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https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=vAAWN5DXkRw

Meter
o 0:00 - 0:33 4/4 (brief aberration at 0:10)
o 0:34 - 1:19 Polyrhythm, difficult to count (breaks/ fermatas make it extra difficult)
o 1:20 - end 4/4 (don't let the sneaky tempo changes, accenting, and polyrhythm
getcha - it is [more or less])
Rhythm
o The first 8 seconds essentially define all the rhythmic motifs that will be used
from then on out, in some form or another.
o 0:08-0:12 - repetition of the same rhythmic phrase.
o 0:12-0:34 - layered ostinati of melody and rhythm, with the lowest instruments
keeping a steady beat, and the higher instruments being a little fancier with their
layering. This is consistent throughout after this point (excepting a few key
portions)
o 0:33-0:34 - repeating that little ending motif that keeps coming up.
o 0:34-0:58 - the horizontal gong layering is to the extent that the polyrhythm
o

formed is difficult to parse.


0:58 - 1:08 - keyed metallophones mimic the rhythm and melody of the

horizontal gongs.
o 1:24, the drums start adding some new unheard rhythmic accenting, to spice

things up. Grows more complex as time goes on.


o Only aerophone solos get a varied note length, basically
o Phrase ending motif is all unison
Texture
o Begins with a texture of many instruments, dense in terms of pitch but not range
o Sections where there is only one or two types of instrument playing at a time, in a
small range of notes (note the section where there's a back and forth between the
small gong group and the keyed metalophone group, almost like a joke) thinning

the texture temporarily before all the other instruments join in.
o Thicker layers are texture are laid on my the higher pitched instruments.
Key/Tonality
o Harmonies are consonant, but not of traditional harmony.

Likely a 5 or 7 note scale that has mostly pitch relationships we would

recognize but some that aren't quite the same.


Harmony
o Heterophony (see melody)
o Don't think moving chords, think a single basic tonal center that everyone plays
around - every piece played on this gamelan will sound fairly similar in terms of

harmony.
Instrumentation
o Mostly a metalophone gamelan, with some bamboo flutes and the drums.
Gongs, both large and small, upright and horizontal.
Keyed metalophones
Melody/Ornamentation
o Almost all the melody that is used in the piece is introduced in the first 8 seconds
of the video, with the rest using small fragments of this to build a very thick
textured sound
Notable exception is the bamboo flutes, who sound to be playing
something related but not directly developed from those melodic motifs.
o Often you can hear a slow, full melody being played in the background by the
biggest, lowest gongs, while the higher and smaller metallophones play variations

on this melody above it.


Structure
o Almost exclusively if a motif is played once, it is played at least once more.
o 0:00-0:12 - intro
o 0:12 - 0:36 dense section 1
o 0:36 - 1:11 - individual section development, almost like a musical joke where
o
o
o
o
o
o

each section is having a conversation/competition with the other.


1:11 - 1:19 - brief interlude that references back dense section 1
1:19 - 1:24 - introduction of bamboo flute motif section
1:24 - 1:34 - dense section 2, based off different material from the intro
1:34 - 2:40 - development of and variation upon the bamboo flute motif
2:40 - 3:00 returning to motifs from dense sections 1 + 2
3:00 - 3:34 - switching quickly between the bamboo flute motif + development
and the dense section 1 motifs

o 3:34 - 3:42 - reference to the individual section development within the small
gongs.
o 3:43 - 3:52 - return to bamboo flute melody and development
o 3:52 - End [excluding transition into next piece] - back to dense section 1 with
references to dense section 2 - also some references to the material of the musical

joke (specifically audible in the horizontal gongs).


Context
o Appears to be a community thing, and by the laughter it seems as if the group is
sharing a joke, a moment. Performers are of all ages.
o One guy is clearly in charge, town's head of government would be.

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