Bungkaka

A bungkaka, also known as the bamboo buzzer is a percussion instrument (idiophone) made out of bamboo common in numerous indigenous tribes around the Philippines such as the Ifugao, Kalinga, and Ibaloi.

Bungkaka

idiophone
Other names	bamboo buzzer, avakao (Bontok), balingbing, ubbeng (Kalinga), pewpew (Ifugao), bilbil, pahinghing, pautaw (Isneg, Tingguian), pakkung (Ibaloi), batiwtiw (Mindoro)
Hornbostel–Sachs classification	111.231 (Sets of percussion tubes)

Bungkaka (ubbeng) Kalinga people

Construction

The instrument is constructed from a length of buho (bamboo) with a node at the bottom end. The upper half is shaped such that there are two tongues facing each other, while the bottom end acts as a resonator chamber.

Playing

The instrument generates a buzzing sound from the slit between the two tongues when the instrument is struck against the lower palm of the hand of the player. Furthermore, the sound can be altered by covering and uncovering a hole found on the bottom half of the instrument with the thumb of the hand which grasps the instrument.