Indonesia Flashcards
Javanese Gamelan
Set of insruments unified by their tuning and decorative carving/painting Ensembles can be large or small two scales: 5-tone slendro scale and 7 tone pelog scale Cyclic players sit at right angles to each other
Gamelan Instruments
Metal slab (Bronze, melody) Gongs (punctuate the melody) Drums (lead and set tempo) Wind, string, or wood also exist Vocals
Use of Gamelan
Loud playing is for festivals and outdoor noisy events Soft playing is for intimate, indoor gatherings has singing Accompanies Dancing, Theater or Drama
Wayang Kulit
Shadow puppet theater accompanied by loud and soft playing, dates back 1,000 years
Gendhing
Gamelan composition
Balungan
Main melody of a gendhing, ends with large gong
Large Gong
Last beat of every phrase in a gendhing is punctuated by the large gong Releases tension that built during the phrase
Gongan
Phrases of Balungan have 8, 16,32,64 beats.
Rebab
2 stringed instrument, used with a gamelan ensemble in soft playing style
Balinese Gamelan
Same as Javanese except: No voices rapid, abrupt shifts in temp and volume Technically complex fast, complex asymmetrical rhythms gongan alternates with Kebyar
Kebyar
Balinese Gamelan free, non-cyclic phrases
Dangdut
“Sound of hand drumming” Appeared in 1970’s Combo of American Rock & Roll with middle-east and eastern influence (especially the drumming: Indian tabla/mridangam) Highly ornamaented style of Indian film music
Shadow puppet theater accompanied by loud and soft playing, dates back 1,000 years
Wayang Kulit
Gamelan composition
Gendhing
Main melody of a gendhing, ends with large gong
Balungan
