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| Developed | Indonesia |
Thesaron is a musical instrument ofIndonesia, which is used in thegamelan. It normally has sevenbronze bars placed on top of a resonating frame (rancak). It is usually about 20 cm (8 in) high, and is played on the floor by a seated performer. In apelog scale, the bars often read 1-2-3-5-6-7 across (the number four is not used because of its relation to death[1]) (inkepatihan numbering); forslendro, the bars are 6-1-2-3-5-6-1; this can vary from gamelan to gamelan, or even among instruments in the same gamelan. Slendro instruments commonly have only six keys. It provides the core melody (balungan) in the gamelan orchestra.
Sarons typically come in a number often sizes, from smallest to largest:
Each one of those is pitched anoctave below the previous. Theslenthem orslentho performs a similar function to the sarons one octave below the demung.
The sarons are struck with a mallet (tabuh). Typically the striking mallet is angled to the right to produce a fuller sound. Demung and saron barung generally use a wooden mallet, while the peking mallet is made of awater buffalo horn, which gives it a shriller sound. The other hand is used todampen the previous note by grasping the key, in order to prevent a muddy sound. On repeated notes, the note is usually dampened half a beat before it is struck again.
The saron barung and demung usually play less often and more simple parts. These are the usual techniques for playing them:
Saron panerus has distinctive patterns which make it different from the other sarons. It usually plays more often, and keeps a constant beat going throughout a piece. Its playing techniques include:
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The earliest known appearance of a single-octave saron is in a relief atBorobudur, from the 9th century. It was formerly supposed that the saron derived from the decomposition of thegambang gangsa, after it fell out of use.Mantle Hood rejected this hypothesis, and associates the preference for a single octave with the characteristic shape of thecadence in thepathet. There is no evidence that the gambang gangsa is older than the saron; indeed, it may be younger.[2]
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