Gong Part

Gong Part

In this clip Made teaches an ensemble member the entire gong part. The various unpitched gongs serve a variety of functions within a Balinese gamelan ensemble. First, they define the tempo. The gongs also mark the segments of the beat cycle. An important Balinese musical scholar, Michael Tenzer, refers to this beat cycle as the colotomic structure. This structure provides guidance for musicians during a performance, it can also identify the specific segment of a composition, as well as guiding the choreography for the dancers. Nelayan is written in an 8 beat cycle, which is a common. The largest gong is played at the beginning of each cycle. The kempur, the middle-sized gong, is played on beats 3 and 7, and the kemong, the smallest, is played on beat 5. Made gives visual and vocal cues to the gong player during this clip. When cueing the largest gong, he will say “gong.” For the kempur, he uses the shorten phrase “pur.” The full score is written in a Western style time signature, 4/4; therefore, the 8 beat gong cycle of Nelayan sometimes spans 2, 4, or even 8 measures in 4/4 time. For a Balinese musician, the gong (marked G in the score) defines the beginning of each cycle.

https://albinwml.lib.miamioh.edu/items/show/49