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The Music

 

The Malay gamelan has distinct characteristics, established by the refined music structure and the use of slendro pentatonic scale, comprising five notes. The basic melody is played on metallophones called saron kecil and saron besar. The melody is further elaborated on a wooden xylophone called gambang, together with keromong, a set of small kettle gongs. Background accompaniment is provided by larger kettle gongs called kenong and a pair of hanging gongs. The beat is supplied by a Malay barrel drum called gendang.

 

“Most of the instruments were of Indonesian design, but the music and the dance movements were classified as Malay by an Indonesian musical specialist in 1967.”

 

Tan Sri Haji Mubin Sheppard

'Joget Gamelan – A Cultural Puzzle', Taman Saujana (1983)

 

Perang Manggong