Gamelan set for 10 players

Mystical gamelan music is central to Indonesian culture and its sound is gloriously alien to western ears. It is used to accompany religious ceremonies and festivals as well as the world-famous shadow puppet displays, and each island has its own special musical tradition. No two gamelan orchestras are the same, but they all include some form of gong, drum, and metallophone at their core.

This starter pack from Percussion Workshop contains instruments for 10 players as well as all basic accessories and a comprehensive collection of teaching materials and sheet music written and compiled by world music expert Andy Gleadhill. Gamelan music uses numbers and shapes to direct the players rather than conventional notation which is often easier for young musicians to understand. The full contents of the bundle is as follows:

• 1x 50cm 'ageng' gong with stand
• 1x Balinese double headed 'ciblon' drum
• 3x metallophones (small, medium, and large)
• 5x sets of 'ceng ceng' Balinese cymbals
• Beaters for all the instruments
• Teachers’ pack

All the instruments are built in Bali by experienced gamelan builders using traditional methods and top quality materials - the gong’s heavy bronze centre and the drum’s calfskin head are particularly noteworthy. Both the gong frame and metallophone resonator cases are finished with beautiful hand-painted red and gold designs.

The metallophones each feature 7 metal bars tuned to the ‘pelog selisir’ pentatonic scale and have a combined total range of 3 octaves. Their tuning has also been standardised to ensure that orchestras can be expanded at a later date. The compact and rugged construction of all the components makes this gamelan set ideal for schools, and the large gong frame can be folded down easily for transportation and storage.