*SOUTHEAST ASIAN MUSIC*
SCALES IN TRADITIONAL INDONESIAN
INDONESIA
The Republic of Indonesia is a country in
Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia
is an archipelago in Southeast Asia
comprising approximately 17,500
islands. With over 238 million people.
The nations capital is Jakarta. Indonesia
is the world's fourth most populous
country and is the fourth biggest nation
of the world.
The name Indonesia is derived from
from the latin and Greek Indus, and
Greek nesos, meaning “island”.
Like the Philippines, the various cultures
of Indonesian islands are the results of
mixtures of indigenous and foreign
elements: The Pacific Islands, East Asia,
Africa, India, Islam, Europe, and
America.
Through interaction with other cultures
such as Indian, Arabic, Chinese and
European, a wide range of musical
styles has been developed. Today the
contemporary music of Indonesia is
popular not only in the region but also
in the neighbouring countries.
BOROBUDUR
INDONESIAN MUSIC MAY BE DEVIDED
IN TWO FORMS:
1. Vocal– in the form of long historical
narratives, courting and love songs,
devotional praise melodies and
children’s song.
2. Instrumental
THERE ARE TWO PREDOMINANT
MUSIC:
Slendro – five (5) equidistant tones in
octave
Pelog – heptatonic (7) tone scale with
semi tone
Selendro- derive its name from the
Indian Kings of the Sailendra
Dynasty who ruled Java between 8th
and 10th Century
- it is a pentatonic scale and older than
the pelog
Pelog- is one of the two essential scales
of Gamelan music native to Bali and
Java,
- means “Fine” or “beautiful”
*Both vocal and instrumental music in
Indonesia use slendro and pelog scales.
GAMELAN: The Gamelan or Gamelan
orchestra is the most popular form of
music in Indonesia.
-Is a native art form and dates back
before Hindu-Buddhist culture came to
Indonesia.
-Gamelan music is complicated, it is an
ancient form of music and has been
handed down for many generations.
-There are many types of Gamelan but
the Javanese and Balinese Gamelan are
the most famous.
The Gamelan is an ensemble of tuned
percussion instrument made up of
gongs, metal phones, and drums.
Bonang– plays the melody in the
Gamelan ensemble.

Saron– produces a tone one octave
higher than demung, with a smaller size
Gender– a metallophone with bronze
sustained keys suspended by cords in a
wooden frame.
Kenong– a set of small gongs.
Gong Ageng– the most important
instrument of the Gamelan.
Kempul– a set of pitched gong.
Ceng-Ceng– a set of four cymbals
mounted inverted on a wooden frame.
Kendang– a set of drums of different
sizes.
Complete Set of Gamelan
Javanese Gamelan
-Used for court music . Percussion
instrument. dominated Style of playing
gives solemn character
Balinese Gamelan
-Used for sacred music. Consist of
metallophone and mostly gongs
-Sudden change of tempo and dynamics
are the basic characteristic.
-Sounds are very bright and brilliant
-Use of fast and rattling sounds of
cymbals makes distinctive characters
FACTS ABOUT THE GAMELAN:
-It is believed to be guided by spirits;
thus, Indonesians usually offer flowers
and incense whenever it is played.
-Shoes must be removed before
entering the area of the orchestra.
-Stepping over the instruments is
forbidden.
-Only the best player is allowed to play
the Gong Ageng.
Functions of the Gamelan:
-It accompanies religious ceremonies
and important events.
-It is used as part of entertainment like
the puppet show
-It provides a means of livelihood to the
Indonesians.