Kacapi

Overview

The kacapi is a Sundanese plucked box zither from the western part of the Indonesian island of Java. The body is a long, low, boat-shaped wooden box with carved feet, over which between fourteen and twenty metal strings run lengthwise, each string supported by a small movable bridge that can be slid along the soundboard to tune the instrument. It is played by plucking the strings with the fingers of both hands, and forms the harmonic and melodic foundation of the regional Sundanese tembang Sunda and kacapi suling chamber music traditions.

Wikidata classifies the kacapi as an Indonesian plucked string instrument with a flat or box-shaped body and multiple strings, within both the gamelan family and the box-zither family.

Origin & History

The kacapi is documented in Sundanese sources from at least the 15th century and almost certainly has older roots in the wider South-East Asian box-zither family that includes the Burmese mi-gyaung, the Bornean kacapi of Sulawesi and Kalimantan, the Philippine kudyapi, and the Vietnamese đàn tranh. Through Hindu-Buddhist trade and cultural networks the box-zither idea spread across maritime South-East Asia and developed locally in each region.

The Sundanese kacapi developed in two main forms: the larger kacapi indung (mother kacapi), with 18 to 20 strings, which provides the harmonic foundation; and the smaller kacapi rincik (child kacapi), with 14 to 15 strings, which plays faster melodic ornamentation in dialogue with the indung.

The Metropolitan Museum’s collection includes two related box zithers from the wider Southeast Asian family. A Burmese Mi-gyaung (object 502048) of the late 19th century — built of wood and gold leaf — represents the Burmese member of the family. A Bornean Kachapi (object 502066), also late 19th century, from Sulawesi, is built of wood, polychrome and wire and represents the Bornean form of the same instrumental name. Both were donated through the Crosby Brown Collection in 1889 and both are catalogued in the Musical Instruments department, the Burmese as Chordophone-Zither-plucked and the Bornean as Chordophone-Lute-plucked-fretted.

The Sundanese kacapi continues in vibrant active use in West Java today, with conservatory programmes at the Indonesian Institute of the Arts (ISBI) Bandung and a strong amateur tradition in Sundanese village and city music groups.

Construction & Materials

A standard kacapi indung is around 100 to 120 centimetres long, 25 to 30 cm wide, and 15 cm deep. The body is a hollow boat-shaped box carved from a single block of jackwood, sandalwood or another tonewood, with the soundboard attached over the open top and decorative carved feet supporting the body. The strings (14–20 of them, depending on the variant and the regional tradition) are made of brass or steel and run from tuning pegs at one end of the body to a fixed anchor at the other.

Each string is supported by a small movable wooden bridge that can be slid along the soundboard, allowing the player to tune each string individually to the salendro or pelog tuning systems used in Sundanese music. This sliding-bridge design is shared with the Vietnamese đàn tranh, the Korean gayageum and the Japanese koto, all box zithers in the wider Asian family.

How It’s Played

The player sits cross-legged on the floor with the kacapi laid horizontally in front of the body, with the higher strings on the left and the lower on the right. Both hands pluck the strings with the fingertips, occasionally with finger-nails or with light plectra. The right hand normally plays the bass strings and the rhythmic structure; the left hand plays the higher melodic figures and ornaments.

In kacapi suling — the most common Sundanese chamber music ensemble — the kacapi is paired with one or two suling bamboo flutes and sometimes with vocal melodies. The kacapi indung provides the harmonic foundation, the kacapi rincik plays faster melodic decoration, the suling weaves a slower melodic line above, and the singer carries the central melodic and lyrical content. The result is a contemplative chamber-music style very different from the louder, more public Javanese gamelan.

Cultural Significance

The kacapi is the core instrument of Sundanese classical chamber music, particularly tembang Sunda (Sundanese sung poetry) and cianjuran — the refined sung-poetry tradition associated with the city of Cianjur in West Java. These traditions have continuous documented history from at least the 19th century and remain widely performed in Bandung and across West Java today.

