Gamelan is the most popular form of traditional music in Bali, it also is popular on the nearby island of Java. A gamelan ensemble consists of a variety of metal percussion instruments, usually made of bronze or brass, including xylophones, drums, and gongs, sometimes vocalists too, but the main focus is on the percussion.
The name "gamelan" comes from gamel, a Javanese word for a type of hammer used by a blacksmith. Gamelan instruments are often made of metal, and many are played with hammer-shaped mallets.
Although metal instruments are expensive to make, compared with those of wood or bamboo, they are better suited for Bali's hot, steamy climate. Scholars suggest that this may be one of the reasons that gamelan developed, with its signature metallic sound.
Gamelan seems to have developed early in the history of what is now Indonesia. Unfortunately, there are very few good sources of information from that early period. Certainly, gamelan seems to have been a feature of court life during the 8th to 11th centuries, among the Hindu and Buddhist Kingdoms of Bali, Sumatra, and Java.
I find it toatlly mesmerising and when listening to it, I find it has an almost trance like effect on me.
When in Bali, you are very likely to stumble across this, really a “must experience”.
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