The Alas people of Southwest Aceh in the far north of Sumatra call it "canang kecapi" - literally "gongs on a lute." This four-stringed wooden lute, likely an indigenized ukulele or guitar, plays looping four-note melodies taken from the repertoire of canang situ, a ritual music where Alas women play interlocking melodies on five bronze gongs (or fish tins). To accomplish this, the musician plays the lute in an ingenious way I've never seen on any other lute in the world: wrapping her thumb and fingers around the neck, she selectively mutes three strings at a time, leaving the remaining string to ring out.

In this video, Ibu Sanimah tries to remember the old tunes she used to play as a young girl in the 70's. The kecapi's maker, Pak Sari, also gives it a go, despite admitting he never played kecapi in his day - it's almost exclusively a girl's instrument.

Hear and learn more at the new Aural Archipelago post on kecapi at the Aural Archipelago website: https://www.auralarchipelago.com/aura...