Indonesian Gamelan Music

A Gamelan orchestra originates from Indonesia and is made up of large hanging Gongs, giant xylophones, drums and other unusually shaped, tuned instruments that are elaborately decorated. The look and sound is totally unique.

These percussion instruments are instantly accessible and the sound world is very pleasing to listen to. The workshops work with a full Javanese Gamelan orchestra in Slendro (5 note) tuning and are ideal to develop ensemble , performance and teamwork skills. In an introductory workshop, participants will be introduced to the cultural context of Indonesia as well as the instruments. This initial stage usually involves exploring the sounds of the instruments before learning to play a simple traditional tune as a group followed by adding in the rest of the instruments to build a piece of traditional Javanese music. Aural cues such as dynamic changes and changes of speed will also be developed.

There is also an option to explore music composition using the instruments either as a sensory exploration or as a group devised piece or improvisations. This can also relate to Minimalist composition and the work of minimalist composers and how they were influenced by the Gamelan and other non-western music.

Gamelan workshops can be combined with dance workshops either traditional Indonesian dance or creative movement and the Gamelan could accompany the dance to form part of a performance. Visual arts from Indonesia including shadow puppets (Wayang Kulit), mask making and batik can also be combined to create an Indonesian focussed project. Residencies can be arranged to take place at your venue or you can bring a group to the Gamelan at Redhill School, Arnold, Nottingham.

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