The kulintang a kayo is a Philippine xylophone

Xylophone

The xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets...

 of the Maguindanaon people with eight tuned slabs arranged horizontally atop a wooden antangan (rack). Made of soft wood such as bayug, the kulintang a kayo is a common found among Maguindanaon households with a musical background. Traditionally, it was used for self-entertainment purpose inside the house, so beginners could practice kulintang pieces before performing them on the real kulintang and only recently have they been performed as part of a “wooden kulintang ensemble.” This ancient instrument is considered to have come to the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

 before the importation of metallic gongs from China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

and therefore is considered a precursor to the present-day kulintang.

External links

• Traditional Music of the Southern Philippines - An online textbook about Southern Pilipino Kulintang Music with an extensive section devoted to the Philippine xylophone, the kulintang a kayo.