Saung Angklung Udjo

The angklung is a Sundanese instrument of tuned bamboo tubes in a frame, shaken to sound a single pitch, and its defining characteristic is social: one player produces one note, so a melody requires a group and nobody can play a tune alone - which is why it was used in schools and why UNESCO inscribed it on the intangible heritage list in 2010 as an instrument of cooperation. Saung Angklung Udjo was founded in 1966 by Udjo Ngalagena and his wife to keep the instrument and the wider Sundanese repertoire alive, and it makes angklung on site from black bamboo, teaches children, and runs a daily afternoon performance combining wayang golek puppets, masked dance, angklung orchestra and a segment where every audience member is handed one note and the room plays a tune together.

What you actually see

• One player, one note - the instrument's cooperative principle in practice.
• Bamboo instrument making - angklung cut, tuned and assembled on site.
• A daily afternoon show - wayang golek, masked dance and angklung orchestra.
• The audience playing - everyone handed a note and led through a tune.

When to go

All year; the main performance is mid-afternoon. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The show is polished and squarely aimed at visitors, including a large gift shop. It runs at a fixed time and books out. It is out of the centre in Bandung's traffic.

Nearby

Braga street and central Bandung are west; Tangkuban Perahu is north.