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''Colotomy'' is an Indonesian description of the
rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular r ...
ic and
metric Metric or metrical may refer to: Measuring * Metric system, an internationally adopted decimal system of measurement * An adjective indicating relation to measurement in general, or a noun describing a specific type of measurement Mathematics ...
patterns of
gamelan Gamelan (; ; , ; ) is the traditional musical ensemble, ensemble music of the Javanese people, Javanese, Sundanese people, Sundanese, and Balinese people, Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussion instrument, per ...
music. It refers to the use of specific instruments to mark off nested time intervals, or the process of dividing rhythmic time into such nested cycles. In the gamelan, this is usually done by
gong A gongFrom Indonesian language, Indonesian and ; ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ; ; ; ; is a percussion instrument originating from Southeast Asia, and used widely in Southeast Asian and East Asian musical traditions. Gongs are made of metal and ...
s of various size: the '' kempyang'', '' ketuk'', ''
kempul A kempul is a type of hanging gong used in Indonesian gamelan. The kempul is a set of pitched, hanging, knobbed gongs, often made of bronze, wood, and cords. Ranging from in diameter, the kempul gong has a flat surface with a protruding knob a ...
'', ''
kenong The Kenong is a musical instrument of Indonesia used in the gamelan. It is a kind of gong and is placed on its side. It has the same length and width. Thus, it is similar to the bonang, kempyang, and ketuk, which are also cradled gongs. Kenongs ...
'', '' gong suwukan'', and ''
gong ageng The gong ageng (or gong gedhe in Ngoko Javanese, means large gong) is an Indonesian musical instrument used in the Javanese gamelan. It is the largest of the bronze gongs in the Javanese and Balinese gamelan orchestra and the only large gong ...
''. The fast-playing instruments, '' kempyang and ketuk'', keep a regular
beat Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of inte ...
. The larger gongs group together these hits into larger groupings, playing once per each grouping. The largest gong, the ''
gong ageng The gong ageng (or gong gedhe in Ngoko Javanese, means large gong) is an Indonesian musical instrument used in the Javanese gamelan. It is the largest of the bronze gongs in the Javanese and Balinese gamelan orchestra and the only large gong ...
'', represents the largest time cycle and generally indicates that that section will be repeated, or the piece will move on to a new section. The details of the rhythmic patterns depend on the colotomic structure (), also known as ''gendhing'' structure. There are a number of different structures, which differ greatly in length and complexity; however, all of them have some colotomic characteristics. In the gamelan, the instruments which articulate this structure are sometimes called the colotomic instruments (also interpunctuating instruments or structural instruments, while Lindsay refers to them as "phrase-making instruments"). The Javanese names for these instruments are onomatopoeic, with the relative resonance of the words ''gong'', ''kempul'', ''kenong'', and ''ketuk'' being comparable to that of the instruments they name. In the system of cipher gamelan notation (
kepatihan notation Notation plays a relatively minor role in the oral traditions of Indonesian gamelan but, in Java and Bali, several systems of gamelan notation were devised beginning at the end of the 19th century, initially for archival purposes. Kepatihan Kepa ...
), the colotomic parts are notated as
diacritical marks A diacritic (also diacritical mark, diacritical point, diacritical sign, or accent) is a glyph added to a letter or to a basic glyph. The term derives from the Ancient Greek (, "distinguishing"), from (, "to distinguish"). The word ''diacrit ...
on the numbers used to show the core melody ('' balungan'').


History and usage

The
English language English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...
term was coined, presumably in Dutch, from the
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
for a unit of rhythm (''colon'') and something that divides (-''tomy''/-''tomic''), by the
ethnomusicologist Ethnomusicology is the multidisciplinary study of music in its cultural context. The discipline investigates social, cognitive, biological, comparative, and other dimensions. Ethnomusicologists study music as a reflection of culture and investiga ...
Jaap Kunst Jaap Kunst (12 August 1891 – 7 December 1960) was a Dutch musicologist. He is credited with steering the discipline away from exclusively comparative methods and into the direction of historical particularism, coining the term " ethno-musicolo ...
. Although the term "colotomic" was derived from Indonesian music theory, it can be applied to other musical traditions as well. In particular, it has been used to describe Japanese
gagaku is a type of Japanese classical music that was historically used for imperial court music and dances. was developed as court music of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, and its near-current form was established in the Heian period (794–1185) arou ...
and Thai
piphat A ''piphat'' () is a kind of ensemble in the classical music of Thailand, which features wind and percussion instruments. It is considered the primary form of ensemble for the interpretation of the most sacred and "high-class" compositions of t ...
.