In the wider Indonesian context, the kacapi represents one of the two main classical traditions of the country alongside the Javanese-Balinese gamelan. The smaller chamber character of Sundanese kacapi music — quiet, intimate, voice-centred — provides a clear regional alternative to the larger metallophone ensemble sound that defines Indonesian classical music in the international imagination.

Notable Examples & Recordings

The MET’s two related instruments (objects 502048 and 502066) document the Burmese and Bornean cousins of the Sundanese kacapi. The Indonesian Institute of the Arts in Bandung holds the largest collection of historical and modern Sundanese kacapi.

For listening:

• Nano S., Tembang Sunda Cianjuran — modern Sundanese sung-poetry recordings.
• Imas Permas, Sundanese Vocal Music — leading 20th-century vocalist with kacapi accompaniment.
• Sambasunda, Java — modern Sundanese ensemble work that includes kacapi alongside other regional instruments.
• Detty Kurnia, Coyor Panon — contemporary Sundanese music with full kacapi suling accompaniment.

Related Instruments

• Đàn Tranh – the Vietnamese member of the same wider sliding-bridge box-zither family.
• Gayageum – the Korean member of the family.
• Koto – the Japanese member of the family.
• Guzheng – the Chinese member of the family.
• Suling – the Indonesian bamboo flute that pairs with the kacapi in Sundanese chamber music.

Where to Hear It

The Indonesian Institute of the Arts (ISBI) Bandung programmes regular kacapi suling concerts throughout the academic year. The Saung Angklung Udjo cultural centre in Bandung, the Bandung Cultural Centre, and the Sundanese cultural festivals across West Java all feature the kacapi prominently. International tours by Sambasunda and other leading Sundanese ensembles bring the instrument to audiences in Europe, North America and Asia.

• Wikipedia: Kacapi
• The MET: Mi-gyaung (object 502048)
• The MET: Kachapi, Bornean (object 502066)
• Wikimedia Commons: Kacapi

Learning Resources

The Indonesian Institute of the Arts (ISBI) Bandung is the central conservatory for Sundanese music study and offers the kacapi as a principal instrument. Standard tutor materials are published in Indonesian by the ISBI Bandung press and by the Sundanese music research centre at Padjadjaran University. International study is possible through residential programmes at ISBI Bandung and through workshops at major world-music summer schools in Europe and North America. New concert-grade kacapi by Bandung makers run from approximately 200 to 800 USD.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between the kacapi indung and the kacapi rincik?
The kacapi indung (mother kacapi) is the larger of the two, with 18-20 strings, and provides the harmonic foundation of the music. The kacapi rincik (child kacapi) is smaller, with 14-15 strings, and plays faster melodic ornamentation in dialogue with the indung.

Is the kacapi part of the gamelan?
Strictly, no — the kacapi is the central instrument of Sundanese chamber music, which is a distinct tradition from the Javanese-Balinese gamelan. Wikidata does classify the kacapi within the broader gamelan family, but in practice the kacapi suling ensemble is much smaller and more intimate than a standard gamelan.

How are kacapi strings tuned?
Each string is supported by a small movable wooden bridge that can be slid along the soundboard, allowing the player to tune each string individually. The standard tuning systems are salendro (a five-tone equidistant scale) and pelog (a seven-tone unequal scale).

Are kacapi-related instruments in museums?
Yes. The Metropolitan Museum holds related box zithers from neighbouring South-East Asian traditions: a Burmese Mi-gyaung (object 502048) and a Bornean Kachapi (object 502066), both in the Musical Instruments department.

Where is the kacapi played today?
Primarily in West Java, where it remains the central instrument of Sundanese chamber music. The Sundanese diaspora communities in Jakarta, Surabaya and overseas (particularly the Netherlands) also maintain active kacapi playing communities.

What music is the kacapi used for?
The kacapi is used principally in tembang Sunda (Sundanese sung poetry), cianjuran (the refined Cianjur regional tradition) and kacapi suling (kacapi-and-flute chamber music).