Gamelan Instruments

8/13/2019 Gamelan Instruments

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Gamelan

Instruments

There are many types of gamelan instruments. This listing is very general and favors names

which are most commonly used.

Gongs

Suspended Gongs

Bass Gongs

Gong Ageng (ah-g-ng) - Java. The largest and deepest of gongs, the gong ageng is often over ameter in diameter. There may be one for each scale in the Gamelan. The gong ageng begins and

ends the complete metric cycle.

Gong Wadon (wah-doan) - Bali. The largest Balinese gong, measuring slightly under a meter.

The wadon is "loose", meaning the face is relatively thin and vibrates freely. The wadon trades

with the lanang in ending the metric cycle.


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Gong Lanang (lah-nahng) - Bali. A mate to the wadon (lanang means male and wadon means

female), it is slightly smaller and about a step higher in pitch. The lanang is a "tight" gong, theface being thicker than the wadon. The lanang

trades with the wadon in ending the metric cycle.

Gong Suwuk (soo-wook) - Java. A secondary

gong, smaller than the gong ageng, there are

usually two suwuk per scale, pitches 1 and 2. The

suwuk is used to begin and end metric subcycles.

Middle Voice Gongs

Kempur (kehm-poor) - Bali. Punctuates mid points

in the metric cycle. In some smaller ensembles, akempur takes the place of the gong. A kempur can

be anywhere from 16 to 25 inches in diameter.


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Kempul (kehm-pool) - Java. Punctuates half way to the mid points of the metric cycle which is

played by the kenong. Kempul are generally between 15 and 20 inches in diameter.

Bheri (beh-ree) - Bali. A hanging gong with a recessed nipple (see Kajar below), played with a

soft mallet. The gong bheri subdivides between kempurs in a syncopated pattern. Also calledbheri is a flat faced gong of Chinese origin.


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Treble Gongs

Kemong (keh-mohng) - Bali/Java. Kemong is a high pitched gong played with a soft mallet, like

a very small kempul or kempur. The kemong may punctuate smaller time divisions, but is rarelyused today.

Klintong (klihn-tohng) - Bali. A high pitched gong played with a hard mallet to produce a

piercing sound. The pitch is usually from outside the scale of the ensemble which lends clarity.The klintong subdivides the cycle and sometimes takes the metric place of the kempur when a

kempur is being used as the gong.

Horizontal Gongs

Gong Racks


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Reong (ray-ong) - Bali. A horizontal row of small gongs with conical nipples, tuned to a scaleand played with cord wrapped sticks by one or more players. Two reong pots can also bemounted vertically on either end of a stick.

Trompong (trohm-pong) - Bali. A horizontal row of usually 12 Balinese gongs with conical

nipples, tuned to a scale and played by one person only with cord wrapped sticks. The trompong

has a lower pitch range than reong.

Bonang (boh-nahng) or Bonang Barung - Java/Bali. A double horizontal row (usually) of from10 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.

Bonang Panerus (pah-neh-roose) - Java. An octave higher than bonang. Bonang Panembung

(pah-nehm-boohng) - Java. An octave lower than bonang.

Kenong - Java. A row of large, deep, "stupa shaped" gongs, usually one for each pitch of the

scale but sometimes less, played with heavy cord wrapped sticks. Each individual kenong pot is

suspended on cords over a box resonator. The kenong directly divides the Javanese gong cycle

and is one of the most important musical markers.

Single Horizontal and Hand Held Gongs

Reong (ray-ong) - Bali. A set of small individual hand held

gongs tuned to a scale and played with cord wrapped sticks,one per player.


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Tawa tawa (tah-wah) - Bali. A small gong carried cradled in the lap or arm and played with a

soft mallet. The tawa tawa plays the beats of the cycle like a metronome.

Kempli (kehm-plee) - Bali. A small gong laid over a lace of cord strung within a box which

functions as a stand. Kempli is usually played with a stick wound with cord. The kempli playsthe beats of the cycle like a metronome.

Kelinang (klih-nahng) - Bali. A very small gong (about 5 inches in diameter) resting in a stand orheld in the hands. It is played with a cord wrapped stick, playing every second beat of the tempo

with the kempli or tawa tawa.

Ketuk (keh-took) - Java. A small gong laid over cord

strung across the opening of a small box, played with a

cord wrapped stick. The ketuk divides the kenong periodof the cycle, highlighting specific beats to delineate form,

such as off-beats, or the second or fourth beat of every orevery other grouping.

Kempyang (kehm-pyahng) - Java. A very small gong laid

over laced cord strung across the opening of a small box,played with a cord wrapped stick. The kempyang

alternates with the ketuk to further subdivide the cycle.

Kajar (kah-jar) - Bali. A small gong with a recessed nipple,

held on the lap and played with a hard stick. The kajar plays a reduction of the drum part,

accenting important gestures.

Bar Instruments

Metal

Saron (sah-rohn) - Bali/Java. The generic Saron is a mid register instrument with typically six orseven but occasionally up to fifteen bars, resting over a carved out wooden trough which serves

as a pedestal and a resonator. The bars are played using a rounded softwood hammer and muted


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with the non-playing hand. Bars may be removed by lifting them off the frame of the instrument.

The bars are held in place by metal "nails" which fit through holes at the nodal points of the bars.

Small pieces of padding at the nails, between the bar and the edges of the wooden trough, aremade of rubber or woven plant fiber. Saron bars are usually forged bronze but can also be made

of iron, brass, bamboo, or hardwood. Saron bars have a distinctive double curvature to their

surface. All gamelan bars are curved over their length so that the center is higher than the ends.This adds strength to the bar (arc principle) as well as resonance. Saron bars are similarly curvedacross the width of the bar.