Example of a colotomic structure

The ''
lancaran ''Colotomy'' is an Indonesian description of the rhythmic and metric patterns of gamelan music. It refers to the use of specific instruments to mark off nested time intervals, or the process of dividing rhythmic time into such nested cycles. I ...
'' is a cycle of 16 beats (''keteg'') in the following order: ::TWTN TPTN TPTN TPTG where T indicates the strike of the '' ketuk'', P the ''
kempul A kempul is a type of hanging gong used in Indonesian gamelan. The kempul is a set of pitched, hanging, knobbed gongs, often made of bronze, wood, and cords. Ranging from in diameter, the kempul gong has a flat surface with a protruding knob a ...
'', N the ''
kenong The Kenong is a musical instrument of Indonesia used in the gamelan. It is a kind of gong and is placed on its side. It has the same length and width. Thus, it is similar to the bonang, kempyang, and ketuk, which are also cradled gongs. Kenongs ...
'', and G the simultaneous stroke of the ''
gong A gongFrom Indonesian language, Indonesian and ; ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ; ; ; ; is a percussion instrument originating from Southeast Asia, and used widely in Southeast Asian and East Asian musical traditions. Gongs are made of metal and ...
'' and ''kenong''. The W indicates the ''wela'', the pause where the ''kempul'' is omitted. Thus, the ''gong'' plays once, the ''kenong'' divides that into four parts, the ''kempul'' divides each of those in two, and the ''ketuk'' divides each of those further in two. Note that except for the ''kenong'' playing on the gong, the instruments do not play when the next one plays. (Remember that the ''
gatra Gatra or GATRA may refer to: *Gatra (magazine), ''Gatra'' (magazine), weekly news magazine in Indonesia published from 1994 to 2024 *Gatra (music), in Indonesian gamelan music *Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority, Massachusetts, US ...
s'' of gamelan music have the strong beat (''
seleh The ''sèlèh'' note or ''nada seleh'' is an Indonesian music concept used in Javanese gamelan music. In Javanese gamelan music, the ''sèlèh'' note or ''nada seleh'' is the final note of a '' gatra'', or four- beat melodic unit. As such it is t ...
'') at the end, not at the beginning as is often considered normal for Western music. Thus the more important structural instruments coincide with the stressed beats.) Colotomic structures occur on even larger scales in most gamelan pieces as well. For example, a typical ''lancaran'' has four gongs, at the end of which the larger ''gong ageng'' is played. Groupings of four are most common at all levels of structure, although there are numerous exceptions at larger levels. The colotomic structure of a piece is the length of the cycle and how the interpunctuating instruments play during that cycle, but they are also
musical form In music, ''form'' refers to the structure of a musical composition or musical improvisation, performance. In his book, ''Worlds of Music'', Jeff Todd Titon suggests that a number of organizational elements may determine the formal structure of a ...
s which are associated with specific structural patterns on a larger scale than the colotomic cycle, and guidelines for what tempi and ''
irama ''Irama'' is the term used for tempo in Indonesian gamelan in Java and Bali. It can be used with elaborating instruments. It is a concept used in Javanese gamelan music, describing melodic tempo and relationships in density between the balungan ...
'' may be used.


