)
| [[Babndir]] (gong)<ref name=Otto>Otto, Steven W.. "Repertorial Nomenclature in Muranao Kolintang Music." Asian Music Vol. 27, No. 2. (Spring – Summer, 1996), pp. 123–130.</ref>
|
|-
| [[Tausug people|Tausug/Suluk]]
| [[Kulintangan|Kulintangan Ensemble]]<ref name=Amin/>
| [[Kulintangan]]
| [[Agung|Tunggalan]]
| [[Kendang|Gandang]] (two), [[Dabakan|Libbit]]
| [[Agung|Pulakan(Duahan)]] (gong)
| [[Agung|Buahan(Duahan]] (gong)<ref name=Maceda2/>
|-
| Samal
| [[Kulintangan|Kulintangan Ensemble]]
| [[Kulintangan]]
| [[Agung|Tamuk]]
| [[Dabakan|Tambul]], [[Kendang|Gandang]]
| [[Agung|Pulakan(Duahan)]] (gong)
| [[Agung|Bua(Duahan]] (gong)<ref name=Maceda2/>
|-
| [[Bajau|Sama/Badjao]]
| [[Kulintangan|Batitik]]<ref name=Frame/>
| [[Kulintangan]]<ref name=Amin/>
| [[Agung|Gong Besar]]
| [[Kendang|Gandang]]
| 
| [[Agung|Bandil]] (gong)<ref name=Sabah>{{cite web| year =2007| url =http://www.sabahtravelguide.com/culture/default.ASP| title =Musical Instruments| work =SabahTravelGuide.Com| publisher =Sabah Tourism Promotion Corporation| access-date =February 22, 2007| url-status =dead| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20070216015600/http://www.sabahtravelguide.com/culture/default.ASP| archive-date =February 16, 2007}}</ref>
|-
| Yakan
| [[Kwintangan|Kwintangan Ensemble]]
| [[Kwintangan]]
| [[Agung]]<ref name=Amin/>
| 
| 
| [[slit drum]]
|-
| [[Minahasa]]
| [[Kolintang|Kolintang Ensemble]]
| [[Kolintang]]
| [[Agung|Banding]]
| [[Kendang|Double-headed drums]]<ref name=Amin/>
| 
|
|-
| [[Malays (ethnic group)|Malays]]
| [[Kulintangan|Kulintangan Ensemble]]
| [[Kulintangan]]
| [[Agong]]
| [[Kendang|Gendang]]
| 
| [[Agong|Tawak-Tawak]] (gong)
|-
| [[Lotud]]
| [[Kulintangan|Mojumbak]]
| [[Kulintangan]]
| [[Agung|Tawag-Tawag]]
| [[Kendang|Gendang]]
| 
|
|-
| [[Iban people|Iban]]/[[Sea Dayaks]]
| [[Kolintang|Engkromong ensemble]]
| [[Kolintang|Engkromong]]
| [[Agung|Tetawak]]
| [[Kendang|Dumbak]]
| 
| [[Gandingan|Bandai]](gong)<ref name=Maceda2/>
|-
| [[Ternate]]
| [[Kolintang|Kulintang /]] 
[[Kolintang|Remoi Sahi-Sahi]]
| [[Momo (instrument)|Momo]]
| [[Agung|Saragi]]
| [[Gambang (instrument)|Baka-Baka]]
| [[Kendang|Podo]] (drum)
| [[cymbal|Dabi-Dabi/Cik]] (cymbals)<ref name="Kartomi1"/>
|-
| [[Tidore]]
| [[Kolintang|Jalanpong]]
| [[Momo (instrument)|Momo]]
| [[Agung|Saragi]]
| [[Gambang (instrument)|Baka-Baka]]
| [[Kendang|Podo]] (drum)
| [[cymbal|Dabi-Dabi/Cik]] (cymbals)<ref name=Kartomi1/>
|-
| [[Ambon, Maluku|Ambon]]
| [[Totobuang]]
| [[Totobuang]]
| 
| [[Gambang (instrument)|Tifus]]
| [[Kendang|Drums]]<ref name=Kartomi1/>
|
|}

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="300px" heights="200px" perrow="5" caption="">
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Twee danseressen en een groep muzikanten waaronder een albino jongen in een dorp op Boeroe. TMnr 60045884.jpg|Two dancers and a group of musicians of Kulintang in [[Buru Regency]], [[Maluku (province)|Maluku]], [[Indonesia]]. between 1900 and 1940
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Groepsportret van Ambonezen met muziekinstrumenten TMnr 10000859.jpg|Group portrait of [[Ambonese people|Ambonese]] with musical instrument of Kulintang in [[Ambon, Maluku|Ambon]], [[Maluku (province)|Maluku]], [[Indonesia]]. between 1900 and 1940 
File:"Samal Moro Musicians." Philippine Reservation, Department of Anthropology, 1904 World's Fair.jpg|[[Sama-Bajau people|Sama-Bajau]] musicians at the Philippine Reservation of the [[Louisiana Purchase Exposition]] (1904)
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|Music|Indonesia|Philippines|Malaysia}}
{{Commons}}
*[[Maguindanao kulintang ensemble]]
*[[Gamelan]]
*[[Piphat]]
*[[Gong]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.kolintang.co.id/about/what-is-kolintang/ What is Kulintang?]
*[http://www.madnomad.com/gregg/kulintang/ Kulintang Music of the Philippines]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20091218091012/http://seamusic.org.uk/listen.html#kulintangrec Audio of Maguindanao Kulintang]
*[http://www.folkways.si.edu/projects_initiatives/indonesian/series.html Music of Indonesia series, presented by Smithsonian Folkways and the Society of Indonesian Performing Arts]

{{Indonesian musical instruments}}
{{S Filipino instruments}}
{{Traditional musical instruments of Malaysia}}
{{Music of the Philippines}}

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