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 A Gamelan Jegog performance in 1989 | |
| Inventor | Balinese |
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| Developed | Indonesia |
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| Music of Indonesia |
| Genres |
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| Specific forms |
| Regional music |
Jegog is a form ofgamelan music indigenous toBali,Indonesia, played on instruments made ofbamboo. The tradition of jegog is centered in Jembrana, a region in Western Bali. In recent years jegog has started to become popular in other regions of Bali with a few groups being established in central Bali to entertain tourists. International interest has been spread by tourists visiting Bali and by recordings. There are virtually no ensembles outside of Bali with the exception of at least two groups inJapan (Sekar Sakura and Geinoh Yamashirogumi, the latter's having been used in 4 of the tracks in their score for the filmAkira as well as on the final track ofEcophony Rinne ), one in theUnited States (Sekar Jaya)[1] and one inGermany. Jegog music is very fast, loud,rhythmic and precise. Pieces last from a few minutes to as long as thirty minutes.
Jegog instruments have a four-notescale that roughly corresponds to the four pitches of adominant 7thchord in Western music. All instruments have eight bamboo keys. Some instruments have two keys for each pitch slightly detuned so that the pitches beat when they are played together. Other instruments have a two octave range with four pitches in a low octave and the same four pitches anoctave higher. In this case the instrument will be paired with another instrument that is slightly detuned. Taken together the ensemble has a range of five octaves.
Most Jegog ensembles have instruments that have keys that are made of bamboo that are split at one end and then half of the tube is removed. The other end remains intact and functions as a resonator for the split part. The keys are suspended on a wooden frame and struck with mallets (called pangguls), made out of wood or rubber. There are also Jegog ensembles with instruments calledJegog Tingklik. These smaller instruments are used primarily with children. The keys are made of bamboo slats mounted above aresonator box.
The lowest instrument in a Jegog ensemble is also called aJegog. The ensemble gets its name from this instrument. The keys of theJegog instrument are as long as 3 meters in length and a pitch as low as 60hertz. The instrument is so large, and the mallets are so heavy that it takes two people to play it. The players crouch on a platform on the top of the instrument and alternate playing the keys. The Jegog instrument has the lowest octave of the ensemble. Each pair of pitches are detuned by as much as 7 hertz. In this octave, that is almost a whole tone. The keys are arranged 1' 2' 3' 4' 1 2 3 4, one being the lowest pitch and 4 being the highest. The four keys on the left are the higher pitches of the detuned pairs and the four on the right are the lower ones.
One octave higher than theJegog is an instrument called theUndir, and an octave above that is theKuntung. In recent years theKuntung is often called aCeluluk. The instruments are small enough to be played by one person each. TheUndir is still big enough that the player needs to crouch on a platform on the top of it to play it. There are twoUndir and twoKuntung. TheUndir andKuntung have the same arrangement of keys as theJegog but in higher octaves. These five instruments together play the melody (called thebun). Some ensembles have a high pitch flute called asuling that also plays the melody.
Each of the remaining 9 instruments span two octaves and are arranged 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 where 5 through 8 is an octave above 1 to 4. The lowest of these instruments, called theBarangan, span the same octaves as theUndir and theKuntung. The next higher is theKancil which begins with the octave of theKuntung and extends an octave higher. The next higher—the highest in the ensemble—is theSuir, likewise, extending one octave higher. There are three Barangan, three Kancil, and three suir.
TheBarangan often plays the melody twice as fast as the other melody instruments. Since this is often very fast, the players alternate playing the notes. TheKancil andSuir play interlocking patterns calledKotekan, sometimes theBarangan play these patterns as well. TheBarangan are the front line of the ensemble. The center of the threeBarangan is the leader of the ensemble. Other players watch the leader for cues and tempo changes.
A smaller version of a gamelan jegog might not have the 2kuntung and the 3suir. This smaller ensemble has a longer history than the one outlined above.
If a gamelan jegog is accompanying dance, it may be augmented bykendang (drums),ceng-ceng (cymbals) andtawa-tawa (a beat-keeping small gong).
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