Karawitan is a gamelan art and sound art with slendro and pelog scales. This art is famous on the islands of Java and Bali. The term karawitan comes from the Javanese word “rawit” which means smooth and soft. So karawitan means the softness of feelings contained in gamelan art. Karawitan is a type of traditional music that originates from Java, grows and develops in Central Java, Yogyakarta and East Java.
This “orchestra” consist many instruments. Most of them made by brass, the others made by leather. The instruments are kendhang, saron, demung, peking, bonang, kenong, gong, kempul, gambang, slenthem, gender. Actualy, there are many other instruments, but we only present the general stuff.
Kendhang is one of the gamelan instruments that can regulate the rhythm of music. The way to play it is to hit the side of the drum made of animal skin with the palm of the hand. Drums have different types and sizes, namely the small-sized ketipung gamelan and the medium-sized ciblon drum or kebar gamelan. The Ketipung drum usually has a pair of drums, that is a big drum or two drums.
Saron or commonly known as ricik is a gamelan instrument that is included in the balungan group or metal blade type musical instruments. The Saron has 7 metal blades superimposed on a wooden frame that functions as a resonator. Usually there are 4 saron in gamelan with pelog and slendro barrel types. How to play it is to hit the metal bar using your right hand and hold the previously hit bar using your left hand to eliminate the remaining buzzing sound. This method is usually called the “pathet” or squeezing technique.
Similar to saron, demung is also included in the balungan group of gamelan instruments. Usually there are two types of demung, pelog and slendro in gamelan. This musical instrument produces the lowest octave notes of any other group of Balungan musical instruments even though its physical size is the largest. The way to play demung is similar to saron, only the demung percussion is bigger and heavier than saron.
This musical instrument is almost similar in shape to the saron and demung. However, when compared between the three, Peking is the one that has the smallest size. The way to play it is to hit 1 note/tone twice, using a hammer-shaped tool made of wood.
Bonang is a gamelan instrument in the form of 7 kettles or pots placed on strings in a wooden frame (rancak). Each pot then has a convex shaft (pencon) at the top as a center for hitting. Bonang is included in the pencon which is a musical instrument made of metal and shaped like a depression at the bottom with a convex shaft for hitting. There are generally two types of bonang in a gamelan set, namely the continuation bonang and the barung. The way to play boning is to hit the depression or cover with a special bat.
Kenong and kethuk are also included in the pencon family, like boning in gamelan instruments. The difference is that the physical form is fatter than other pencon musical instruments. The kenong-kethuk is then placed on a wooden pangkon with a string base so that it does not hinder the vibrations when beaten. This musical instrument produces a low but still loud sound with a distinctive sound. The way to play the kenong is similar to playing the bonang by hitting with a special stick on the hollow or bump of the kenong.
Almost similar to bonang and kenong, gongs also have a convex shape at the top with a larger size and hanging position, not placed on a certain layer. Resembling the shape of a large disc, gongs are made from fused metals such as bronze and copper to produce a distinctive sound. How to play this musical instrument by hitting the convexity using a special stick.
Kempul is a gamelan instrument that is played which is almost similar to a gong but has a smaller size. The way to play is the same as a gong, namely hitting it with a special stick. Even though the kempul is part of the pencon family of musical instruments, it can be played with notes like balungan music and can also precede balungan notes.
Slenthem is one of the gamelan instruments that belongs to the balungan family like saron and demung. This musical instrument produces a low hum or echoes along with the notes of other balungan musical instruments. In a gamelan set there is usually a slendro version of slenthem with a range of notes C, D, E, G, A, C, and pelog with a range of notes C to B.
Gender is a gamelan instrument made of metal that is struck by each blade. There are 10 to 14 blades on the gender musical instrument made of brass which are then hung on beams above a bamboo or zinc resonator. The way to play this musical instrument is to hit each blade with a special hammer, namely a wooden (Bali) or cloth-covered percussion (Java). In a complete gamelan set, there are three types of gender used, namely slendro, pelog pathet nem lan lima, and pelog pathet barang.