Almost every where in Yogya, Solo, Semarang and other cities in Central Java, in Karatons, in the market, in the villages, in the hotel's lobby, you should hear the magical melodious percussion music - the gamelan Javanese orchestra.

In his book 'music of Java' Jaap Kunst says, "Gamelan is comparable to only two things, moonlight and flowing water. ...mysterious like moonlight and always changing like flowing water ...".

Gamelan music is an integral part of all cultural activities in Java such as wayang kulit (leather puppets) performance, court dance, uyon-uyon (symphony orchestra performance), etc. There are two kinds of laras (tuning) in gamelan, namely slendro (comparable to minor key in Western music) and Pelog (major key). A complete set of gamelan consist of two sets of different instruments of Slendro and Pelog, such as:

1. Kendang (double ended drum beaten by hands)
   It is a leading instrument. The pengendang (drumer) is the conductor of the gamelan orchestra. There are five (5) different sizes of kendang from 20 cm to 45 cm.

2. Saron
   A glockenspiel with bronze bar struck with wooden mallet. There are three kinds; Saron Barung, Saron Peking, Saron Demung.

   

3. Bonang Barung
   A double row of bronze kettles resting on a horizontal frame, played with two long stick bound with red cord at the striking end.
4. Bonang Penerus

   

5. Slentem
   Thin bronze bars suspended over bamboo resonating chambers, struck with a padded disc on the end of a stick.
6. Gender
   Similar to slentem with more bronze keys and smaller bamboo chamber, struck with two disc-shaped hammers.

   

7. Gambang
   Wooden bars laid over a wooden frame struck with two sticks of supple buffalo horn, ending with a small, round, padded disc.
8. Gong
   Each slendro and pelog set had three gongs. Two big gongs (Gong Ageng) and one gong Suwukan about 90 cm, made from bronze, suspended on a wooden frame. It marks the end of the largest phrase of the melody.

   

9. Kempul
   Smaller gongs, marks a smaller phrase. In each slendro and pelog set, there are 6 (six) or 10 (ten) kempuls.
10. Kenong
    Smaller gongs lay horizontally on crossed cord, inside a wooden frame. A complete set of kenong in each slendro and pelog consist of 10 (ten) kenongs.

    

11. Ketug
    The kenong player also plays it smaller kenong, marks subdivisions of phrases.
12. Clempung
    A string instrument, each slendro and pelog set needs one clempung.
13. Siter
    Smaller cemplung, each slendro and pelog set needs one siter

    

14. Suling
    It is a flute, each slendro and pelog set, needs one suling.
15. Rebab
    A two stringed viol, the same as slendro and pelog.
16. Keprak and Kepyak
    Needed for gamelan to accompany dances.
17. Bedug
    It is a very big drum.