indonesian music

In Bali, an ensemble of angklung is called gamelan angklung (anklung). While the ensemble gets its name from the bamboo shakers, these days most compositions for Gamelan Angklung do not use them. An ensemble of mostly bronze metallophones is used instead.

While the instrumentation of gamelan angklung is similar to gamelan gong kebyar, it has several critical differences. First, the instruments are tuned to a 5-tone slendro scale, though actually most ensembles use a four-tone mode of the five-tone scale (an exception would be five-tone angklung from the north of Bali.) Secondly, whereas many of the instruments in gong kebyar span multiple octaves of its pentatonic scale, gamelan angklung instruments only contain one octave, though some five-tone ensembles have roughly an octave and a half. The instruments are often considerably smaller, and hence more portable when used in cremation rituals. The musicians often play in a procession as the funeral bier is carried from the cemetery to the cremation site, in addition to playing music to accompany the ceremony.

The structure of the music is similar to gong kebyar. Jublag and jegog carry the basic melody, which is elaborated by gangsa, reyong, ceng-ceng, drum, and flute. A medium sized gong, called kempur, is generally used to punctuate a song's major sections. And although most older compositions generally do not employ gong kebyar's more ostentatious virtuosity and showmanship, many Balinese composers have created kebyar-style works for gamelan angklung, often featuring dance.

THE BAMBOO ELECTIONangklung

Bamboo is the material of an Angklung. It is elected by its age. It has to be at least 4 years old and not more than 6 years old. It is cut on the dry season, between 9 am in the morning to 3 pm at the afternoon. After being cut at its base for about 2-3 span of the hand, it will be stored for about 1 week, so that the bamboo will contain less water.

After a week, the bamboo will be separated from its branches. It will be cut into certain various sizes. Then, will be stored for about one year to keep it from termites. Some of the procedures are: by sinking out the bamboo beneath mud field, pool or river, also by smoking it at the fireplace, and the modern procedure: by using a certain liquid chemistry formula.

2. SHAPING PART OF AN ANGKLUNG

Each Angklung consist of 3 parts:

The Voice Tubes
The Voice Tubes are the most important of an angklung, which produce the intonation made. Tuning process makes the intonations.

The Frame
Frame is supporting the voice tubes to stand inside the hollow space.

The Base
It is function as the frame of the voice tubes.

3. TUNING THE VOICE TUBE PROCESS

Half-Done Process
Shaping the bamboo become laths of voice tube.

Resonance Tuning Process
Blowing the lower part of an angklung to the floor and measuring it to the tuner.

Main Voice Tuning Process
Tuning the voice by increasing and decreasing the tone by strike voice. Increasing the tone by cutting its upper parts slightly, and decreasing the tone by shaping both voice laths with shaping knife.

How to Use a Tuner:

Make an attention to both of the lamps at the left and the right of the panel, and also the pointer needle.

For example, if you're going to make an "F" tone, so that when the angklung is shaking, both of the lamps will flame together, and the pointer needle will point the "F" letter.
4. FINISHING

After each of the voice tubes has its tone, then it will be put into the frame laths and being str

Angklung is a musical instrument made out of two bamboo tubes attached to a bamboo frame. The tubes are carved so that they have a resonant pitch when struck. The two tubes are tuned to octaves. The base of the frame is held with one hand while the other hand shakes the instrument rapidly from side to side. This causes a rapidly repeating note to sound. Thus each of three or more angklung performers in an ensemble will play just one note and together complete melodies are produced. Angklung is popular throughout Southeast Asia, but originated from Indonesia (used and played by the Sundanese since the ancient times).

Furniture can be produced in many kind of material beside wood material, which made from bamboo or rattan that some called it wicker. Wood, bamboo and rattan has its advantages and disadvantages. Those materials bring natural atmosphere and enhance your house with its appearance.

