Bamboo Orchestra

Tana Toraja

The "bamboo orchestra" is a regional staple of music in Toraja. Most of the instruments are fixed-length mouth-blown bamboo pipes, each of which can produce only a single pitch, although you can see a flute at the photo left. To perform a piece of music, each of the players must sound his "note" in the correct sequence and timing, like bell-ringers ringing changes. The result sounds a bit like a calliope or a mechanical organ, although much softer.