Bali, is an Indonesian island, whose traditional music is beautiful, yet unique and unusual. The most famous Indonesian music is gamelan. If you are visiting the country, it is worth finding somewhere to listen to this traditional and beautiful music. It is often publicly played if there is a festival or celebration taking place.
Gamelan music – which originated from Bali, Java and Lombok – mainly uses tuned percussion instruments. These instruments include the gongs, the metaliphones, drums and spike fiddles. Some music schools or even places like the National Theatre in London, offer one-off gamelan music classes. If you have a spare minute after work or after visiting the PartyPoker site, simply book your place online. The classes give you the opportunity to admire these beautiful and intricately designed instruments, as well as having a go playing them. Their sound is peaceful, mellow and soft on the ears.
The composition of the music is elaborate and fast and the instruments are specifically laid out within the orchestra; the metaliphone plays the melody and is situated in the middle of the orchestra. The elaborate second melody is played by various styles and types of gong, which are seated on the outskirts of the orchestra.
Bali is also home to the gamelan gong gede, which dates back to the 15th and 16th centuries. It is generally associated with public ceremonies, celebrations and special occasions. The traditional Balinese kecak, is music which imitates the sound of a monkey call. It is used in dances, music and drama and is generally performed by men. The performers chant the kecak while throwing their arms up into the air. This has influenced many films and modern pop music. The film Rabbit Moon, incorporates the kecak chant into the soundtrack. British presenter, David Attenborough, narrated a documentary called The Miracle of Bali, which featured this type of music in two of its episodes. In addition, the Asian influenced, Avatar – The Last Air-bender show, heard the kecak chant during the closing credits.