Colotomic structures in Javanese gamelan

Colotomic structures or ''Gendhing structure'' refers to the colotomic structure of gamelan compositions in general. ''Gendhing'' (also written, as in the old orthography, gending) can also be used to refer to a specific class of colotomic structures used in Javanese
gamelan Gamelan (; ; , ; ) is the traditional musical ensemble, ensemble music of the Javanese people, Javanese, Sundanese people, Sundanese, and Balinese people, Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussion instrument, per ...
music. At its simplest, ''colotomic'' may be taken to mean, "cyclicly punctuating".Downing, Sonja Lynn (2008). ''Arjuna's Angels: Girls Learning Gamelan Music in Bali'', p.304. . More clearly, "gongs of different sizes are used to mark off circular segments, or cycles, of musical time." Tenzer, Michael (2000). ''Gamelan Gong Kebyar: The Art of Twentieth-Century Balinese Music'', p.7. . Though a colotomic structure may be hundreds of units long and is generally explicitly stated, it is akin to hierarchical Western
meter The metre (or meter in US spelling; symbol: m) is the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). Since 2019, the metre has been defined as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of of ...
. Most ''gendhing'' in Javanese music conform to one of these structures, except for some special ceremonial pieces and experimental new compositions.


General

Colotomic structures from the general repertoire.


Gendhing

Gendhing is the longest and most complicated of the gendhing structures. It is typically played in a slow
irama ''Irama'' is the term used for tempo in Indonesian gamelan in Java and Bali. It can be used with elaborating instruments. It is a concept used in Javanese gamelan music, describing melodic tempo and relationships in density between the balungan ...
, although it may have faster sections. Gendhing are sometimes classified by which
elaborating instrument The panerusan instruments or elaborating instruments are one of the divisions of instruments used in Indonesian gamelan. Instead of the rhythmic structure provided by the colotomic instruments, and the core melody of the balungan instruments, ...
is most prominent, called ''gendhing bonang'' or ''gendhing rebab''. Gendhing never use the
kempul A kempul is a type of hanging gong used in Indonesian gamelan. The kempul is a set of pitched, hanging, knobbed gongs, often made of bronze, wood, and cords. Ranging from in diameter, the kempul gong has a flat surface with a protruding knob a ...
or gong suwukan. Gendhing have two parts, a merong and a minggah (or "inggah"). Both consist of a single gongan lasting four nongan, but the nongan can be of different lengths. Gendhing are then classified according to the number of kethuk strokes in a nongan in each section. The merong section does not use the kempyang, but the minggah section does. There are two patterns for the kethuk in the merong, ''arang'' ("infrequent, sparse") and ''kerep'' ("frequent"). Both have the kethuk play only at the end of a
gatra Gatra or GATRA may refer to: *Gatra (magazine), ''Gatra'' (magazine), weekly news magazine in Indonesia published from 1994 to 2024 *Gatra (music), in Indonesian gamelan music *Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority, Massachusetts, US ...
, but in the kerep pattern, it is at the end of all odd-numbered gatras, whereas in the arang, it is at the end of the gatras of doubled odd numbers (that is, gatras 2, 6, 10, 14, etc.). In the minggah section, the kempyang and kethuk play in the same pattern as in the ketawang, but with no other interpunctuating instruments. For an example of the gendhing structure, consider "gendhing kethuk 2 kerep minggah kethuk 4." This means that in the merong, there will be two kethuk strokes that happen on odd-numbered gatra, and in the minggah, there will be four gatras per nongan. The structure would then look like: Merong: ::...T .... ...T ...N ::...T .... ...T ...N ::...T .... ...T ...N ::...T .... ...T ...G Minggah: ::pTp. pTp. pTp. pTpN ::pTp. pTp. pTp. pTpN ::pTp. pTp. pTp. pTpN ::pTp. pTp. pTp. pTpG where "." indicates no interpunctuating instrument plays, p indicates the stroke of the kempyang, T the ketuk, N the
kenong The Kenong is a musical instrument of Indonesia used in the gamelan. It is a kind of gong and is placed on its side. It has the same length and width. Thus, it is similar to the bonang, kempyang, and ketuk, which are also cradled gongs. Kenongs ...
, and G the simultaneous stroke of the
gong A gongFrom Indonesian language, Indonesian and ; ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ; ; ; ; is a percussion instrument originating from Southeast Asia, and used widely in Southeast Asian and East Asian musical traditions. Gongs are made of metal and ...
and kenong. Thus, in each section, the gong plays once, the kenong divides that into four parts, and then that is divided into parts according to the given structure. Here, in each part, each nongan lasts 16 beats (''keteg''), and thus the gongan lasts 64. That was a fairly short example; a "kethuk 4 arang" merong, for example, would look like: ::.... ...T .... .... .... ...T .... .... .... ...T .... .... .... ...T .... ...N ::.... ...T .... .... .... ...T .... .... .... ...T .... .... .... ...T .... ...N ::.... ...T .... .... .... ...T .... .... .... ...T .... .... .... ...T .... ...N ::.... ...T .... .... .... ...T .... .... .... ...T .... .... .... ...T .... ...G and thus a nongan would last 16 gatras (64 beats), and a gongan 64 gatras (256 beats). Obviously, in a long structure like that, especially at a slow tempo, a single gongan may last many minutes. The merong section may include a ngelik, which would also have the length of a single gongan. The minggah section may also use one of the other structures, especially the ladrang. If that is the case, the piece will be noted something like "minggah ladrang". If the other section has a different name, that will be given as well. Between the merong and inggah is a bridge section called the ompak. Typically it has the length of one nongan, and a contrasting balungan melody to the merong.


