GAMELAN

GAMELAN 

Gamelan is a set of musical instruments with pentatonic melodies, which consists of: Kendang, Bonang, Bonang Successor, demung, Saron, Peking (Gamelan), Kenong and kethuk, Slenthem, Gender, Gong, Xylophone, fiddle, zither, flute. Gamelan comes from the Javanese "Gamel" which means hitting / beating, followed by the suffix "an" that makes it a noun. The term of the orchestra itself was as a single musical instrument played together. The main part of the gamelan instruments are: Bamboo, Metal, and Wood. Gamelan is found in the 8th century Borobudur temple in Central Java. 

In Javanese mythology, the gamelan was created by Sang Hyang Guru in Saka era 167 (c.AD 230), the god who ruled as king of all Java from a palace in the mountains Maendra in Medangkamulan (Lawu now). Gamelan at the time it was used as a medium to summon the gods - gods, in order to convey a more complex message. 

Gamelan is the music created by the blend of sound gong, kenong and other Javanese musical instruments. The rhythm of the music is soft and reflects the harmony of Javanese life will soon greet and soothe the soul so heard. 

Ala Okresta Javanese Gamelan 

Gamelan is surely not a foreign music. It has been popular continents and has created a new blend of jazz-gamelan music, gave birth to the institution as a learning space and the expression of gamelan music, to produce famous gamelan musicians. Gamelan music instrument can now be enjoyed in many parts of the world, but Yogyakarta is the most appropriate place to enjoy the gamelan it since you can enjoy the original version. 

Gamelan developing in Yogyakarta is Javanese gamelan, a different form of gamelan Balinese gamelan or Sundanese gamelan. Javanese gamelan has a softer tone and slow, unlike the Balinese Gamelan dynamic and Sundanese gamelan highly dominated lilting voice and flute. The difference is reasonable, since Java has a view of life that is expressed in the rhythm of gamelan music. 

Javanese philosophy expressed in gamelan music is the harmony of physical and spiritual life, harmony in talking and acting so it does not throw an explosive expression and tolerance between people realize. Concrete manifestation in his music is the pull rope fiddle being, a balanced blend of sound kenong, saron drums and xylophone and gong sounds on every cover of rhythm. 

There is no clarity about the history of the emergence of musicians. The development of gamelan music is expected since the emergence gong, fiddle, pat into the mouth, the friction on the rope or thin bamboo to familiar musical instruments from metal. Further development after named gamelan, music was used to accompany wayang performance, and dance. It was not until some time later stand as its own music and is equipped with voice sinden. 

A set of gamelan consists of several instruments, including a set of similar musical instrument drum called drums, fiddle and zither, xylophone, gongs and bamboo flutes. The main components that make up the gamelan music instruments are bamboo, metal, and wood. Each instrument has its own function in gamelan music show, for example, closing a gong instrumental music rhythm long and gives the balance after the previous musical rhythm decorated by gending. 

Javanese gamelan is music with pentatonic melodies. A complete gamelan game consists of two rounds, the slendro and pelog. Slendro has 5 tones per octave, ie 1 2 3 5 6 [C D E + GA] with small interval difference. Pelog has 7 tones per octave, ie 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 [C + D E F # G # AB] with a large interval difference. Gamelan music composition created with some rules, which consist of several rounds and pathet, limited by the gong and the melodies were created in a unit consisting of 4 tones. 

You can see gamelan as a separate musical performances as well as a dance or performing arts such as wayang kulit and Ketoprak. As a show of its own, gamelan music is usually combined with the sound of the Javanese singers (male singers and female singers called wiraswara called waranggana). Gamelan music performances are held now may be a classic or contemporary gamelan. One form of contemporary gamelan is jazz-gamelan as a combination of music with pentatonic and diatonic tone. 

One of the places in Yogyakarta where you can see performances of gamelan is Kraton. On Thursday at 10:00 to 12:00 pm gamelan as a musical performance itself. On Saturday at the same time held the gamelan music as accompaniment shadow puppets, while on Sunday at the same time held the gamelan music as a traditional Javanese dance accompaniment. To see the show, you can go to Sri Maganti Ward. Meanwhile, to see the old gamelan, you can go to another kingdom which lies further to the rear. 

