Making and Playing the Boat Lute KUDIYUNG of the AGUSAN MANOBO

A compilation of video clips shot on location in the Philippines by German ethnomusicologist Hans Brandeis.

There are several peculiarities about the kudiyung:
First, the kudiyung has only three frets.
Second, the frets are not only under the melody string, but also under the drone string;
Third, the left hand does not move along the fretboard, but always remains in the same position, with the index finger in front of the first fret, the middle and ring fingers both in front of the second fret, and the little finger in front of the third fret.
Fourth, the kudiyung is not played with a plectrum tied to a finger of the strumming hand, but with the bare index finger, and always with an upstroke.
With these characteristics, the KUDIYUNG of the Agusan Manobo shows surprising similarities to the KUTAPI of the Subanen.

The KUDIYUNG in this video is played by the late Diego Boca from Tag-oyango, Sibagat, Agusan del Sur. Recorded by Hans Brandeis in Tag-oyango on October 21, 2004. Copyright © 2004/2024 by Hans Brandeis. All rights reserved.

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