This very old ensemble, the Gambang, may have evolved from the earliest gamelan known.
The soft bamboo tones of the Gambang are quite haunting.
The Gambang is a bamboo xylophone ensemble .
It is based on the ancient Kidung scale of the original Balinese people
called the Bali Aga. The remaining groups have busy schedules
playing at important ceremonies, especially cremations.
The Gambang instruments have bamboo slats for
bars and are played with two mallets which are forked like a "Y".
Each mallet has two heads, set at a fixed interval. The bars are
placed in a matching arrangement having large bars
interspersed with smaller ones, a scale seemingly out of order.
But the spacing of the forked mallets correspond to the placement
of the bars to produce parallel intervals, (close to fourths and fifths)
Four Gambang are complemented by two large Gangsa
who outline the meter and song (polos), while the Gambang run in
musical circles around it.(sangsih)
Musicians:
Pengenter: I Ketut Suardana
Pengenter Penenduk: I Wayan Suryadi
Penyelah: I Komang Mustika
Pemetit: I Wayan Asmana
Penanga Bali: I Wayan Suteja