Saron Demung (deh-moohng)/Saron Panembung - Java. The Demung is a low register saron with

large bars, typically consisting of an octave plus one or two pitches.

Peking (peh-king)/Saron Panerus (pah-neh-roose) - Java. The Peking is a small high register

saron. The Peking is played with a hammer made of bull's horn.

Saron/Gangsa Jongkok - Bali. Saron Jongkok are paired saron de-tuned in the standard Balinese

pengisep/pengumbang relationship. They are most often played with a horn shaped mallet, likegangsa. Jongkok are often combined with Jongkok Kantilan one octave higher. They are used

most extensively in the archaic and classic ensembles such as Gong Gede and Semar Pegulingan.

Saron Gambang - Bali. Saron Gambang are similar to Jongkok in their paired tunings, but thescale of Saron Gambang is derived from a song cycle source known as Kidung. Others are basedon scales of the Kekawin.

Gender (gehn-dare) - Bali/Java. Gender is an instrument with

bars suspended on rawhide straps or cord over tubular resonators.

Most Gender have fourteen bars. Gender bars are primarily

hexagonal in cross section and arched so that the middle of thebar is higher than the ends. Gender are typically played with two

disk shaped mallets, requiring specialized muting techniques.

Gender Barung - Java. 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. GenderBarung is played with two padded disk shaped mallets.

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

Gender Panembung/Slenthem - Java. A seven bar bass Gender played with one padded diskshaped mallet.

Gender Wayang - Bali. Two or four ten-barGender in slendro, each played with two

hardwood disk shaped mallets. Gender Wayang

accompanies Wayang Kulit shadow play and

various rites of passage. Gender Wayang music


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is contrapuntal, playing the melody, variations, gongs, and elaborations of larger orchestras with

only two or four instruments.

Gender Rambat - Bali. A pair of gender in pelog which are part of gamelan pelegongan and

semar pegulingan. This gender is played with two hands but plays traditionally only in octaves.

Salunding - Bali. A cross between Gender and Saron, and possibly a historical bridge between

the two instruments, Salunding has suspended iron bars over a trough resonator. The largest

instruments feature heavy iron bars as gongs. The instruments of Salunding are modular withonly four or eight bars per instrument and may be configured in a variety of ways.

Wood

Gambang (gahm-bahng) - Java. Javanese Gambang is a xylophone with hardwood bars resting

over a trough resonator. It is played with two long handled disk shaped mallets. A pelog/slendrogamelan will typically have three Gambang, one in slendro, one in standard pelog, and one in

pelog barang, replacing pitch one with pitch seven.

Bamboo

Gambang - Bali. A pair or quartet of

bamboo xylophones played with double,

forked, mallets. The bars of Balinese

gambang are placed in a non-scalar order

to facilitate particular double-stop

intervals. Gambang is used for cremation

rites and draws it's repertoire and scales

from ancient Kidung literature.

Gamelan Joged Bumbung/Tiklik/Rindik - Bali.

A ten bar bamboo xylophone. The bars are suspended in a wooden frame. The bamboo bars are

cut with part of the bamboo cylinder remaining intact to serve as a resonator. It is played withlong handled rubber headed mallets.

Jegog - Bali. A large ensemble of instruments resembling tiklik with bass bamboo bars reachingup to a foot wide and eight to ten feet long.

Cymbals

Ceng Ceng (cheng cheng) - Bali. Six small bronze cymbals are mounted upside down and played

with two held in the hands. The cymbals are typically mounted on the back of a wooden

sculpture of a turtle.


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Rincik (reen-cheek) - Bali. A tiny ceng ceng, usually on a decorative pedestal resembling a frogor other animal.

Ceng Ceng Kopyak - Bali. Pairs of large heavy bronze cymbals used mostly for processionalmusic.

Drums

Kendang Ciblon (kehn-dahng chib-lone) - Java. A barrel shaped two headed drum. The inside of

the drum is carved in an hourglass shape. The drum is mounted horizontally on a stand andplayed with the hands.

Kendang Ageng - Java. Similar to Ciblon, Kendang Ageng is very large and deep in pitch.

Kendang Kitipung - Java. A very small version of the Ciblon.

Kendang Bedug - Java. A very large two headed drum of similar to a Japanese taiko.

Kendang Bali - Bali. Drums in Bali come in a variety of sizes depending on the usage.

Conical in appearance, Balinese drums are carved in an hourglass shape inside. Most

are played with the hands but some larger varieties are played with a ball headed stickon the larger head. Drums in Bali are always paired, with the lower pitched drum

called the Wadon, or female, and the higher pitched drum called the Lanang, or male.

Flutes

Suling Java - Java. An end blown bamboo flute. Javanese flutes are tuned to

correspond with various patet and several different flutes may be part of the samegamelan.

Suling Bali - Bali. An end blown bamboo flute which can be played in both the slendro andpelog scales using variations of fingering. Suling in Bali are played with a circular breathing

technique allowing the flute to sound continuously without stopping the sound for breath.


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Strings

Bowed strings

Rebab - Java/Bali. A two stringed bowed string instrument, the body of

the Rebab is a coconut shell with goat skin stretched over it to producea resonating chamber.

Plucked strings

Ziter - Java. A small box shaped zither with a set of strings on both

sides of it's body, one side in pelog and the other in slendro.

Celempung - Java. A large archaic zither rarely used in the modern Javanese gamelan.

Kacapi - east Java. Another form of zither usually combined with suling.


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Documents

Gamelan Instruments