Ketawang

The ketawang is one of the gendhing structures used in Javanese gamelan music. Its colotomic structure is: ::pTpW pTpN pTpP pTpG where p indicates the strike of the kempyang, T the ketuk, P the
kempul A kempul is a type of hanging gong used in Indonesian gamelan. The kempul is a set of pitched, hanging, knobbed gongs, often made of bronze, wood, and cords. Ranging from in diameter, the kempul gong has a flat surface with a protruding knob a ...
, N the
kenong The Kenong is a musical instrument of Indonesia used in the gamelan. It is a kind of gong and is placed on its side. It has the same length and width. Thus, it is similar to the bonang, kempyang, and ketuk, which are also cradled gongs. Kenongs ...
, and G the simultaneous stroke of the
gong A gongFrom Indonesian language, Indonesian and ; ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ; ; ; ; is a percussion instrument originating from Southeast Asia, and used widely in Southeast Asian and East Asian musical traditions. Gongs are made of metal and ...
and kenong. The W indicates the
wela ''Colotomy'' is an Indonesian description of the rhythmic and metric patterns of gamelan music. It refers to the use of specific instruments to mark off nested time intervals, or the process of dividing rhythmic time into such nested cycles. I ...
, the pause where the kempul is omitted. Thus, the gong plays once, the kenong divides that into two parts, the kempul (or wela) divides each of those in two, the ketuk divides each of those further in two, and finally the kempyang divides each of those in two. The
kendhang A ''kendang'' or ''gendang'' (, , , Tausug/ Bajau/ Maranao: ''gandang'', Bugis: ''gendrang'' and Makassar: ''gandrang'' or ''ganrang'') is a two-headed drum used by people from the Indonesian Archipelago. The kendang is one of the primary in ...
usually plays in kendhang kalih style. Ketawang usually have the specific form of an ompak that lasts one gongan and may be repeated several times, and a ngelik that may last three or four gongan. Some ketawang have the same ompak but different ngelik. Ketawang often begin in irama tanggung and then slow down to irama dadi or slower. The ketawang developed in the court of Prince Mangkunegara IV (r. 1853–1881) of
Surakarta Surakarta (Javanese script, Javanese: , Pegon script, Pegon: ), known colloquially as Solo (Javanese script, Javanese: ; ), is a major List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city in Central Java, Indonesia. The city adjoins Karanganyar Reg ...
. Famous ketawang: Puspawarna.


