Gamelan Lessons (with recording!)

Since our arrival at the beginning of January, the whole group has been taking gamelan lessons each week with Pak Sigit and a team of capable (and patient!)  instructors. The students each chose one of the many percussion instruments that make up the Indonesian orchestra, and have tuned their ears to a new scale. 

We were given an intro to the gamelan while visiting Griya Seni Ekalaya in Solo. There we were introduced to several masters of gamelan music and experienced how gamelan is paired with wayang to create an atmosphere of drama, comedy and beauty during shows that can last all night long.

We learned how individual parts of the “orchestra” interact together, how two different scales (slendro and pelog) distinguish the gamelan music genre, and how cues are given not by conductors, but by either the lead drummer through signals, or the dhalang of the wayan show through storytelling.  

This week our efforts culminated in a performance of Lancaran Gugur Gunung during the worship service at GKJ Samironobaru, the church that sits right next to Rumah Goshen. Watch a recording of our performance here.