The Process Of Making Gamelan 

Gamelan is used as an accompaniment sounds in leather puppet show or puppet. Gamelan is used as a folk art and palace. In gamelan there are the values ​​of religious-magical, so dilaksanakanlah certain ceremonies before gamelan sounded in pagelarannya. Until now, the manufacture gamelan still done traditionally, using simple technology with the ceremonies and rituals of a particular behavior, so that the relationship between technology and ceremonies as well as very erat1 behavior. In use, such as the sounds produced, remained the same from ancient times to the present. 

Only a man who worked in the manufacture of gamelan as it required great physical strength, such as in the forging process with a mixture of soil and copper which has a weight of up to tens of kilograms. There should also be a special behavior in the process of making gamelan in order not to fail. Such behavior is a behavior that is both rational and irrational. Rational behavior is any action in relation to the raw material, while a ceremony irrational behavior either before, while, and after the manufacturing process so that all the inhabitants of the invisible realm other spirits bless mereka2 effort. 

Gamelan making process occurs in two places, namely in the besalen and beyond besalen 

1. In The Besalen 

Besalen is a special room that can be referred to as the kitchen in the process of making the gamelan instruments. Besalen used in the forging process from raw material to finished, so it is also called as the "kitchen" because it contains equipment "cooking". Besalen building is a building wall or half wall. Besalen relationship with a tiled roof which is about 7-8 meters and a roof supported by wooden poles high to avoid themselves from perapen fire (fire) because the process of forging a gamelan gong ageng use perapen fire was smoldering. 

The raw materials used are tin and copper, while the tool used is perapen, hammer, kowi, and penyingen. Making in the besalen done by blacksmiths gamelan. The area around perapen, which is the heart besalen, should be as dark as possible as long as the gamelan processed in perapen, care workers and especially penyukat penglamus should be directed entirely on the color of the metal is being burned, so dark for the desired color can be seen clearly and precisely, and do not be fooled by other colors that might occur if the incoming light (bright). 

Processes that occur in the besalen begins with copper and tin were incorporated into kowi (bowl to melt the ingredients in making seladren). Kowi perapen previously burned in order not to break up the red for ± 1 hour. 

The next process to make legokan (basin) in the middle is Jero. Then proceed with the third process, namely nyanduk. Nyanduk is the process of making cendukan (basin) is adjusted to a predetermined size. This process is referred to as ndodok used for the implementation of high order Lakar pedestal can be placed in a standing position, so it can be in dodog (hit from the inside). 

In the fourth process is ngundurke, which is hit with a backwards way to make a corner using a hammer-unduran retreat. This process aims to create a smell (shoulder) and followed by smoothing the way Mendo, the leveling is done from the inside. Until this process is complete, the smell has not reached the size that corresponds to a predetermined, so it must be changed to increase the odor in accordance with a predetermined size. Usually the size of the right smell can only be achieved after the repetition of the process and the process ngundurke jero until about four times. At this time Lakar been demonstrated as a form of gamelan (kempul), although not perfect. 

Then the process is lakaran fifth. Lakar Lakaran is made ​​by way of forging the edge to form the Lambe that can later be round and smooth. The initial step is jleber process, the surface of the forging process Lakar to be wide. Then perform the four kinds of blow hammer, hammer ngarep first is, that the first blow at the front which precedes and gives instructions on the next penalu place where that should be hammered. Both are hammer nengah conducted immediately after the hammer ngarep hammering. Third, ngapit hammer, hammering the shy part Paluan nengah empty or experiencing errors pemaluan. Fourth, hammer nepong, which serves Paluan previous leveling. 

Term is then used to see if the size of the gamelan is still appropriate or not, if not changed, we then performed to further refine Mendo gamelan and continued with the process mamasu as the last stage of the forging process. 

