Gamelan

Gamelan is the bronze percussion ensemble of Java and Bali: tuned metallophones, hanging gongs, kettle gongs and drums played together as one instrument.

How it is played

The pieces are tuned to each other in the five-tone slendro or seven-tone pelog scales, so no two gamelans sound alike. A large gong marks the end of each cycle, the drum leads the tempo, and layers of metallophones fill the cycle with interlocking patterns.

Heritage note

Part of the living heritage of Indonesia.

Origins

Usually placed in the era of Classical Worlds (about 1000 BCE to 500 CE), although its exact origins are uncertain, within the cultural world of Southeast Asia and the Islands.