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Gamelan : percussion or melody ? |
Of what types are a gamelan's intruments ? Are they percussion instruments or melodic instruments ? An instrument is said melodic when it can play several notes. Hence, a triangle or a drum in a symphony orchestra are not melodic instruments. Because they are percussion instruments ? No, since instruments that are both melodic and percussion exist, like the xylophone and the vibraphone. |
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In a symphony orchestra, and in fact in music as a general rule, the majority of instruments are either melodic either percussion. |
The presence of gamelan among the world's musical traditions is a noteworthy fact. It is the best instance of instrumental ensemble where percussion and melody are one. One is dealing with percusso-melodic instruments. |
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In Europe, one often classifies musical instruments according to these four families :
Cordophones |
Aerophones |
Membranophones |
Idiophones |
String | Wind | Drums | Percussion other than drums |
This classification is not of European invention, it is directly inspired from a musical theory of ancient India. One classified the instruments according to if they were :
Stretched |
Hollow |
Covered |
Solid |
Tata |
Susira |
Awanaddha |
Ghana |
In China, one classified the instruments according to eight materials :
Stone |
Metal |
Silk |
Bamboo |
Wood |
Hide |
Calabash |
Baked earth |
The membranophones and idiophones of the European system are both percussion instruments.
String |
Wind |
Percussion |
To simplify, one can regard non-string and non-wind instruments as percussion. |
The gongs, the metallophones of gamelans are percussion instruments that have the same importance as wind and string of symphony orchestras.
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