Do you love the monotonous, very catchy sounds that you hear everywhere in Bali? Whether it’s the warm welcome at your hotel, the vibrant ceremonies, or the spectacular dance performances in Ubud Palace, rindik is everywhere. But what exactly is a Rindik and its place in Bali’s rich musical landscape?
The Balinese rindik is a type of xylophone and an incredible instrument that is like a mini orchestra in your hands! It´s full of sound and rhythm. And if you want to discover more about it, Wikipedia has a very abstract definition: “a percussion instrument belonging to the percussion idiophones with one or more rows of bars tuned to different pitches and resting on a frame, made of wood (often rosewood) or bamboo and struck with mallets.”
Okay, a little play on words: this description certainly doesn’t sound quite as impressive as listening to the sound of the Rindik…
And to describe it more figuratively: Imagine a Rindik as a vibrant orchestra. Half bamboo tubes of different lengths are arranged next to each other and fixed in a wooden frame. These tubes are struck briefly with long-handled rubber mallets to produce sonorous tones. The bamboo tubes, in their unique lengths, thicknesses, and firmness, create a symphony of sounds that can range from higher, more ethereal notes to lower, earthier ones.
Sanding the ends of the bamboo tubes changes the tone, tuning the Rindik to a precise, resonant frequency. The name Rindik itself is a testament to its musicality, derived from the Javanese term for “neatly arranged with small gaps”.
The Rindik is an incredible instrument that has a rich history in Bali. The basic of rural entertainment, farmers used it in the rice fields to add some joy to their hard work.
Nowadays it is part of Bali’s vibrant culture and used in many different ways, whether at weddings in the villages or ceremonies in the temples of Bali, where it is part of the gamelan orchestra – it is impossible to imagine Balinese everyday life without the sounds of the Rindik.
Get excited, because you’re going to love finding out more about this traditional Balinese sound instrument, and – if you´re interested – you’ll be able to make some great sounds too!
Come and see us in our idyllic mountain village, where you can spend a day in the village and get in touch with this wonderful instrument. And that’s not all, you’ll also get to try your hand at other activities such as learning how to cook delicious Balinese food, making healthy Jamu, or joining our herbalist’s workshop in the Balikaru organic garden.
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Jl. Batukaru | Belulang Village | Mengesta | Tabanan Region | Bali
+62 81 33 7055 030
team@balikaru.com
