Which village makes gamelan in Bali?
Tihingan is the village most often named for bronze gamelan making on the island. It sits in Klungkung regency, so plan a visit there as its own outing. Ask at your accommodation about the route before you set out. Other places on the island also make or repair instruments. Ask locally rather than assuming that one yard is the only one.
How is a gamelan instrument made?
The work is done largely by hand. Makers heat a metal disc in a fire pit and hammer it, forging bronze, brass and copper into the parts of an instrument. The final tuning is done by ear.
The pairs are tuned slightly apart on purpose. When both play together, the slight difference produces beating that listeners hear as a shimmer. If you hear a demonstration, listen for the shimmer, and notice that the two instruments are not in unison.
Where can you hear gamelan as a visitor?
Three settings are common. Temple ceremonies, especially the anniversaries called odalan, have gamelan as part of the proceedings, and the festivals page explains how those dates are set. Dance performances for visitors are a second option, usually held at set venues with a published programme. The third is a village rehearsal, where a group practises in a community hall. That is only open to you if someone invites you. Shadow puppet theatre uses a small gamelan too, and a shadow puppet show is covered on its own page.
Performances for visitors are the easiest to plan around. Ceremony music is the most rewarding, and also the least predictable, because it follows the ceremony rather than a timetable. Ask your host when the music is likely to start and whether it is appropriate for you to attend. On a ceremony day, you will often hear the gamelan from a street or a field before you see the group, and a walk toward the sound is a better way to find it than a map. Keep your distance while you walk, and step aside for any procession that comes past you.
Buying a miniature instrument
Small metallophones and miniature sets are sold in many shops. They make a practical gift. Ask whether the keys are tuned, whether the bars are fixed firmly to their frame, and whether the seller can say which tuning the instrument follows. A toy that rattles is not a tuned instrument. Check your home country’s import rules for musical instruments and metal goods before you buy anything large.
Where to go next
- If the music has made you want to hear more, the gamelan guide for first-timers covers what a visitor hears at a performance.
- For the carving and silver yards close to Ubud, the craft villages page explains how to plan a visit.