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Page 3 | Gamelan selonding
The instruments
Seleh Notes Volume 2 Number 1 December 1994
© Mark Lockett
The musician and instrument maker, I Nyoman Partha Gunawan, is totally involved in the musical life of the village. As well as teaching, making and playing bamboo instruments (suling and rindik) professionally he has made two replica selonding, one for ASTI in Denpasar and one which is kept in his house.
On this he has recorded two albums of non-sacred music on the Maharani label, which would not have been permissable on the 'real' selonding.
His 'replicas' were made by the traditional method; rough cast iron keys and frames of solid jackfruit wood with resonating cavities hollowed out in them.
The instruments are beautifully carved and decorated whereas the originals are plain. Uninitiated people (like myself) can play them.
There are eight of these sturdy trough resonators and the keys are arranged in overlapping scales suspended over the cavities by leather thongs.
The largest of the keys (gong gedé) is about 60 cm long and the smallest (nyongnyong cerik) measures about 20 cm.
Diagram showing range of selonding instruments
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