Have you ever considered building an instrument from scratch?
We’ve all heard the conventional instruments – the popularity of guitars, drums and keys have dominated the music space for decades now. But have you ever heard of the music instrument called Rasendriya? Well, this innovative music instrument is the creation of Rizal Abdulhadi, a uniquely talented multi-instrumentalist, folk singer, songwriter, instrument maker and social activist from West Java, Indonesia.
Rizal has unlocked the possibilities within Indonesia’s bamboo forests. He has pushed the boundaries for instrument building by tapping into nature’s wood-like stems.
Credits : HeroAditya
He dedicates his music and career towards creating real social change and promoting creativity; both in Indonesia and globally.
Rizal grew up in a small village in West Java where there is a long tradition of making instruments from Bamboo. Since it is easy to use as an instrument because of their hollow and flexible features and strength characteristics. Rizal harnessed his knowledge of the material to develop guitars, cellos and build his own unique and innovative set of instruments.
One of his creations was built in the year 2013, when Rizal met Australian scupltor Ellie Hannon, who helped him create the Rasendriya. The Rasendriya is ‘a combination of guitar, didgerridoo and percussion’. The name is Sanskrit for ‘an extension of the senses’.
The resulting piece sounds equally harmonious like most music instruments that you may have heard or played before.
Check out his performance with the Rasendriya at TEDx below!
He went on to explore the use of bamboo for more instruments such as the Bamboo Lap Steel guitar and string instrument! Check out his performance with the Bamboo Lap Steel Guitar and Harmonica!
He conducts workshops on a regular basis. So Follow him on Facebook here if you want to know more about him!