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Javanese Pélog Tunings Reconsidered

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 February 2019

Jay Rahn
Jay Rahn*
Affiliation:
York University, Downsview, Ontario, Canada
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Extract

The fixed pitch instruments of Java are justly famous for the flexibility of their tuning. The absolute pitches of various ensembles differ substantially, and within an ensemble, tones of a given name vary greatly in pitch when produced on different instruments. Causes for these differences include the gradual changes which occur in the metals used in the instruments’ manufacture, and the high value placed on the production of acoustical beats among the instruments of a single ensemble (Kunst 1973:251; Hood 1966:31–33). Concordant with this diversity is the practice of assigning proper names, such as “Venerable Dark Cloud”, to individual gamelans.

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Type
Articles
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Yearbook of the International Folk Music Council , Volume 10 , 1978 , pp. 69 - 82
Copyright
Copyright © 1979 By the International Folk Music Council 

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References

Publications Cited

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