Indonesia
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Indonesian History
Traditional Indonesian Music
Gamelan orchestra
Gamelan music is the most popular and important kind in Indonesia.
Gamelan orchestras accompany all dances and dramas. Gamel
means 'to hammer', and most of the instruments of a gamelan orchestra
are struck with wooden mallets, padded sticks or hammers.The conductor
of a gamelan orchestra is a drummer who is part of the orchestra.
Instruments of
a gamelan orchestra
A complete orchestra could have about 40 or more different instruments.
There would  be instruments that are struck to produce sound, such
as kettledrums, xylophones, and gongs of various sizes. There
would be a wind instrument, a bamboo flute called a suling, and
string instruments such as a zither or lute. There would be instruments
whose sounds are produced by vibration, such as drums, bells,
cymbals and gongs.
There are also
two sets of instruments that are tonal: the slendro tuned to five
tones and the pelog, tuned to seven tones. The slendro is used
to suggest festivity or cheerfulness, and is believed to have
developed in Java in the eighth century. The pelog is used to
express sadness, and is also very ancient in its origins. These
two cannot be played together, but are used according to the mood
of the piece being played.
Gamelan music
Gamelan music is complicated. It is an ancient form of music and
has been handed down for many generations, never written down,
but learned by being played. Gamelan is an essential part of Indonesian
life. It is slightly different from island to island.
 Angklung music
Another popular form of orchestral music is the angklung, which
is played on instruments made entirely of bamboo of different
lengths. Each instrument is made up of two bamboo tubes, each
of a different note. The instruments are shaken to produce sound.
You can read more about gamelan
and see pictures of instruments at the following sites
http://www.balibeyond.com/gamelan.htmlgamelan.html
http://www.balibeyond.com/gamelaninstruments.html
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