Gamelan degung
Music of Indonesia |
Gongs from Java |
Timeline • Samples |
Genres |
|
Specific forms |
|
Regional music |
|
Gamelan Degung is a Sundanese musical ensemble that uses a subset of modified gamelan instruments with a particular mode of pelog scale.
Instruments
The instrumentation of gamelan degung is quite flexible. It may include:
- Bonang/kolènang: two rows of seven small bulbous gongs. It differs from its Javanese counterpart in that the rows are each placed on either side of the player.
- Saron/peking: a high-pitched bronze metallophone with fourteen keys.
- Panerus: another bronze metallophone, similar to the peking but pitched an octave lower.
- Jengglong: six bulbous gongs suspended from the same frame.
- Goong ageung: a large gong.
- A set of kendang, consisting of one large and two small double-sided drums.
- Suling degung: a four-holed bamboo flute.
- Gambang: a wooden xylophone.
In classical degung, the bonang serves as a conductor for the whole ensemble. Except in certain modern compositions, it is rarely absent.