The gamelan music is used in traditional ceremonies in almost every village in Bali. Men and women make the music in the temple in combination with dance by younger children and adults. In this way all the people of the village play their part in the ceremony. Otherwise you can see men using their gamelan instruments in procession with a funeral. It belongs to the way of life in Bali.
Bronze smiths in other parts of Bali are said to originate from Tihingan, which was settled by migrants from Java centuries ago. You can find bronze smiths in a number of other villages in Bali today, including Sawan in Singaraja and Blahbatu in Gianyar. The only places you can make the round gong kettles (terompong and reong), however, are in desa Sawan and desa Tihingan.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamelan_gong_kebyar
Desa Sawan
As North Bali is the cradle of Gamelan Gong Kebyar it will not be surprising that the most talented craftsmen on the field of instrument making also can be found in the same area. Especially the area of desa Sawan and Jagaraja is known for its gamelan gong instrument factories. Most of these factories are open for visitors who are interested to see the craftsmen at work, and learn some of the process of the making of the instruments. Also the factories serve as a sales outlet for gamelan gong groups as well as for individual buyers.
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We have visited two factories and were friendly invited to see everything. Western people will be amazed about the simple methods that are used. But they are sufficient to make the most beautiful and simple products, that Balinese people appreciate very much and use in their lives too. At all opportunities in life you can imagine. The music they make is unbelievable.
In the first factory was only working one man, who followed the whole process from melting till the technique of tuning. In the second factory a group of men was busy with the heavy work: the first making of the rough products of the gong. In both cases we were impressed by the primitive circumstances the workers had to do their job. And...as in whole Indonesia they were smoking cigarettes as well.
http://bolingo69.blogspot.nl/2011/04/gamelan-gong-kebyar-in-pinda-and-sawan.html
A gong kembar factory in Klungkung, Tihingan is an obligatory stop for lovers of gamelan. There are a number of gongmakers in this village, employing as it is said over 100 people. Here they make smaller instruments too as gangsa, tawa-tawa and cengceng.
The profession of making gamelan instrument is carried out through generations. Gongs are forged by men with wielding hammers against anvils, set around a roaring fire pit in the ground. The pieces are then filed and polished the rest of the week. In general there are two groups of gamelan artisans, namely the group in charge of making and forming various kinds of instruments and those being competent in calibrating and tuning the tones.
These are not tourist souvenirs but actual musical instruments used in daily life.
Tihingan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qz4haB7Aoto
https://baliartandculture.wordpress.com/2016/09/16/the-center-of-gamelan-craft-in-bali/
History kebyar in Jagaraga
The hectic sound and dynamic rhythm of this type of gamelan music emerged for the first time in the year 1915, where it was 'invented' by the gamelan gong group of the village of Jagaraga. Kebyar means 'quick, sudden, loud', expressions that are all characteristic for the typical, dynamic style of this type of gamelan gong music. Since its invention in North Bali in 1915, gamelan gong kebyar became more and more popular and nowadays it is the most heard gamelan gong style in Bali.
Traditional ensemble music
Gamelan is the traditional ensemble music of Java and Bali, made up predominantly of percussive instruments. The most common instruments used are metallophones played by mallets and a set of hand-played drums called kendhang which register the beat. Other instruments include xylophones, bamboo flutes, a bowed instrument called a rebab, and even vocalists called sindhen. Although the popularity of gamelan has declined since the introduction of pop music, gamelan is still commonly played on formal occasions and in many traditional Indonesian ceremonies. For most Indonesians, gamelan is an integral part of Indonesian culture.
The word gamelan comes from the low Javanese word gamel, which may refer to a type of mallet used to strike instruments or the act of striking with a mallet. A gamelan primarily consists of metallophones while other instruments such as flute (suling) and zither (celempung) are discretionary. However, the hand-played drum called kendhang is essential despite not being a metallophone as it controls the tempo and rhythm of pieces as well as transitions from one section to another.
Modern style: gamelan gong kebyar
Gamelan gong kebyar is a modern style or genre of Balinese gamelan music. Kebyar means "the process of flowering", and refers to the explosive changes in tempo and dynamics characteristic of the style. It is the most popular form of gamelan in Bali, and its best known musical export. Gong kebyar music is based on a five-tone scale called pelog selisir (tones 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 of the 7-tone pelog scale), and is characterized by brilliant sounds, syncopations, sudden and gradual changes in sound color, dynamics, tempo and articulation, and complex, complementary interlocking melodic and rhythmic patterns called kotekan.
Paired with male and female counterpart
Almost every instrument in a kebyar ensemble is paired with a male and female counterpart. Each instrument in a pair is tuned differently from its counterpart, one higher and one lower. Played at the same time, the higher instrument (known as pengisep or "inhaler") and the lower instrument (known as the pengumbang or "exhaler"), produce a beating effect (ombak), creating an overall shimmering, pulsating quality.
Contests in July, Bali Arts Festival every year
The competitive element plays an important role among the gamelan gong groups of Bali. Regularly contests are organized where groups of several villages compete against each other. One of these contests occurs during the “Pesta Kesenian Bali”, a three day festival which is always held in the second half of the month July, in the city of Singaraja. These events are not specific for older generation of Bali, but for the newest generations too.
Bali Arts Festival 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1VXeTlm900
Gus Teja: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcXAEodVlpc
