Bambu Wukir`s Dream of Going Around the World

Jogja, Jogjatrip.com—People have been familiar with many traditional music instruments but not this one: Bambu Wukir. The name signifies that this instrument is made of bamboo (in Javanese it is spelled bambu). It has strings like that of guitar and it is introduced by an artist from Malang named Wukir Suryadi. That is how the instrument got its name, Bambu Wukir, or Tarbu which stands for Gitar Bambu (a guitar made of bamboo).

Bambu Wukir’s shape resembles a bamboo spear, it is 10 cm in diameter and 1 meter of length, with 11 strings and 8 fine wires made of bamboo. It also has a resonance tube of 20 cm diameters with a spool to transform the sound into electric tone. Bambu Wukir is not only played by plucking but also by fiddling it just like playing violin or percussion instruments.

In his performance in a breakfast program on Friday (8/26) at Royal Garden Restaurant, Pekapalan Street of Yogyakarta North Square, Wukir Suryadi said to Jogjatrip.com that his exploration on bamboo into this music instrument took him almost two years and it had gone through five or six alterations in its making process. He created it when he was in Bali when he explored the nature and saw the bamboos swaying with the wind. He chose Bali black bamboo for making the instrument.

“I used black bamboos which I soaked in running water for three weeks. Bamboos from different areas have different quality and it affects the sounds it produces,” explained Wukir.

For Wukir, Bambu Wukir is an invaluable work of art, moreover, it now becomes one of the many mucisal instruments which gain recognizion from the government and the world. With some modifications, the instrument is quite effective in representing the creative passion of the creator. Wukir added that he has been exploring the tones of the bamboo since 2008 when he was still in Bali.

When collaborating with DJ Sesta and Dena (voc) las Friday, Wukir gave an outstanding performance with his Bambu Wukir. They presented a dramatic atmosphere through series of electric sounds. Although Wukir was just a supporting performer he could maximize his Bambu Wukir in every performance, moreover when he was doing his solo.

Wukir hoped that Indonesian government pays more attention to traditional music instruments. It is sad that until today only foreign agencies who showed their concern to this bamboo traditional instrument. In face, Wukir has produced 5 albums and he is joining the coming Festival Bambu Nusantara, October 2^nd-3^rd 2010. Wukir has a big dream to have a world concert in Europe.

“Frankly, many students came to me and ask me to teach them how to play Bambu Wukir. This shows that young people long for Indonesian original musics,” said Wukir.

Wukir Suryadi was born December 27^th 1977, is a father of two daughters.**(Andreas Eko Wahyu S)

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