Apart from traditional dances, traditional music has also become an important part of Balinese culture. This art has been passed down from generation to generation and is an inseparable part of traditional culture. The types of traditional music in Bali have emerged since the ancient Balinese era, from the 8th century to the 14th century AD.
The distribution of musical instruments in Bali generally occurs in the city of Denpasar, starting from East Denpasar, West Denpasar, North Denpasar, and South Denpasar. Angklung, gender wayang, gong bhari, and xylophone are the oldest musical instruments in Bali which are estimated to have been known since 913 AD. The following are some types of Balinese musical instruments that you need to know.
gonggong
Genggong is a musical instrument that is quite unique in terms of the character of the sound and the way it is played. To be able to produce a tone, genggong is sounded by sucking in a section called “palayah.” The left hand holds the end of the left tool, while the right hand holds the bamboo stalk which is connected with a string of threads. Then, how to play it is to use the mouth cavity that sounds gonggong as a resonant.
Gangsa
This musical instrument belongs to a series of gamelan barungan whose blades are made of bronze. This gangsa is quite widely used in Balinese gamelan types such as semara pagulingan, gong kebyar, gong gede, and others. The difference is the function of the gangsa of each barungan. There is a function as a determinant of the dimensions of the song, the braid of strokes and others.
Balinese Gamelan
Although geographically separated from the island of Java, the nuances of musical instrument culture in Bali also recognize gamelan. Gamelan itself is a collection of musical instruments consisting of xylophone, gong, drum, kempul, bonang and others.
The spread of gamelan itself has actually been quite widespread, starting from Java, Madura, Bali, to Nusa Tenggara. It’s just that each region has a gamelan with its own characteristics that have been acculturated to the local culture. The Balinese gamelan itself has existed for a long time and based on the records in the Bebetin Inscription, this musical instrument has existed in Bali since 896 AD or when King Ugrasena ruled in Bali.
Currently there are about 25 types of gamelan growing in Bali, some of which are made of bamboo and the rest are made of metal. Balinese Gamelan itself can be divided into three major parts, namely Old Gamelan, Madya Gamelan, and New Gamelan. This division is based on the development of traditional Balinese music itself.
Gambuh Flute
Unlike the flute in general, this wind instrument from Bali has a large and long shape. On the body there are six pitch holes and a blow cavity at the end. This gambuh flute is played in a diagonal position to accommodate its dimensions and when playing it the flute is propped up on the floor.
This flute is part of a series of Gamelan Gambuh musical instruments. There are three gambuh flutes which form the core of the gamelan and their function is to play the melodic parts. To accompany this melody, Gamelan Gambuh is equipped with small drums, ceng-ceng ricik, small gongs, several fiddles, and other percussion instruments as rhythmic musical instruments.
Balinese Tambourine
This musical instrument which is synonymous with Islamic art also lives in traditional Balinese music. In Balinese tradition, the tambourine is included in a series of gamelan barungan instruments, such as the gamelan pajangeran and pangarjaan. There are differences in the function of the tambourine in traditional Balinese music.
Generally, in a series of musical instruments, tambourines are distinguished by size and tone produced. However, in traditional Balinese music, only one type of tambourine is used. Its function is to cover a song.
Those are some types of Balinese musical instruments that live and develop as an important part of musical art in Bali. Interested in learning it?
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