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Kendang

Musical Instrument
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An Indonesian double-headed drum central to gamelan and dance accompaniment

Detailed Definition
The kendang’s dynamic rhythms appear in Javanese and Balinese poetry to symbolize leadership, temporal control, and ritual energy; its role as conductor of the ensemble makes it a metaphor for poetic meter and the orchestration of emotional intensity in verse.
Example
Example in poetry:
Javanese poets link the kendang’s drumhead to “the sky stretched over volcanic earth”; Its rhythms command gamelan like a general; “Kendang speaks—gongs obey, dancers bow”; In ritual verse, the kendang’s pulse mimics heartbeat during trance: “Life and drum share one skin.”
Additional Notes
The kendang is a double-headed Indonesian drum central to gamelan and wayang; its complex, speech-like rhythms guide ensemble dynamics—poets can use it to explore leadership through pulse, the drum as narrator, or the embodiment of cyclical time in Javanese and Balinese aesthetics.
Also Known As
Kendhang Indonesian drum
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