Indonesian Gamelan

Gamelan music comes from two of the Indonesian islands, Java and Bali.

Some key features

Gamelan orchestra are usually percussion based (the word Gamelan means 'to hit with a hammer').
Heterophony: a texture in which two or more voices or parts elaborate the same melody simultaneously, often the result of improvisation [Improvisation: The creation of a musical passage by a musician whilst it is being performed. ], and is often heard in Gamelan music.
Some varieties feature bamboo flutes (suling), bowed strings (rebab), or vocalists in a prominent role.
Other instruments include mettallophones, gongs, cymbals and drums. They are often very ornate and brightly painted.
The Indonesia double-headed drum is called a kendang. Players sit cross-legged on the floor and with drum resting horizontally across their lap. Sometimes the drum sits in a frame. The drummer has a very important role as they direct all the other players using special signals on the drum, so they know when to speed up, slow down, change tune or finish a particular section.

Listen to this example of a Indonesian Gamelan, with the distinctive sound of metallophones and gongs.

Indonesian Gamelan (Real Audio clip)

Javanese metallophones	Description	Balinese metallophones	Description
Peking	This has 7 flat keys, in a wooden case, played with a barrel shaped mallet. It's the highest pitched of the saron family of instruments.	Ugal	This has 10 keys and plays the main melody.
Saron	This has 7 flat keys, pitched an octave [Octave: An interval of 8 notes. For example, between a low C note and a middle C note is one octave. ] lower than the peking. The saron family of instruments plays the fixed melody of a composition.	Pemade	Smaller. Has 10 keys.
Demung	This has 7 flat keys, pitched an octave lower than the saron.	Kantil	It's even smaller and has 10 keys.
Slenthem	It has 7 ribbed keys, used to play the fixed melody with the saron family, although an octave lower. It's played with a single mallet with a wooden disc covered with felt.	Jublag	It's large and has 5 keys.
Gender	This has 14 ribbed keys, played with 2 mallets. It is used to embellish the fixed melody.	Jegog	It's even larger and has 5 keys.
Gambang	This has 20 wooden keys and is played with long handled mallets.	-	-

Javanese gongs	Description	Balinese gongs	Description
Ageng and Suwakan	They are suspended rather than supported gongs. The number of gongs varies in each gamelan.	Reyong	There are twelve small gongs in a set, supported horizontally in a frame and played by four players
Kenong	This is a small gong supported horizontally and struck with mallets with padding of coiled string.	Trompong	There are ten gongs in a set like rayong. They're played by one player.
Kethuk and kempyang	These are smaller versions of kenong together to form a pair.	Gong	This is a large gong.
Bonang	There are two rows of six gongs, smaller than the kethuk and kempyang, supported by a frame, played with 2 long sticks bound with cord.	Kempur	This has a smaller and higher pitched gong.
-	-	Keletong	It's a small gong.
-	-	Kadjar	It's another small gong used to keep the beat.

Page: