How is gamelan music conducted?
A sustained melody is played either by the bamboo flute (suling) or by a bowed stringed instrument (rebab) or is sung—the last especially when, as often occurs, the gamelan is used to accompany theatrical performances, or wayang. The voice is then part of the orchestral texture.
How many instruments is the gamelan composed of?
The Bates College Gamelan Orchestra comprises two sets of instruments, representing two regional musical traditions from the island of Java.
Is gamelan made of wood?
Gamelan instruments are also made from bamboo. A jegog gamelan features gigantic bamboo instruments with tubes taken from plantations only found in West Bali. Some types of gamelan are a mix of bamboo and bronze, such as the ancient cremation gamelan called gong saron and gambang.
Why is gamelan played?
Gamelan is played to accompany religious rituals, ceremonies, dance, dance-drama, traditional theater, wayang puppets theatre, singing, concerts, festivals, exhibitions, and many more. For most Indonesians, gamelan is an integral part of Indonesian culture.
Is gamelan made of wood or metal?
A gamelan ensemble consists of a variety of metal percussion instruments, usually made of bronze or brass, including xylophones, drums, and gongs. It may also feature bamboo flutes, wooden stringed instruments, and vocalists, but the focus is on the percussion.
What kind of music do they play in gamelan?
Gamelan is a percussion-dominated musical ensemble. It is also known as a Gong-chime musical ensemble. This musical ensemble consists of bronze gongs and metallophones.
What kind of instruments are used in Javanese gamelan?
The Javanese gamelan orchestra consists of a variety of instruments, mostly in the form of hanging and horizontal gongs and xylophone-like instruments, made of bronze. Few laypeople outside of Indonesia are familiar with gamelan music, Indonesia’s gorgeous bronze gong ensembles.
How is gamelan composed and taught to others?
Beside above, how is gamelan composed and taught to others? As with a great deal of traditional oriental music, gamelan is learnt by rote, passed on from guru to student. Generally, at a practice a new piece is taught in short phrases by one guru and one or two assistants.
How are gamelans tuned to match the ensemble?
No two gamelans are tuned precisely alike; rather, each instrument is tuned to match the ensemble for which it is intended rather than to an external standard of pitch.