Enthusiasts of traditional music will encounter a great treasure and pleasure in Bali. This small island, inhabited by some four million people, has diverse traditional music to enjoy. Probably, there are over tens of gambelan orchestras available in their particular traditions.

As religious community, the Balinese (Hindu) accompany many ritual with a gambelan orchestra. Each different ceremony has a different mood too. For instance, the cremation ceremony is accompanied by the melancholic angklung or gambelan orchestra, but on conveying a bade tower carrying the coffin to cremation ground, a dynamic bleganjur orchestra will accompany this along the procession. That’s why the bearers of the towers are getting more and more zealous. As id they are not tired, although they move under the fierce heat of the sun or drizzle. The remain to move and shout joyfully until the lace pace.

On another occasion, lelambatan is heard playing in slow and brisk rhythm intermittently during the temple festival. At the same time, the priest is chanting his mantra on the pavilion for the ritual and is assisted by some banten or oblation makers making some preparation for him. The orchestra makes the ambience progressively solemn. In the meantime, as soon as entering the hotel lobby where you stay, you may hear the Sundanese degung or Balinese rindik indistinctly playing. Both generate sentimental strains of instrumental music just like that of Kenny G. At least, they will help release the tension and tiredness or jet lag after a long haul flight. Or at dinner time at the local restaurants as well as Bali spa, it will be more romantic with the presentation of this music.

Should you get interested in this Balinese music, you can bring home this ambience as well. So if you spend your holiday in Bali, you can find easily in the format of a tape, disk or other digital format. They are sold at music stations, supermarkets or at the music counter near your hotel. Other topic, music in Bali has a sacred day, click here for more detail