Lancaran

The lancaran is one of the gendhing structures used in Javanese
gamelan Gamelan (; ; , ; ) is the traditional musical ensemble, ensemble music of the Javanese people, Javanese, Sundanese people, Sundanese, and Balinese people, Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussion instrument, per ...
music. It is the shortest of the gendhing structures that are not from the
wayang ( , ) is a traditional form of puppet theatre play originating from the Indonesian island of Java. The term refers both to the show as a whole and the puppet in particular. Performances of wayang puppet theatre are accompanied by a ''gamel ...
repertoire. Gangsaran and bubaran are related structures that share the same colotomic structure. Groupings of four are most common at all levels of this structure. The basic
colotomic structure ''Colotomy'' is an Indonesian description of the rhythmic and metric patterns of gamelan music. It refers to the use of specific instruments to mark off nested time intervals, or the process of dividing rhythmic time into such nested cycles. I ...
is a cycle of 16 beats (''keteg'') in the following order: ::TWTN TPTN TPTN TPTG where T indicates the strike of the ketuk, P the
kempul A kempul is a type of hanging gong used in Indonesian gamelan. The kempul is a set of pitched, hanging, knobbed gongs, often made of bronze, wood, and cords. Ranging from in diameter, the kempul gong has a flat surface with a protruding knob a ...
, N the
kenong The Kenong is a musical instrument of Indonesia used in the gamelan. It is a kind of gong and is placed on its side. It has the same length and width. Thus, it is similar to the bonang, kempyang, and ketuk, which are also cradled gongs. Kenongs ...
, and G the simultaneous stroke of the
gong A gongFrom Indonesian language, Indonesian and ; ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ; ; ; ; is a percussion instrument originating from Southeast Asia, and used widely in Southeast Asian and East Asian musical traditions. Gongs are made of metal and ...
and kenong. The W indicates the
wela ''Colotomy'' is an Indonesian description of the rhythmic and metric patterns of gamelan music. It refers to the use of specific instruments to mark off nested time intervals, or the process of dividing rhythmic time into such nested cycles. I ...
, the pause where the kempul is omitted. Thus, the gong plays once, the kenong divides that into four parts, the kempul divides each of those in two, and the ketuk divides each of those further in two. Note that except for the kenong playing on the gong, the instruments do not play when the next one plays. The kendhang plays in kendhang kalih style. A typical lancaran has four gongs, at the end of which the larger
gong ageng The gong ageng (or gong gedhe in Ngoko Javanese, means large gong) is an Indonesian musical instrument used in the Javanese gamelan. It is the largest of the bronze gongs in the Javanese and Balinese gamelan orchestra and the only large gong ...
is played. Lancaran are usually played fast, usually in irama lancar. Some lancaran have a separate section which can be played between repetitions of the four-gong ompak, known as the nyekar or lagu. Lancaran are often written in balungan nibani. Bubaran are played more moderately, usually in irama tanggung, but are usually written in balungan mlaku. They also use a distinctive kendhang pattern. A bubaran is used as an ending piece, to be played while the audience is departing. The best-known bubaran is Udan Mas. Gangsaran is a variety of lancaran which consists of simply a repeated tone. It originates from the
wayang ( , ) is a traditional form of puppet theatre play originating from the Indonesian island of Java. The term refers both to the show as a whole and the puppet in particular. Performances of wayang puppet theatre are accompanied by a ''gamel ...
repertoire. It can appear at the end of a composition as well.


