Comment

Comment by Bernie Edwards on September 8, 2020 at 7:39pm

That's interesting Greg.

I was an active member of the gamelan group in the Royal Festival Hall, London for a short spell some years ago. That's how I came to know about the rebab. That is a Javanese style gamelan. 

Regretfully I have only been in Bali for a week many years ago but it was my first exposure to this wonderful music.

Comment by Greg Turner on September 8, 2020 at 10:46am

Thanks Uncle John.

Comment by Greg Turner on September 8, 2020 at 10:46am

I studied ethnomusicology in Korea. All rebabs descend from this; bowed or not bowed. I met my wife playing the Indonedian rebab while I was in Bali. I lived there ten years.

Comment by Uncle John on September 8, 2020 at 3:56am

Purty.  Sounded good in the video.

Comment by Bernie Edwards on September 8, 2020 at 2:05am

Sorry forgot the name of it...'Rebab'. 

Comment by Bernie Edwards on September 8, 2020 at 2:03am

2-string fiddles like this are found in various asian musical cultures, including Indonesian, Chinese and Japanese.

The Indonesian instrument is tuned so that the shorter string is a fifth of the longer one. The resonance imparted by the bow is amplified at the nodal points so touching these is all that is needed. There are two 'scales' of  5/7 intervals per octave respectively in Indonesian music and the fiddle plays in both without any re-tuning, as I recall.

I am sure a more experienced member on here can correct me.