Kendang
/ˈkɛn.dæŋ/noun
A two-headed drum used in Indonesian and related Southeast Asian musical traditions.
Did you know?In gamelan ensembles, the kendang traditionally guides tempo, cues transitions, and signals changes in dance or performance, giving the drummer a conductor-like role.
Etymological Timeline
Precolonial Southeast Asia
Austronesian languages
*kendang / *gendang (proposed)
“A reconstructed or regional drum term; the exact ancestral form and origin remain debated.”
Old Javanese period
Old Javanese
kendang
“A drum or percussion instrument in Javanese musical culture.”
Classical Javanese tradition
Javanese
kendhang
“A double-headed drum used to regulate musical and dance performances.”
Malay literary tradition
Malay
gendang
“A drum, especially one used in courtly, ceremonial, or ensemble music.”
20th Century
Indonesian
kendang
“The standard Indonesian form for a traditional double-headed drum.”
Modern English
English
kendang
“An Indonesian drum, particularly the principal rhythm-setting drum of gamelan ensembles.”