A GAMELAN IS AN ORCHESTRA  made up of a set of instruments from Java and Bali, Indonesia.

In learning gamelan music, unlike western orchestral music, a musician will learn more than just one instrument. In order to understand gamelan, it is necessary to know what each instrument provides to the whole. During the performance, you will see us moving around and switching instruments.

The instruments in the gamelan can be separated into four distinct categories, each serving a different function in the music. The first is the balungan. This group plays the main melody, usually playing on the beat in a steady pattern. The next set of instruments is the elaborating instruments. These instruments take the main melody

and enhance it with patterns (cengkok) based on the notes played by the balungan.

The next group is called the accentuating instruments. Instead of elaborating on the melody, these serve to punctuate the music, playing on certain beats or at the end of a piece or a phrase (listen for the big gong). The last group of instruments are the drums, called the kendhang, ciblon and ketipung, depending on the size. These instruments act as a conductor would in an orchestra, regulating the tempo by controlling beginnings, transitions and endings.

And of course, as in anything, there are always exceptions to these rules.

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PUJANGGA LARAS

THE VSB GAMELAN is a proud supporter of the Pujangga Laras klenengan of Javanese musicians in Surakarta, Central Java. Klenengan Pujangga Laras is a monthly gathering of Javanese gamelan musicians from different alliances, backgrounds, and age to have the opportunity to gather and share knowledge and play traditional music together. Started in July 2001, this klenengan was originally sponsored by members of the North American gamelan community and is now supported internationally. More than 35 gamelan enthusiasts sponsor 11 events a year, typically attended by

50-60 musicians. The funding model is one of subscription and has the benefit of being able to access amazing recordings from these events. Supporters are encouraged to give

$300 a year, but lesser amounts are welcome. If you are interested in joining VSB in supporting this event in Java, please contact Kitsie Emerson at [email protected].  More information can be found at http://gamelanbvg.com/pl/

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