The last process is carried out in the besalen is gluing, which incorporate gamelan into planden (made ​​right into the floor covered with bricks cemented at the edges so as to resemble the well) directly from perapen. Plandan water to cool the gamelan that has been processed in besalen 

2. Outside Besalen 

The process was first carried out besalen is cemengan filing process is done by using a coarse or pematar3 miser. Cemengan is the as-yet-tone gamelan. Pematar (workers) then the process ngalus (smoothing) using the soft portion stingy or miserly alus. Then the process continued with nesik, namely smoothing with tesik tool. At this time nglaras process (giving tones) has begun because the tone is done in conjunction with the granting of doing these processes. 

The next stage is carried out by scouring (worker to smooth gamelan with polished) is menggunkaan ngamril with sandpaper. Furthermore perform the gebeg process, which smooths gamelan with menggunkaan neggosoknya with bricks that have been finely ground, as well as the last process is mbraso, which makes gamelan berkilan using braso. 

In making gamelan, is the most important process nglaras process, namely the process of tone. Required high sensitivity of the ear pelaras (melaras workers) so that the resulting tone right. Melaras carried out concurrently with the main job as pematar, because of the high degree of difficulty, for such a large gamelan gong melaras ageng usually required expert nglaras ageng gong. Tune the process is important in determining the quality and characteristics of the barrel (voice). 

Each form of gamelan, as pancon or wilahan, require melaras different ways. The most important thing to note is when enlargement or diminution of tone. In knowing the accuracy of the tone, it is done by hitting the gamelan gamelan or touching the knee (for gamelan wilahan) 

Enlargement tone for gamelan wilahan done by filing the weakness gradually to obtain the required tone. Diminution wilahan tone gamelan is done by filing the Buntar little by little until it reaches the right tone as well. 

In gamelan pancon and bonang, enlargement is done by hitting the tone rai bit by bit from the outside, or hone on the rai, dudu, and pok pencu (pencu bottom). Diminution tone done by menjuluk (hitting from the direction in) little by little on the rai. However, in larger bonang tunings, kempul and suwu'an, requiring another way, namely using clay. 

Clay is used to find the right tone by putting clay on the inside of the gamelan pencudan then beaten for his voice to be heard. Effort to maintain the voice is done by taking clay gradually followed by hitting the close pencu from the outside or from the inside (didedeg) on the edge of rai. Clay can also be placed on the edge to get it done rai and also in few at a time, which should be in at the close of clay is placed so that the blow is done from the outside but punches can also be done from within ie in the near Pancu. 

Gamelan which has been processed beyond besalen means gamelan has become perfect, but before being handed over to the buyer, the gamelan should be placed and arranged in advance on rancakan (gamelan) which usually has been ordered by the owner besalen from the manufacturer. 

Gamelan Size Type pencon 

Religious System In The Manufacture Of Gamelan 

According to the belief in the instrument maker, gamelan-making is not only implemented in the real world (earthly), but also implemented in nature that are not visible (occult) so successful in making the gamelan can only be achieved when implementing the manufacture gamelan performed in two worlds is going well and harmoniously. 

Owner besalen is the main man for the creation of the natural harmony between the two. At night besalen owners and should not be sleeping with a vowel bersasmita not brake-literate assisted by his wife. It also held an offering for the salvation of the inhabitants of the supernatural. 

In salvation there are offerings of rice ingkung uduk with chicken, fried soybean, onion, salt and pepper, crackers, fried chili, red and white porridge, bran porridge with coconut and sugar, then Sekul whetstone as consisting of two pieces of white rice, noodles fries, chili fries, tempeh, tofu, Asmaradhana (beans mixed with coconut and sugar are processed), cenggereng, lento cassava, fried fish, crackers, chicken offal, also Sekul golong the form of white rice that comes with a solid spherical grilled chicken complete, as well as traditional snacks, bekokok (sticky rice stuffed shaped) as much as the two men and women, and ciu (a type of liquor) as a complement bekokok. 

After the food dikondangke (prayer recited jointly by participants salvation), then both bekokok then buried near plandang and then doused with ciu. Made bekokok intent is to create creatures that do not look so "they" want to keep the safety of the workers 

Salvation which was held after the making of gamelan called riyayani. Salvation is intended as a token of gratitude and notice to the "residents" of the supernatural that manufacture gamelan was over. 

Gamelan Making Process: