Links:
Introduction to Gamelan by Prof. Sumarsam
Gamelan Glossary
Topic: Introduction to the Peking
(other topics: Introduction to Gamelan Music
,
Introduction to the Bonang
)
Introduction to the Peking
Introduction to the Peking
Good references for additional material:
The peking, or saron panerus, is one of the most prominent
of elaborating instruments in the Javanese gamelan.
Played with a small hard mallet,
and in the highest registers of the gamelan,
it has a softly biting, metallic sound.
This characteristic, and the relatively simple elaboration
it provides over the balungan melody,
makes it a primary time-keeper and melodic anticipator,
a responsibility it shares with the bonang.
A peking has the same layout as other sarons:
(slendro)
L6 1 2 3 5 6 H1
(pelog)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
PEKING PATTERNS
The peking anticipates and elaborates on the the basic balungan melody
played by the slenthem and sarons. The patterns the peking plays
depends on the irama (reflecting the tempo at which the balungan
plays).
IRAMA TANGGUNG
In irama tanggung (the starting tempo of most pieces we play) the
peking plays twice as many notes as the balungan. Each
peking pattern is generally an elaboration of each group of two
balungan notes. The standard irama tanggung pattern
for the two gatras [2 3 2 1] [3 2 1 6] preceded by 6 is:
| | |
(6) 2 3 2 1 3 2 1 6 BALUNGAN
(6) 6 2 2 3 3 2 2 1 1 3 3 2 2 1 1 6 6 PEKING (tanggung)
| | |
Notice that the peking merely doubles the melody of the
balungan in irama tanggung.
Note also that the peking does not anticipate the balungan
melody in irama tanggung;
the peking switches notes only when the balungan does.
IRAMA DADI
In irama dadi, which is twice as slow as irama tanggung, the
peking needs to play twice as many notes. A standard irama dadi
pattern for 2 3 2 1 3 2 1 6 preceded by 6 is:
| | |
(6) 2 3 2 1 3 2 1 6 BALUNGAN
(6)6 2 2 3 3 2 2 3 3 2 2 1 1 2 2 1 1 3 3 2 2 3 3 2 2 1 1 6 6 1 1 6 6 PEKING (dadi)
| |-------------| |-------------| |-------------| |-------------|
| | |
This pattern is slightly more complicated,
but the derivation is straightforward.
For each group of two balungan notes, say, 2 3,
the peking pattern becomes 2 2 3 3 2 2 3 3,
with the two balungan notes falling on the 3rd and 7th notes
of the peking pattern.
The interplay of the peking pattern and the balungan
melody is much better appreciated aurally than visually
(nearly all audio files available
here
have representative peking playing).
However, it is useful to see how the peking anticipates the
balungan melody (playing a 3 in the first gatra before
the balungan),
and how each pattern of eight notes
(corresponding to two balungan notes)
ends slightly after the balungan notes that they correspond to.
SWITCHING IRAMAS
One of the hardest things for a new peking player to master
is the art of switching between iramas.
The difficulty lies partly in the fact that the irama
switch invariably happens at the end of a pattern rather than
between two patterns,
but also partly in knowing the appropriate moment to switch.
Both these things require the ability to anticipate the
density of the new irama and
determining that that density would be stylistically appropriate
before actually switching to it.
Switching between irama makes no changes to the patterns
illustrated previously.
Consider the gatras [5 3 2 1] [3 2 3 1] preceded by 1.
Assume the irama switch from irama tanggung to
irama dadi happens between the two gatras.
The pattern would then be:
| | |
(1) 5 3 2 1 3 2 3 1 BALUNGAN
(1) 1 5 5 3 3 2 2 1 1 3 3 2 2 3 3 2 2 3 3 1 1 3 3 1 1 PEKING
| | |
tanggung dadi
Note here that the irama switch happens at the last note of
the gatra, and incorporates the last two notes of the
peking pattern in the previous gatra.
The pattern (5 5 3 3 2 2 1 1) does not change,
but the last two notes are played twice as fast,
after which the appropriate pattern for the new irama (dadi)
is played as usual.
Much a similar transformation happens in the other direction.
Consider the same gatras but moving from irama dadi
back to irama tanggung:
| | |
(1) 5 3 2 1 3 2 3 1 BALUNGAN
(1)1 5 5 3 3 5 5 3 3 2 2 1 1 2 2 1 1 3 3 2 2 3 3 1 1 PEKING
| | |
tanggung dadi
The irama switch again happens at the last note of
the gatra, and incorporates the last two notes of the
peking pattern in the previous gatra.
The end of the pattern (2 2 1 1 2 2 1 1) does not change,
but the last two notes are played twice as slowly,
after which the appropriate pattern for the new irama (tanggung)
is played as usual.
MISCELLANEOUS TOPICS
If the balungan melody has rests in the melody,
generally one can consider them extensions of the previous note
for the purposes of deriving peking patterns.
However, if the balungan consistently plays rest, note, rest, note
(nibani), one would,
for the purposes of deriving peking patterns,
replace them with fully populated four-note gatras
that are appropriate to the piece.
Experienced peking players may introduce subtle variations into the
standard patterns for variety.
This topic is outside the scope of this document
(and beyond the knowledge of the author!)
YOGYANESE STYLE
The type of peking playing described until now has been
Solonese style (as practiced in Solo/Surakarta).
Yogyanese-style peking (as practiced in Yogyakarta)
is very similar to Solonese style,
but the patterns are shifted earlier by one note.
So the patterns for the gatras [2 3 2 1] [3 2 1 6]
preceded by 6 in Yogyanese-style are:
| | |
(6) 2 3 2 1 3 2 1 6 BALUNGAN
(6) 2 2 3 3 2 2 1 1 3 3 2 2 1 1 6 6 PEKING (tanggung)
| | |
| | |
(6) 2 3 2 1 3 2 1 6 BALUNGAN
(6)2 2 3 3 2 2 3 3 2 2 1 1 2 2 1 1 3 3 2 2 3 3 2 2 1 1 6 6 1 1 6 6 PEKING (dadi)
| |-------------| |-------------| |-------------| |-------------|
| | |
One consequence of this shift are that the end of each peking
pattern ends exactly at the end of the last balungan note
in each gatra.
Therefore, switching iramas is simplified because the
irama switch need not account for the extra notes
"hanging over" from the previous gatra --
one can play a full pattern completely in one irama and then
play the next pattern in the new irama.
This style of peking playing is more anticipatory
than the Solonese style because peking patterns for a gatra
start even earlier.
It is also very similar to how the bonang patterns line
up with balungan notes.
The recording of Ladrang Epikuros from Lou Harrison's
Double Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Central Javanese Gamelan,
available on the audio page for Gamelan Nyai Saraswati's
New Music Concert, has an example of Yogyanese-style peking.