We’re Game for Gamelan

Do you prefer Balinese Gamelan or Javanese. What? You can’t decide? Or…you love both!

Gamelan is an extraordinary form of music, an engaging Indonesian art form that features a community orchestra performing on an ensemble of instruments — primarily an impressive array of gongs — that are tuned very specifically to one another. (“Gamelan” is actually the name for the set of instruments rather than the genre.) Gamelan compositions are melodically complex because of the interaction of the various gongs and other percussion instruments that seem to sing to one another, dance around each other and playfully chase each other about. Rhythms interlock as well, with two musicians playing intimately connected parts to form a unified whole. There are two main centers of gamelan in Indonesia — Bali and Java.  What’s the difference between Balinese and Javanese gamelan? (spoiler alert: Balinese gamelan is more dynamic and rhythmically dense than tranquil Javanese gamelan.) Here are examples — Balinese and Javanese.

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