Sasando (Traditional Musical From Indonesia)

Sasando is a harp-like traditional music string instrument native of Rote island of East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.
The name ”sasando” derived from Rote dialect ”sasandu” means "vibrating" or "sounded instrument". It is believed that sasando already known to Rote people since 7th century.
The main part of sasando is a bamboo tube that served as the frame of the instrument. Surrounded the tube is several wooden pieces served as wedges where the strings are stretched from the top to the bottom. The wedges function is to hold the strings higher than the tube surface and also to produce various length of strings to create different musical notations.

Sasando Music Instrumen Nusa Tenggara,Indonesia

The stringed bamboo tube is surrounded by a bag-like fan of dried lontar or palmyra leafs (Borassus flabellifer), functioned as the resonator of the instrument.[1] Sasando is played with both hands reaching into the stings on bamboo tube through lontar opening on the front, and the player's fingers plucked the strings in the fashion similar to playing harp or kacapi.
Sasando has 28 or 56 strings. The sasando with 28 strings called sasando engkel, and with 56 strings called double strings.

Sasando

Legend
According to local tradition, the origin of Sasando was linked to folktale of Rote people about the tale of Sangguana.[2] Once upon a time, there was a boy named Sangguana who lived in Rote Island. One day he tended to savannah. He felt tired and fell asleep under a palmyra tree. Sangguana dreamt that he played beautiful music with a unique instrument. The sound and the melody was so enchanting.

Playing Sasando

Then he woke up, surprisingly Sangguana still remembered the tones he played in the dream. He wanted to hear it one more time, so he tried to sleep again. He dreamt the same song and same instrument. Sangguana was enjoying his dream, however he had to wake up. Did not want to lose those beautiful sounds, Sangguana tried to recreate the sounds and in no time created a music instrument from palmyra leafs with the strings in the middle, based on his memory from the dream.

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