Ladrang

The ''ladrang'' is one of the ''gendhing'' structures used in Javanese
gamelan Gamelan (; ; , ; ) is the traditional musical ensemble, ensemble music of the Javanese people, Javanese, Sundanese people, Sundanese, and Balinese people, Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussion instrument, per ...
music. The basic
colotomic structure ''Colotomy'' is an Indonesian description of the rhythmic and metric patterns of gamelan music. It refers to the use of specific instruments to mark off nested time intervals, or the process of dividing rhythmic time into such nested cycles. I ...
is a cycle of 32 beats (''keteg'') in the following order: ::pTpW pTpN pTpP pTpN pTpP pTpN pTpP pTpG where p indicates the strike of the '' kempyang'', T the '' ketuk'', P the ''
kempul A kempul is a type of hanging gong used in Indonesian gamelan. The kempul is a set of pitched, hanging, knobbed gongs, often made of bronze, wood, and cords. Ranging from in diameter, the kempul gong has a flat surface with a protruding knob a ...
'', N the ''
kenong The Kenong is a musical instrument of Indonesia used in the gamelan. It is a kind of gong and is placed on its side. It has the same length and width. Thus, it is similar to the bonang, kempyang, and ketuk, which are also cradled gongs. Kenongs ...
'', and G the simultaneous stroke of the ''
gong ageng The gong ageng (or gong gedhe in Ngoko Javanese, means large gong) is an Indonesian musical instrument used in the Javanese gamelan. It is the largest of the bronze gongs in the Javanese and Balinese gamelan orchestra and the only large gong ...
'' and ''kenong''. The W indicates the ''
wela ''Colotomy'' is an Indonesian description of the rhythmic and metric patterns of gamelan music. It refers to the use of specific instruments to mark off nested time intervals, or the process of dividing rhythmic time into such nested cycles. I ...
'', the pause where the ''kempul'' is omitted. Thus, the gong plays once, the ''kenong'' divides that into four parts, the ''kempul'' divides each of those in two, the ''ketuk'' divides each of those in two, and the ''kempyang'' divides each of those in two. The ''
kendhang A ''kendang'' or ''gendang'' (, , , Tausug/ Bajau/ Maranao: ''gandang'', Bugis: ''gendrang'' and Makassar: ''gandrang'' or ''ganrang'') is a two-headed drum used by people from the Indonesian Archipelago. The kendang is one of the primary in ...
'' usually plays in ''kendhang kalih'' style.Sorrell, Neil (1990). ''A Guide to the Gamelan'', p.68-69. London: Faber and Faber. The ''ladrang'' is similar to the '' ketawang'' except that four (instead of two) '' nongan'' comprise a '' gongan''. It is also similar to the ''
lancaran ''Colotomy'' is an Indonesian description of the rhythmic and metric patterns of gamelan music. It refers to the use of specific instruments to mark off nested time intervals, or the process of dividing rhythmic time into such nested cycles. I ...
'', except it is twice as slow, and the ''kempyang'' plays in between each beat of the ''lancaran''. Many ''ladrang'' have two sections, an '' ompak'' and a '' ngelik'', each of which typically last one ''gongan''. ''Ladrang'' can be played in any ''
irama ''Irama'' is the term used for tempo in Indonesian gamelan in Java and Bali. It can be used with elaborating instruments. It is a concept used in Javanese gamelan music, describing melodic tempo and relationships in density between the balungan ...
'' except for ''lancar''.


Wayang

In
Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...
nese
gamelan Gamelan (; ; , ; ) is the traditional musical ensemble, ensemble music of the Javanese people, Javanese, Sundanese people, Sundanese, and Balinese people, Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussion instrument, per ...
music, there are a few gendhing structures derived from the
wayang ( , ) is a traditional form of puppet theatre play originating from the Indonesian island of Java. The term refers both to the show as a whole and the puppet in particular. Performances of wayang puppet theatre are accompanied by a ''gamel ...
repertoire:
Ayak-ayakan ''Colotomy'' is an Music of Indonesia, Indonesian description of the rhythmic and meter (music), metric patterns of gamelan music. It refers to the use of specific instruments to mark off nested time intervals, or the process of dividing rhythm ...
, Sampak, and Srepeg.


