GAMELAN

TYPES OF GAMELAN

1.Balinese Gamelan- A gamelan is an ensemble normally composed primarily of percussion. In Bali, orchestras of tuned gongs, bronze kettles, bronze metallophones, bamboo xylophones, drums, cymbals and flutes fill the night air with animated music. Melodic parts interlock, divided in such a way that musicians play alternate notes to form the melody line. These interlocking parts, known as kotèkan, require cooperation and a keen sense of rhythm to perform. The two parts of a kotèkan, which are thought of as male and female, are known as nyangsih and polos. The main accents of the nyangsih part are usually on the offbeat, while the main accents of the polos part are usually on the beat.

Knowledge of kotèkan can be extremely valuable. These interlocking rhythms have a unique way of bringing people together in cooperation towards a common goal, and there are many creative possibilities for applying them to contemporary music.

2. Javanese gamelan- is more traditional and suited to palaces and temples, it is a gentler and lower pitched style of gamelan that accommodates vocalists and rhythmic patterns.

GAMELAN INSTRUMENT

1. Saron- A glockenspiel with bronze bar struck with wooden mallet. There are threekinds; Saron Barung, Saron Peking, Saron Demung.

2. The Demung-The demung is the largest and lowest of the saron. It is played with a hammer with a wooden head.

3. The saron (also known as saron barung)- is somewhat smaller than the demung. Its bars sound an octave higher than those of the demung.

4. The Peking- The peking (also known as the saron panerus) is small and plays high notes (an octave higher than the saron). When playing the peking, one uses a hammer made from an animal horn. The peking usually playes an elaboration on the basic melody.

Saron DemungSaron BarungSaron Peking

GAMBANG KAYU

The bars of the instrument are made of a dense wood, generally teak. It also found in ironwood (kayu besi). The bars mounted in a deep wooden case that serves as a resonator. Instruments typically have 17-21 keys that are easily removed, and are kept in place by having a hole through which a nail is placed. Generally a full gamelan has two sets, one gambang pelog and the other one gambang slendro.

GENDER

1. Gender Panembung/Slenthem -. A seven bar bass Gender played with one padded disk shaped mallet.


2. Gender Panerus - One octave higher than Gender Barung.


3. Gender Barung - The primary bar instrument of the Javanese ensemble. Standard pelog/slendro gamelan have three gender barung, one in slendro, one in standard pelog, and another in pelog barang, replacing pitch one with pitch seven. Gender Barung is played with two padded disk shaped mallets.

PanembungPanerusBarung

Bonang (boh-nahng) or Bonang Barung - A double horizontal row (usually) of from 10 to 14 gongs with rounded nipples, tuned to a scale and played by one person with a pair of cord wrapped sticks. There is usually one bonang per scale.

Rebab- is a string instrument which originated in what is now known as Afghanistan, no later than the 8th century, and was spread via Islamic trading routes over much of North Africa, the Middle East, parts of Europe, and the Far East. The bowed variety often has a spike at the bottom to rest on the ground, and is thus called a spike fiddle in certain areas.

Suling is an Indonesian/Philippine flute made out of bamboo. It is used in gamelan ensembles.

The siter and celempung are plucked string instruments used in Javanese gamelan. They are related to the kacapi used in Sundanese gamelan.The siter and celempung each have between 11 and 13 pairs of strings, strung on each side, between a box resonator. Typically the strings on one side tuned to pélog and the other to slendro. The siter is generally about a foot long and fits in a box (which it is set upon while played), while the celempung is about three feet long and sits on four legs, and is tuned one octave below the siter. They are used as one of the elaborating instruments (panerusan), that play cengkok (melodic patterns based on the balungan). Both the siter and celempung play at the same speed as the gambang (which is rapidly).

gong ageng (Kromo Javanese meaning large gong, ngoko is gong gedhe) is the largest gong in a Javanese and Balinese gamelan. It is used as to mark the largest phrases in the structure. In small structures, the gong ageng is used to mark larger groups than the smaller gong suwukan. In the larger gendhing, only the gong ageng is used.

It is typically pitched to match the 6 of the gamelan. Full gamelans sometimes only have one, for both pélog and sléndro, but can have both as well, even if the pitches are the same.

---- gong ageng

Angklung is a musical instrument made out of two bamboo tubes attached to a bamboo frame. The tubes are carved so that they have a resonant pitch when struck. The two tubes are tuned to octaves. The base of the frame is held with one hand while the other hand shakes the instrument rapidly from side to side. This causes a rapidly repeating note to sound. Thus each of three or more angklung performers in an ensemble will play just one note and together complete melodies are produced. Angklung is popular throughout Southeast Asia, but originated from Indonesia (used and played by the Sundanese since the ancient times).

The angklung ensemble features a large number of small metallophones in different sizes, each with only four keys. Because the instruments are light-weight, the angklung is most frequently heard in processions, with the musicians carrying their instruments. The most common ceremonial function is the funeral procession to the cremation grounds.

Source

http://www.ancient-future.com/bali.html

http://www.usd.edu/smm/Gamelan/9899/SaronDemung9899.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamelan_Surakarta

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebab

http://www.balibeyond.com/gamelaninstruments.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suling

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/gong_ageng

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/angklung

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siter

http://www.asianclassicalmp3.org/angklung.htm