A
gangsa is a type of metallophone which is used mainly in Balinese and Javanese
Gamelan music. It consists of several tuned
metal bars each placed over an individual
resonator. The bars are hit with a
mallet,
each producing a different pitch. Duration of sound intensity and
sound quality factors are generally accomplished by damping the
vibration of the bar with the fingers of the free hand. The gangsa
is very similar to the
gendér and the
saron.
A
gangsa is also the name of a completely different
instrument, one which is indigenous to the cultures found in the
mountain regions (the Cordillera) of the northern Philippines
. The gangsa of the northern Philippines is a
single hand-held smooth-surfaced gong with a narrow rim. A set of
gangsa, which is played one gong per musician, consists of gangsa
tuned to different notes, depending on regional or local cultural
preferences.
The number of gangsa in a set varies with
availability, and depends on the tradition of a particular ethnic
group of the Luzon Cordillera: Kalinga
, Ifugao
, Bontoc, etc.
Among the
Kalinga
people in the Cordillera region of Luzon Island,
the gangsa is played in two ways. One way is called
"toppaya" and the other is called "pattung." In "toppaya" style,
the musicians play the surface of the gangsa with their hand while
in a sitting position, with a single gangsa resting on the lap of
each musician. In the "pattung" style, a gangsa is suspended from
the musician's left hand and played with a padded stick held in the
musician's right hand. In the "pattung" style of playing, the
players are standing, or they keep in step with the dancers while
bending forward slightly.