An important tool in the West Javanese gamelan and made-off
An important tool in the West Javanese gamelan and an important tool made from bamboo will be discussed this time . Prior to the emergence of modern musical instruments in Indonesia, each region had its own traditional musical instruments. Each traditional musical instrument has its own uniqueness, how to play in a different history, so it is very interesting.
West Java is one of those regions that has many regional musical instruments and is still preserved today. Speaking of the traditional musical instruments of West Java, surely many of us are thinking about Angkalang. There is no denying that angkalung is the most popular musical instrument.
But, did you know that there are still many traditional Western Javanese musical instruments that are still preserved today? All traditional musical instruments should be made from natural materials, such as wood, bamboo, copper, etc. Each use of substances definitely gives a different effect to the produced sound.
So we’ll review more about the Gamelan in West Java, which is made of bamboo, wood, and copper. Before proceeding further, it is generally a good idea to know what Gemlan is and how the history of its development in West Java is.
Get to know The Gamelan of West Java
West Javanese is an important tool in the gamelan and is made up of what content can be a question for many people. However, it is good if we first find out what the West Java Gamlan is known as Digung. Digung is a traditional musical ensemble consisting of several instruments.
In general, gamelan consists of xylophones, cuenters, kendang, ribab, gong, flute digung, xylophone, bonang, panners, lyre, zhenglong, from saran. Each of these musical instruments produces different melodies or melodies so that it can be a harmonious melody as characteristic of traditional music or songs.
Each gamelan has its own characteristics, for example, a more dynamic motion for the Balinese gamelan, a slower speed for the Javanese gamelan, and a Western Javanese gamelan that is similar to the Mendayu-Dayu sound of the ribab and flute. Both are important tools in the West Javanese gamelan and are made from natural materials .
Historically, the word degung came from ratu-agung or tumengung because the authorities at the time really liked gamelan music, for example, the banding raa. Regent of Virantakusuma. In addition, there are still some other theories that discuss the origin of the term digung, such as something wonderful and respectable.
History of Gamelan in West Java
The history of the development of an important tool in the West Javanese gamelan and the history made from natural materials will also be discussed in this article. It is estimated that, in the late 18th or early 19th century, the Sundani Gamelan began to develop with 15 gamelan devices and had already spread to Java.
Of the 15 Gamelan devices, West Java has five Gamelan devices. Unfortunately, there is no accurate information at the time of Gamelan’s entry into West Java, but it has been recorded that according to the Gaing Sixa Kanda Ang Cressian script, Gemlan entered the land of Sunda around the 16th century.
During its development there were changes in the Sundani Gamelan, such as the inclusion of singing in the game which was once banned by the Regent of Siangur RT. Virnataksumah too because he thought it had become less serious and the essence of the silence vanished. However, it was this change that gave the West Javanese Gamelan the characteristics that it is now.
There are 3 types of Gamelan of TannaH Sunda, named Gamelan Salandro or Palog, Gemlan Renteng and Gamelan Type Tillu which have their own use. Gamelan Celandro is often used in art, Gemlon Renteng is known as the basic gamelan and the gamelan type Tillu which is commonly used as musical.
Gamelan made of bamboo
An important instrument in the West Javanese gamelan and an important instrument made of bamboo is the Calang Gemlan instrument. Looking at this, we should know that bamboo is the main material for making this traditional gamelan instrument. The bamboos will be arranged to form a row of notes which will be played later.
Selambang gamelan instruments are made of bamboo or instead with bamboo skins. To produce sound, Selembung uses echoes in parts of the bamboo that are arranged in a row according to the resulting tone. How to play it by hitting the selembang using one hand, while the other hand regulates the processing of sound.
The angkling multitonal device is also made of bamboo and can produce a double tone so that it can be adapted to your needs again. How to play it is also very easy, i.e. to move it until it makes a sound according to the tone. This sound is visible due to the influence of bamboo and internal bamboo fragments, creating a resonance.
Not only the three important tools of the West Javanese gamelan and made of bamboo on top, there are many other instruments, such as the flute, the arumba, and the crending for the men. Bamboo material is actually one of the natural materials that is capable of producing a wide variety of sounds according to the techniques used.
Gamelan Made of Metal
An important instrument and the first saron made of metal was in the West Javanese Gamelan. This gamelan tool that enters the Blongan family uses a special bat made of wood. The way to play it is to hit the metal blade with the right hand, while the left hand grips the back bar.
The next device is the daimang which has almost the same look as saron. There are 2 different types of this balloon family, such as the palloughs and slandroes that make harmonious sounds. Damang has blades that are wide, but thinner than sarson. The demand producer is large in size.
You will also find an important instrument in the West Javanese gamelan and it is made of metal called bonang. This device consists of several small gongs placed on a rope in a wooden frame. Every little gong is able to create a different tone when hit with a bat.
In addition, the West Javanese Gamelan still has some instruments made of metal, such as kenong, gong, xylophone, kemple, etc. Most of the instruments made of metal are musical instruments that are played using a particular batting instrument.
Gamelan Made of Wood
West Javanese was an important instrument in the Gamelan and the first instrument drum made of wood. This hand-touched gamelan tool has a function to set the rhythm in the ensemble of gamelan music. In Gemlan, a variety of kendangs are known, ranging from the small candang (ktipung) to the large kendang.
Another instrument is the ribab, although it was often made of copper but now there are many ribabs made of wood that are similar in shape to the crossbow. The way to operate it is to swipe strings, such as when you play a modern instrument, i.e. by swiping the strings with a special tool to the violin.
In addition, there is still another gamelan instrument called the sitter, a musical instrument played by selection. So far, this gamelan tool is rarely played, although the sound is no less interesting than other selecting devices. The reason for this is that this musical instrument has similarities with traditional Indian musical instruments.
The West Java Gamelan still contains many important instruments, but some of the above devices are the most popular instruments. For those of you who are interested in the Sundani Gamelan, it is important to know that you know the important instruments in the West Javanese Gamelan and the bamboo instruments above .