Today, I want to show you a video of Balinese gamelan. Gamelan is something I have studied in depth and I presented on it for my Honors in Music presentation in November, 2011. A gamelan is two things: an ensemble of instruments and the music it plays. Many people who refer to gamelan call the ensemble a "gamelan ensemble," but, in fact, it is actually just a "gamelan."
Gamelan is a genre of music from Indonesia. It is a very unique percussion ensemble with the occasional string accompaniment by a rebab, bamboo flute, singing, and occasional dancing. The instruments can be separated into two groups: those with keys and those which are a gong or group of gongs.
There are two places of origin where gamelan are primarily found: Java and Bali. The best way to tell them apart is that Javanese gamelan is generally softer (or more reserved in a sense). The video below is a Balinese gamelan, and it is very loud and metallic. Take a look!
What you just saw was an ensemble called gamelan gong kebyar. It is the most traditional type of gamelan. "Kebyar" is usually translated as "to burst open." You hear this in the sound of the group: explosive attacks by all of the members of the ensemble.
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