421.211.12 Open flutes with external duct with fingerholes

A toy suling, duct flute, with external duct.

The suling is also known as a ring flute because a thin ring (in this case of bamboo) is secured round the top of the instrument. This is essential to its functioning because the duct that directs the air towards the sound producing sharp edge has the inside surface of the ring as its upper edge. The instruments are cheap to produce and so are often used as toys by children in Indonesia. Finely-crafted and tuned sulings feature in the Javanese gamelan orchestra of percussion instruments.

object
MUSEUM NUMBER
M20-1978
PLACE
COLLECTION
MEASUREMENTS
overall: 266 x 33 mm
MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE
bamboo; cane; rattan; raffia
CATEGORY
Musical Instruments
LOCATION
SHAREABLE LINK

Continue exploring musical instruments

Collection Information

These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.

The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk