Pommy Crims mad about gamelan in Yorkshire England

Gamelan music is a signature of Bali. Anyone who has wandered down Jl. Legian at night will of heard the ‘glong glong’ of gamelan orchestras practicing in banjar pavilions. The gamelan comes from Java, but the style is different. The Javanese gamelan is more relaxed and soft, whereas the Balinese go nuts, knocking out a syncopated madhouse of noise.

A Jakarta Post article talks about a group of prisoners in Yorkshire England, who are feeling the beneficial effects of practicing the gamelan. I have had the opportunity to sit and tap away with a hammer on the metal plates. Its not a matter of just striking the right notes, as soon as the not sounds, the plate must be dulled by pinching it with the other hand. The process is rather like juggling with one hand, and picking your nose with the other.

The gamelan sound seems unorchestrated, due to the many individual rhythm patterns, but it is orchestrated. I’m sure the prisoners enjoy their practice.