Sunday 2nd March 2008

Dalia Chawany 11-4

The Gamelan music of Indonesia A Summary

The term Gamelan is used to describe a certain set of musical instruments consisting of tuned gongs and
metallophones. The three different cultures in Indonesia are based in Central Java, Western Java (Sunda)
and Bali. Even though all three have a different music style, they all originate and develop from the same
tradition. When Hinduism was brought to Bali, documents state that there was a very active musical life
amongst the poor and the rich. Temple carvings and pictures show that all types of gamelan instruments
used today were also in use in the sixteenth century. Many Hindu princes fled to Bali with their courts,
complete with musicians, dancers, actors and artists. The Hindu religion features strongly in all art forms,
and the storied used for dance-dramas, accompanied by gamelan music are based on Hindu mythology. The
The sound produced by a set of gamelan instruments is a unique sound and many of them have a similar
sound quality, or timbre and so it is not easy to identify the instrument names. Gamelan music is based on
two main scales:
1) Splendor Central Javanese and Balinese name Salendro Sundanese name.
2) Pelog
The slendro is a five note scale, and is an attempt to divide the octave into five equal intervals. Tuning
gamelan instruments varies according to the instrument therefore making it difficult or even impossible to
write gamelan music in western notation. Slendro sounds similar to any of the following western-notated
versions:

Important intervals in gamelan music are: T T T T T

Note: Tone = 3 Semitones
When gamelan melodies are written down, they are written in numbers, and the notes have names:

The pelog scale has seven notes which are not all equidistant (the same distance apart at every point). These
are:

Pelage scales vary. The nearest Western equivalent to the ones found in Sunda and Java is:

Sunday 2nd March 2008

Dalia Chawany 11-4

Sets of gamelan instruments which are tuned for both the Slendro and Pelog scales are called double
gamelan. The sets of notes are laid out at right angles yet many other sets of instruments are just tuned to
one scale or the other. The instruments have different names yet look very similar. The instruments can be
found below:

NOTE: Instruments E, F & G are all Balungan Instruments/Nuclear instruments Play the Nuclear
theme = Main theme.
The gamelan instruments and the music they play:
Each piece of gamelan music is based on a main tune which is also known as the Principal melody or the
Nuclear theme. All melody instruments either play the whole theme, parts of it or variations of the theme.
The instruments can be divided into several groups according to the part they play in the whole
performance. There are also rhythm instruments and instruments which mark the ends of sections and
phrases.
Group 1 Balungan Instruments:

Sunday 2nd March 2008

Dalia Chawany 11-4

These instruments play the Nuclear theme, called the Balungan. Theses instruments include the Saron
family. Saron instruments are single-octave metallophones which have heavy bronze keys with a hole at
each end, which slot onto pins on a wooden trough. In poorer villages, they keys can be made of iron or
brass. Sarons are played with a wooden mallet held in the right hand while the left hand is used to dampen
the notes to stop them from echoing and blurring the tune. Saron Paneus is the high octave Saron and it
plays each note of the tune twice. Saron Barung which is the middle octave Saron and the Saron Demung
which is the low octave saron play the nuclear theme in a straightforward way.
An octave below the saron demung is called the Slentem, this instrument often plays the notes of the
nuclear theme but at the same time, leaving out the fourth beat of each measure. The Slentem is the only
single-octave member of the gender family.
Group 2 Interpunctuating Instruments:
The Nuclear theme is divided into several phrases by different instruments of the Gong family. The larger
gongs are suspended vertically on a wooden frame. The group 2 instruments are made of bronze and have a
bump in the center known as the bass. The interpunctuating instruments are struck with a large padded
stick. The largest gong is called the Gong Ageng. The kenong are smaller gongs which rest horizontally on
cords stung across box frames. They are stuck with hollow sticks wound round with twine at each end. The
kempyang is a pair of small high-pitched gong. The Ketuk is a pair of flatter gongs which produce a sound
that is immediately damped. The name of the instrument is similar to the sound it makes.
Gamelan music is divided into measures of 4 beats. Each group of four beats is called Keteg which is
equivalent to a bar in Western music however the fourth beat in a Keteg is considered to be the strongest
beat whereas in Western music, the first beat is the strongest.
The group 2 instruments can be seen below:

Sunday 2nd March 2008

Dalia Chawany 11-4

A complete rhythmic cycle is called a Gongan. The first gong and kenong sound in the diagram is basically
the last beat of the previous gongang that played. The following diagram shows how music is divided
between the interpunctuating instruments:

Group 3 Panerusan Instruments:

The purpose of the instruments that are found in this group is to play the melody based on decorations of
the nuclear theme. The gender family has thin bronze keys that are suspended in a frame over bamboo
resonators which hang down, similar to the ones found on an orchestral xylophone. A disc-headed stick is
held in each hand and the keys are damped by the thumbs. Each gender except for the Slentem has a range
of two and a half octaves. Gender panerus is the highest, and the gender barung is an octave lower.
NOTE: To resonate means to carry the sound
The bonang family consists of two sets of gong-chimes (sets of knobbed gong kettles) each with a range of
two octaves. Gong kettles rest of crossed chords which are stretched across one frame. Bonang panerus
sounds an octave higher than the boning barung. These instruments are played with padded sticks. Other
instruments in this group are e.g.: Gambang Kayu which is a wooden-keyed xylophone with a range of 3
and a half octaves making a sound which is different to that of the western xylophone. Celempung is a 14
string zither with strings stretched across a box shape. This instrument is plucked with the thumbnails. The
rabab is also a 2 string instrument which is played with a bow. This instrument originates from Persia or the
Arab world. It plays a softer version of melodies in some pieces but is still based on the Nuclear Theme.
The suling is an end blown flute which is frequently used in gamelan music, sometimes accompanied by a
female singer and a chorus of male singer.

Group 4 Rhythm Instruments:

The most important instruments in this group are the Kendang gending and
the ketipung. Both are conical drums with one end larger than the other and a
playing skin at both ends. Both drums are played with both hands but the
Ketipung is smaller.

Sunday 2nd March 2008

Dalia Chawany 11-4

These drums plays sounds which are indicated by using words in the same way Tabla players of India play
Tabla Bols. The Kendang words or bols are called kendangans. These drums are used to cue in the
orchestra, to indicate the tempo and to accent the movement of dancers and/or puppets. Other percussion
instruments that are also used at times are:
1) Bedug a large barrel-shaped drum beaten with sticks
2) Keprak Wood blocks
3) Kekrek Metal plates
4) Kecer Small cymbals
NOTE: Most Indonesian instrument names describe the sound the instrument makes.
Through the use of gamelan music, thoughts, feelings and beliefs of the Indonesian people can be
expressed. Gamelan music is sued as other parts of art-forms for example: dance, drama, poetry,
performances and shadow puppet plays. Gamelan music has always played an important part in court and
state ceremony, as means of celebration alongside entertainment. Gamelan music is played together as
groups and there are no star players who perform individually.
Gamelan instruments are very important within the community and are treated with respect because the
people of Indonesia believe the instruments had spiritual powers. Gamelans are made in sets. Each
instrument is decorated in the same way and there is no universally fixed pitch so the tuning of each
instrument differs from one instrument to another (as mentioned on the first page)

THE END