Bamboo is fast growing woody plant, which can grow in the cold mountains to hot climate regions, it is including in true grass. Bamboo is used widely in Asia especially in East Asia and South East Asia. Beside as furniture material bamboo is used in other ways too, this is used as construction material, fencing, bamboo carving and others. The use of bamboo is a great many even for culinary and medicine, also used as an angklung, which is an Indonesian musical instrument. Furthermore, innovative style of flooring which use bamboo as its material. Recently, even more bamboo furniture is offered in furniture store or manufacturer, which carries out consumers need.

Other furniture is rattan furniture or some called it wicker furniture. Rattan is kind of vine-like of palms, which scrambling over other vegetation, usually found in forests in Asia, Africa and Australia that has tropical climate. Different from bamboo, rattan stem is solid which around 2-5 cm diameter. Rattan has its distinctive appearance that is fascinate people, thus rattan furniture is popular.

Among those materials, wood still preferred as furniture material especially for indoor furniture. Thus, bring indoor wood furniture in high demand and it is increasingly developed. Many of furniture use wood such as oak, teak, maple or mahogany depend on the need of consumer. Wood furniture may offer various kind of selection, thus will give a pleasure when find the ideal one.

Therefore, people choose furniture in compliance with their need and taste where those materials will bring different choices. Wood, bamboo and rattan will give wide variety of furniture selection.

Deriving from the word “gamel” which means “to hit”, a gamelan is commonly known as an ensemble of Indonesian traditional instruments, many of which are percussive and are struck with a beater. Normally gamelan is identified as a group of bronze pots and gongs but this is not always the case. In fact, many of the oldest gamelan instruments in Indonesia are made of iron or bamboo or coconut shell.

Gamelan is found in many Asian countries, such as Thailand and Cambodia and its origins are uncertain. Some of the structures are similar to Indian music; others have rhythms akin to those found in Africa.

In Bali there are no less than thirty-five different ensembles and many of them have their origins in Java. The most common ensemble in Bali is called angklung, which is commonly used for death rites and in some villages at temple ceremonies. Each gamelan has its own particular function and for some ceremonies only one type of gamelan may be used.

Born around 1915 in Buleleng, the most popular ensemble in Bali in modern times is called gong kebyar which literally means “bursting out” and is found in most hamlets around the island. Nonetheless, over the last few years there is a resurgence of the older forms such as seven-tone semara pagulingan (an ensemble from feudal times) and selonding (a pre-Majapahit iron gamelan commonly found in original (Bali Aga) villages.

The music is played in groups and there are no soloists (perhaps with the exception of flute music). Ensembles vary from smaller duos such as gender wayang through to a massive crew of up to fifty (gong ageng). Considering that gamelan music is rarely notated, coordinating so many instruments, rhythms and musicians is an impressive feat to say the least!

Unbeknownst to many, there are in fact more than forty different types of gamelan in Bali. This is saying something for such a small island.

The most common type is called gong kebyar (exploding gong) which is overwhelmingly dominant at festivals and competitions. Originating in Buleleng in the early 20th century, it emerged as a secular gamelan for flamboyant, fast-paced music and dance performances held usually in the market place outside in temple. In the space of only ten or twenty years, this ensemble and its capricious music swept the island by storm. Smaller than the stately ceremonial gamelan, gong gede, it was quickly adopted into religious ceremonies and soon replaced it in all regencies outside of Bangli. Now in Bali there are more than 10,000 sets of the versatile gong kebyar. Almost every banjar and every temple own at least one set and large numbers of wealthy Balinese have commissioned sets for themselves as well. Kebyar music is characterized by its loud sound and lightening pace, and its emotional music tends to both attract and deter curious tourists.

The next most popular gamelan is angklung which has four keys in South Bali and anything up to seven keys in Buleleng. It provides cremation music all over the island and in Central and East Bali it is also used in temple anniversaries and private ceremonies. Angklung is high-pitched and highly rhythmic with note intervals resembling that of the Western major scale, and to the occidental ear sounds lively and jolly. To the Balinese, with its close association to cremations, it evokes melancholy and sadness.

Another common ensemble is the pair of bamboo xylophones called rindik in South Bali and grantang in the north. Heard playing restaurants and hotel lobbies across the island, these instruments and their cheerful and airy music were created by farmers in their breaks between tending to their crops and livestock.