Ayak-ayakan

The ayak-ayakan is one structure. The colotomic structure is: ::...P ...P ::TNTN TNTN with both lines played together, and T indicating a stroke of the kethuk, P the
kempul A kempul is a type of hanging gong used in Indonesian gamelan. The kempul is a set of pitched, hanging, knobbed gongs, often made of bronze, wood, and cords. Ranging from in diameter, the kempul gong has a flat surface with a protruding knob a ...
, and N the
kenong The Kenong is a musical instrument of Indonesia used in the gamelan. It is a kind of gong and is placed on its side. It has the same length and width. Thus, it is similar to the bonang, kempyang, and ketuk, which are also cradled gongs. Kenongs ...
. The kenong and kempul always play the
seleh The ''sèlèh'' note or ''nada seleh'' is an Indonesian music concept used in Javanese gamelan music. In Javanese gamelan music, the ''sèlèh'' note or ''nada seleh'' is the final note of a '' gatra'', or four- beat melodic unit. As such it is t ...
. In
slendro Slendro () is one of the essential tuning systems used in gamelan instruments that have pentatonic scale (music), scale. Based on Javanese people, Javanese mythology, the Slendro Gamelan tuning system is older than the ''pélog'' tuning system. ...
manyura, the gong suwukan is used instead of the kempul. Gongans are of varying length, according to the
pathet Pathet (, also patet) is an organizing concept in central Javanese gamelan music in Indonesia. It is a system of tonal hierarchies in which some notes are emphasized more than others. The word means '"to damp, or to restrain from" in Javanese ...
. The ending ( suwuk) can occur at different points in the cycle, given the cue from the
kendhang A ''kendang'' or ''gendang'' (, , , Tausug/ Bajau/ Maranao: ''gandang'', Bugis: ''gendrang'' and Makassar: ''gandrang'' or ''ganrang'') is a two-headed drum used by people from the Indonesian Archipelago. The kendang is one of the primary in ...
or kepyak. It usually begins in irama lancar, and then slows down to tanggung, dados, or rangkep. The ayak-ayakan is often used to accompany the entrance of puppets, or the transition between
pathet Pathet (, also patet) is an organizing concept in central Javanese gamelan music in Indonesia. It is a system of tonal hierarchies in which some notes are emphasized more than others. The word means '"to damp, or to restrain from" in Javanese ...
s.


Sampak

Sampak is another structure. A sampak often follows a srepeg. It is the fastest of the wayang structures. The colotomic structure is: ::NNNNNNNN NNNNNNNN ::TPTPTPTP TPTPTPTP with both lines played together, and T indicating a stroke of the kethuk, P the
kempul A kempul is a type of hanging gong used in Indonesian gamelan. The kempul is a set of pitched, hanging, knobbed gongs, often made of bronze, wood, and cords. Ranging from in diameter, the kempul gong has a flat surface with a protruding knob a ...
, and N the
kenong The Kenong is a musical instrument of Indonesia used in the gamelan. It is a kind of gong and is placed on its side. It has the same length and width. Thus, it is similar to the bonang, kempyang, and ketuk, which are also cradled gongs. Kenongs ...
. The kenong and kempul always play the
seleh The ''sèlèh'' note or ''nada seleh'' is an Indonesian music concept used in Javanese gamelan music. In Javanese gamelan music, the ''sèlèh'' note or ''nada seleh'' is the final note of a '' gatra'', or four- beat melodic unit. As such it is t ...
. It does not use the kempyang. Gongans are of varying length, usually two, three, or four
gatra Gatra or GATRA may refer to: *Gatra (magazine), ''Gatra'' (magazine), weekly news magazine in Indonesia published from 1994 to 2024 *Gatra (music), in Indonesian gamelan music *Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority, Massachusetts, US ...
s, based on a signal from the
kendhang A ''kendang'' or ''gendang'' (, , , Tausug/ Bajau/ Maranao: ''gandang'', Bugis: ''gendrang'' and Makassar: ''gandrang'' or ''ganrang'') is a two-headed drum used by people from the Indonesian Archipelago. The kendang is one of the primary in ...
. The ending ( suwuk) can occur at any point in the cycle, given the cue from the
kendhang A ''kendang'' or ''gendang'' (, , , Tausug/ Bajau/ Maranao: ''gandang'', Bugis: ''gendrang'' and Makassar: ''gandrang'' or ''ganrang'') is a two-headed drum used by people from the Indonesian Archipelago. The kendang is one of the primary in ...
or kepyak, and consists of a gatra played after the
gong A gongFrom Indonesian language, Indonesian and ; ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ; ; ; ; is a percussion instrument originating from Southeast Asia, and used widely in Southeast Asian and East Asian musical traditions. Gongs are made of metal and ...
. The melodic shape of a sampak is distinctive, as the gatras are repeated notes in the
pathet Pathet (, also patet) is an organizing concept in central Javanese gamelan music in Indonesia. It is a system of tonal hierarchies in which some notes are emphasized more than others. The word means '"to damp, or to restrain from" in Javanese ...
. It is played in irama lancar.


