Gamelan Music

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Where is Gamelan music from?

Gamelan Music

Gamelan ensembles are found predominantly on the islands of Java and Bali, and comprise mainly bronze metallophones and gongs.They are led by drummers who play double-headed drums and give rhythmic signals to the other performers regarding tempo and dynamic changes.

Multiple Choice

Which of these is an example of a tempo change?

• Slow to fast

• Quiet to loud

• High to low

• One instrument to several instruments

Multiple Choice

Which of these is an example of a dynamic change?

• Slow to fast

• Quiet to loud

• High to low

• One instrument to several instruments

Gamelan Music

Gamelan gets it name from the Javanese word 'gamel', which means a type of hammer, like a blacksmith's hammer. The name 'gamelan' refers to the method of playing the instruments - by striking them - as they are almost entirely percussion.

Categorize

Options (8)

Violin

Cello

Drum

saron

Trumpet

Tuba

Flute

Bassoon

Put these instruments into the correct families.

String

Percussion

Brass

Woodwind

Gamelan Music

Traditional gamelan notation uses numbers instead of letters. However, it should be noted that Gamelan is an oral tradition, and is rarely written down. Melodies are learnt by heart.
Gamelan music is based on one of two scales - the five-note SLENDRO scale and the seven-note PELOG scale. These can vary from region to region, depending on the sound of the instruments - one reason why instruments cannot be interchanged between different groups.

Reorder

Put our Balungan into the correct order.

• 2 3 2 5

• 3 2 3 5

• 6 1 6 5

• 3 6 5 3

1

2

3

4

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4

Multiple Choice

Which part plays in between the notes of the Balungan?

• Peking

• Kenong

• Kethuk

• Gong

Multiple Choice

Which part plays each note of the Balungan twice?

• Kethuk

• Peking

• Kenong

• Gong