The slentho (also spelled slento) is a musical instrument of the
gamelan
Gamelan () ( jv, ꦒꦩꦼꦭꦤ꧀, su, ᮌᮙᮨᮜᮔ᮪, ban, ᬕᬫᭂᬮᬦ᭄) is the traditional ensemble music of the Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussive instruments. ...
. It is similar to the
saron
SARON stands for Swiss Average Rate Overnight and represents the overnight interest rate of the secured funding market for the Swiss Franc (CHF). (Swiss Average Rate Overnight) is an overnight interest rates average referencing the Swiss Fra ...
family of instruments, and would be its lowest member (pitched one octave below the
saron demung). Like those instruments, it has (typically) seven keys in the same arrangement, over a
resonator
A resonator is a device or system that exhibits resonance or resonant behavior. That is, it naturally oscillates with greater amplitude at some frequencies, called resonant frequencies, than at other frequencies. The oscillations in a reson ...
box, and is hit with a wooden mallet (''tabuh''). However, unlike the other sarons, the center of its keys have a boss similar to that of a
bonang
The bonang is an Indonesian musical instrument used in the Javanese gamelan. It is a collection of small gongs (sometimes called "kettles" or "pots") placed horizontally onto strings in a wooden frame (''rancak''), either one or two rows wi ...
. The slentho usually has the same notes as the
slenthem
The slenthem (also slentem or gender panembung) is an Indonesian metallophone which makes up part of a Javanese gamelan orchestra.
The slenthem is part of the gendér family. It consists of a set of bronze keys comprising a single octave: there ...
, but a brighter, louder sound.
The slentho is no longer a common instrument in the gamelan, having largely been replaced by the slenthem. It does, however, continue to be used in older sets of gamelan, in which it may be used in preference to the slenthem in
gendhing bonang.
External links
Photograph of a slentho
{{Authority control
Balungan instruments
Keyboard percussion instruments
Indonesian musical instruments
Gamelan instruments