=Example

= Sampak pélog barang: :2222 3333 7777 :7777 2222 6666 :6666 3333 2222 : Suwuk: xx22 This sampak has three gongan. The signal to end can come at any gong, where the player plays the next two notes as normal, and then 22 (as indicated by xx22).


Srepeg

Srepeg is another colotomic structure: ::...P...P ...P...P ::TNTNTNTN TNTNTNTN with both lines played together, and T indicating a stroke of the kethuk, P the
kempul A kempul is a type of hanging gong used in Indonesian gamelan. The kempul is a set of pitched, hanging, knobbed gongs, often made of bronze, wood, and cords. Ranging from in diameter, the kempul gong has a flat surface with a protruding knob a ...
, and N the
kenong The Kenong is a musical instrument of Indonesia used in the gamelan. It is a kind of gong and is placed on its side. It has the same length and width. Thus, it is similar to the bonang, kempyang, and ketuk, which are also cradled gongs. Kenongs ...
. The kenong and kempul always play the
seleh The ''sèlèh'' note or ''nada seleh'' is an Indonesian music concept used in Javanese gamelan music. In Javanese gamelan music, the ''sèlèh'' note or ''nada seleh'' is the final note of a '' gatra'', or four- beat melodic unit. As such it is t ...
. Gongans are of varying length, according to the
pathet Pathet (, also patet) is an organizing concept in central Javanese gamelan music in Indonesia. It is a system of tonal hierarchies in which some notes are emphasized more than others. The word means '"to damp, or to restrain from" in Javanese ...
. The ending ( suwuk) can occur at any point in the cycle, given the cue from the
kendhang A ''kendang'' or ''gendang'' (, , , Tausug/ Bajau/ Maranao: ''gandang'', Bugis: ''gendrang'' and Makassar: ''gandrang'' or ''ganrang'') is a two-headed drum used by people from the Indonesian Archipelago. The kendang is one of the primary in ...
or kepyak. The melodic shape of a srepeg is distinctive, as it consists mostly of the
seleh The ''sèlèh'' note or ''nada seleh'' is an Indonesian music concept used in Javanese gamelan music. In Javanese gamelan music, the ''sèlèh'' note or ''nada seleh'' is the final note of a '' gatra'', or four- beat melodic unit. As such it is t ...
alternating with a
neighbor tone A nonchord tone (NCT), nonharmonic tone, or embellishing tone is a note in a piece of music or song that is not part of the implied or expressed chord set out by the harmonic framework. In contrast, a chord tone is a note that is a part of the ...
. It is usually fast and played in irama lancar.


See also

*
Gamelan Gamelan (; ; , ; ) is the traditional musical ensemble, ensemble music of the Javanese people, Javanese, Sundanese people, Sundanese, and Balinese people, Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussion instrument, per ...
*
Cycle (music) In music, a cycle can be several things. Acoustically, it is one complete vibration, the base unit of Hertz being one cycle per second. Theoretically, an interval cycle is a collection of pitch classes created by a sequence of identical intervals. ...
*
Division (music) In music, division (also called Diminution#Diminution as embellishmen, diminution or coloration) refers to a type of Ornament (music), ornamentation or Variation (music)#History of variations, variation common in 16th- and 17th-century music in ...
*
Irama ''Irama'' is the term used for tempo in Indonesian gamelan in Java and Bali. It can be used with elaborating instruments. It is a concept used in Javanese gamelan music, describing melodic tempo and relationships in density between the balungan ...
*
Music of Indonesia Indonesia is a country with many different tribes and ethnic groups, and its music is also very diverse, coming in hundreds of different forms and styles. Every region has its own culture and art, and as a result traditional music from area t ...
*
Music of Java The Music of Java embraces a wide variety of styles, both traditional and contemporary, reflecting the diversity of the island and its lengthy history. Apart from traditional forms that maintain connections to musical styles many centuries old, ...


Notes


Further reading

* Neil Sorrell. ''A Guide to the Gamelan''. London: Faber and Faber, 1990. Page 67–73.


External links

* Michael Tenzer. Excerpt from
Balinese music
' describing colotomic structures in Balinese music {{Rhythm and meter Gamelan instruments Gamelan theory Rhythm and meter Musical form