Various Traditional Balinese Musical Instruments
Ditulis pada: September 19, 2021
What do you think of when you hear the name Bali? Maybe you will immediately imagine the beauty of nature, traditional Balinese dances, or even the distinctive sound produced by Balinese traditional musical instruments.
Yes, this one island does have many characteristics that certainly cannot be forgotten, including the art of music.
Traditional Balinese Instruments
Traditional Balinese Musical music generally accompanies Balinese traditional dances which are well known throughout Indonesia, even abroad. However, not infrequently this Balinese traditional music accompanies various important events or ceremonies, such as weddings, welcoming guests, or even death.
Maybe some of you will wonder, what kind of traditional musical instrument does Bali have to produce sounds that are so distinctive.
Actually, Balinese musical instruments are almost not much different from traditional musical instruments in other areas. It's just that these musical instruments have their own characteristics and are played in a unique way.
In Bali there are various types of traditional musical instruments that become their identity and must continue to be preserved.
Some of them may already be quite familiar to you, but there may also be some that are still foreign to your ears. For more details, below will be described the kinds of musical instruments that can be easily found in Bali.
Balinese Gamelan
When you hear the word gamelan, your mind may immediately imagine a Javanese musical instrument. Yes, Balinese gamelan and Javanese gamelan are almost the same. Gamelan is a unity of various musical instruments that are played together to create a dynamic sound.
Gamelan usually consists of instruments made of metal and bamboo, such as bonang, gong, saron, flute, drums, and many more.
Then what is the difference with Balinese gamelan? One of the differences lies in the shape of the instrument. For example, the saron blades in Balinese gamelan are generally thicker than those of Javanese gamelan.
Another difference is that the Balinese gamelan usually has a faster rhythm than the Javanese gamelan. There are several types of Balinese gamelan based on the type of musical instrument and how to play it. For example, gamelan gong kebyar, gamelan jegog, and gamelan angklung.
Gamelan gong kebyar
Gamelan gong kebyar is said to have been discovered around 1912 in Bali, to be precise in the village of Jagaraga, Buleleng. This musical instrument is called gamelan gong kebyar because it is adapted to the way of playing or processing the music. Kebyar itself is defined as a sound that can cause surprise.
Gamelan kebyar is played by relying on dynamic beats, seems loud, and usually with a fast tempo as if wanting to grow the spirit. Gamelan gong kebyar itself is often played to accompany certain dances or ceremonies.
Gamelan jegog
Jembrana Bali is known as a fairly dry area. In this area, grow large bamboo trees. In the past, it was said that an artist from Jembrana wanted to make a musical instrument.
Because Jembrana has many bamboo trees, the artist wanted to use bamboo as a musical instrument. From here was born jegog which later became the hallmark of Jembrana.
Jegog is a percussion instrument with a fairly large size, made of bamboo blades of different sizes to produce different sounds. In gamelan jegog, one of the characteristics is that the music is played at a very fast, precise, and loud tempo.
Gamelan angklung
Just like gamelan jegog, gamelan angklung is so named because it contains an angklung musical instrument. The difference is, if gamelan jegog is played with a fast and hard tempo, gamelan angklung is generally played at a slower tempo.
This angklung gamelan art is preserved in the Gianyar area, Bali. If gamelan music usually accompanies dances, gamelan angklung is played at a funeral ceremony or what we often know as cremation. So do not be surprised if the tone or sound of this angklung gamelan music will sound so melancholic and sad.
Squeaky
shriek may still sound foreign to your ears. However, if you have ever seen a Balinese musical art performance, you may have seen it, it's just that you don't know what the name of the instrument is.
In Balinese gamelan, the sound of the ceng-ceng instrument is what makes Balinese gamelan sound different from Javanese gamelan.
Ceng-ceng is a traditional Balinese musical instrument such as cymbals made of metal and played by tapping. Ceng-ceng is small and has a diameter of about 10 cm. The way to play it is also somewhat different from the cymbals we usually see in a marching band.
Ceng-ceng in the form of two flat metal, one of which is placed on a support device, the other metal plate is placed in the palm of the hand, after which the metal in the hand is pounded on the ceng-ceng plate which is placed on the support.
Usually in one device there are 6 lower metal plates and 2 upper metal plates (used in the hand that functions as a bat).
Rindik
Another traditional Balinese musical instrument is the Rindik. This instrument is made of bamboo blades of different lengths and is played by hitting it. If you've been to Bali and stayed at a hotel, maybe you can find this art, because Rindik is usually played in hotels to welcome guests or entertain them.
Not only that, usually Rindik is also played to accompany several events, such as weddings and also the Bumbung dance performance. Joged Bumbung itself is performed by female dancers. In the middle of the show, the dancer will invite the male audience to dance together.
Compassionate pereret
The last traditional Balinese musical instrument we will discuss is the compassionate pereret. Compassionate pereret is a trumpet-like musical instrument made of wood. Like the trumpet, this musical instrument originating from Jembrana, Bali, is played by blowing it to produce a melodious sound.
But there is something interesting about this loving sled. Pereret itself is a term for a wooden trumpet, while pengasih-asih means witchcraft or pellets. So, it is said that this loving squealing instrument is used by a man to smack or seduce the girl he likes.
This man would blow a loving sled high up in a tree at night. So the sound of this trumpet will sound faintly into the distance. Of course, before being blown, this trumpet has been given magical powers or witchcraft by a shaman.
It is said that a girl who is affected by witchcraft will find it difficult to sleep at night when she hears the strains of a loving sledgehammer. She also often imagines the man who uses her and ends up falling in love with the man.
The girl who is the victim of this witchcraft has only two choices, marry the man or go crazy. Hopefully this information about traditional Balinese musical instruments can add to your knowledge base.
