Gongs from the backbones of most musical ensembles and are used for nearly every social event. The number of instruments played together varies from community to community. During a gong beating session , one or two more drums are played to accentuate the main rhythms. 
The gongs are found in all parts of the states and are highly valued. They are also used and hare highly valued. They are also used as bridewealth, for animistic religious ceremonies, signaling and during harvest festivals.
Gong are also recently made locally in Kudat by Rungus people. These have a shallow rim and small boss. Such gongs are made from galvanized iron sheets which are also purchased locally. The more popular gong with its thick walls, deep rim and large boss, is imported from the Philippines, Indonesia or Brunei.
KULINTANGAN (Idiophones)
This was first introduced into west Sabah by the Brunei but it also traditionally used by the Bajaus and some Dusun/Kadazan people. 
It is usually played on festive occasions, such as weddings and religious ceremonies, where it is often accompanied by other traditional gongs.
The instrument cinsists of a set of about eight ti nine small brass kettle gongs.. Each sounds are different pitch when struck. The gongs are arranged horizontly in a row on a low wodden bed-like frame. The player sits down on the floor in front of the gongs and beats them with two small wooden mallets.
GAMBUS (Chordophone)
This pear-shaped plucked lute is found only in coastal Muslim communities. It has three pairs of gut or brass strings which are plucked with the claw of an armadillo. The gambus is craved from a single piece of nangka or jackfruit wood. After craving the wood to the general shape of the instrument, the entire length up to the peg box is covered with goat or iguana skin.
The gambus is played mainly for personal entertainment, and its music imitates rhythms of Malay dances such as joget and zapin.
TONGKUNGON (Chordophone)
This unique tube zeither is made from a large bamboo(poring) . The strings is taken 
about seven from the skin carefully undercut along the length and pitches. The names of the strings and the sound intervals between their pitches correspond to the gongs in the ensembles of their respective communities and this was establish since before the Kadazandusun ethnic using a set of gongs.
Farmers often play the tongkungon alone for individual relaxation and entertainment. It also used to accompany dancing. It is popular among the Dusun/Kadazan.
SOMPOTON (Aerophone)
This mouth organ is the most fascinating of the Sabah native musical instruments. It is constructed from a dried gourd and eight bamboo pipes arranged in a doublelayered raft. One of the pipes has no sound, but merely balances the bundle. By blowing or sucking the gourd's mouth the player can produced a soft sweet harmonious sound. A small lamella of polod palm(like tiny bungkau) is inserted in the side of each sounding pipe near its base. This pipes are fitted into a hole on one side of each sounding pipe are fitted
Into a hole on one side of the gourd and sealed with bees wax. The lamellae lie inside the groud and provide the sound of the completed instrument. The pipes of the longer raft with fingers of the left hand.
The sompoton can be played as a solo instrument for personal entertainment or in group to accompany dancing. It is popular among the Dusun/Kadazan.
BUNGKAU OR URIDING OR TURIDING ( Free Aerophone)
This jaw's harp is made from the outer skin of palm known as a polod among the Dusun/Kadazan. A skilful hand is needed to fashion a good one. They are commonly made throughout Dusunic areas.
The lamella in the centre is made to vibrate by striking the end of the instrument with thumb. The vibrating strip makes very little sound by itselft, but if held before the opened mouth, the player can gently magnify the sound by resonance. A wide range of frequencies can be obtained by varying the shape of the mouth and the position of the tongue.
When not in use, it is usually encased in and attached to a bamboo tube to keep it clean and free from damage.
DRUM ( Membranophone)
Drums are found throughout Sabah. Native drum may be single-headed such as karatung from Tambunan and the Rungus tontog, or double-headed like the gandang from Penampang and the Lotud gandang. The drum body is formed from a hallowed out log. Each head of goatskin or cowhide is affixed to the body by a rattan hoop which fits over the end of the body. Tuning pegs maybe inserted in the rattan. These can be moved to tighten or loose the skin.
Some coastal drums, such as the double-headed Bajau gendang are barrel-shaped with the skins wrapped around rattan hoops and fitted onto the bodies. Cane or twine cords crisscross the body from one head to the other. These can be tightened or loosened to tune the heads.
Drums are played in combination with other instruments and are particulary important in the gong and kulintangan ensembles. As expected, their functions is to accentuate the main rhythms, often providing the beat for dancers.
SUNDATANG (Rungus & Dusun/Kadazan) OR GAGAYAN (Lotud) (Chordophone)
This strummed lute is made from a nangka(jackfruit) wood. It has two, or sometimes three 
brass strings. Traditionally the strings were made from the gimant plant. They are tuned by twisting the pegs at the top of the instrument.
Its music copies the melodies and rhythms of various dances. In Tambunan it was sometimes used to accompany the sedate sundatang magarang dance. It can be played as a solo instrument unaccompanied by voice, for personal entertainment.
TURALI (Aerophone)
The turali nose flute is made from a long of bamboo, open at both ends. It has a thumb hole in the centre of the back and three finger holes in the front.
The turali usually produces a soft thin melancholy sound suggestive of wind sighing in the trees in the jungle. It is normally played for personal entertainment and its tunes can be imitate various chants. Among the central Tambunan and Penampang Dusun/Kadazan, how ever the turali expresses personal grief when played in this context in central Tambunan, it has a loud ppiercing sound suggesting cryng,
SULING (Aerophone)
This is an endblown flute made of bamboo. It has five or six holes and is played for individual pleasure. The sweet notes of this 
instrument are usually heard at night after the villagers have returned from the fields. It is played by all the ethnic groups of Sabah.
TOGUNGGU' (Idiophones)
Known as tagunggak amongst the murut, togunggak amongst the Dusun/Kadazan or togunggu' in Penampang,these struck bamboo idiophones are played in groups to accompany dancing or processions at festive occasions. One set comprises from six (togunggu) to thirty (togunggak) pieces, depending on the ethnic group. The music resembles that of the set of gongs of the particular group, with each idiophone tuned according to the corresponding gong part it plays.
KOMPANG (Membranophone)
The kompang frame drum is played mainly by Muslim groups in Sabah particularly amongst the Bajaus and Bruneis. It is a regular ceremonial welcome for V.I.Ps. kompang music is also played in large groups for other ceremonial occasions such as weddings or berkhatan and other Muslim 
events. Kompang music is sometimes accompanied by the gendang.
The sound is produced by beating or tapping the membrane with the hand or fingers. This instrument is made from goat skin or cow hide which has Been stripped of its hair. The hide is fitted over a hollowed wooden disk.
BAS (Aerophone)
The bas is a resonateh Bamboo horn played as past of the Rurum Lun Suling ensemble of Lundayeh people. This pipe band contains 23 aerophone: nine side-blown flutes named suling, played by women, and 14 bas made in five sizes, played by men. These are said to have developed from a nose flute during the 1930's and 1940's and were taught in Indonesian School. The Rurum Lun Suling plays the tunes of Christian songs, with the bas parts providing harmony below the suling melodies. This music is a significant from a Lundayeh cultural expression.
