Re:kecapi

Daniel --

There is probably no music that is more fun to play than kechapi-suling, either on the suling or one of the kechapi.

The usual kechapi-suling ensemble includes, as the main instument, one or two kechapi indung (for which a portable kechapi siter can be replaced) and -- regularly since the 1950's -- the octave-higher kechapi rincik. On both instruments, only open strings are played (dampened by the thumb afterwards) and the tuning is pentatonic, altered with tuning pins to salendro, (5-toned) pelog or sorog. The pitch standard is provided by the suling (flute) and the tunings are close to the tunings used in Sundanese gamelan, albeit, as van Zanden has measured, the semitones in pelog and sorog are very close to 100 cents. Some pieces mix tunings, i.e. a sung/suling melody in sorog with only one of the kechapi tuned to sorog, the rest in salendro, in which case, the instrument "out of tune" at the moment only plays a repeating pattern on the pitches common to both modes.

The best measurements of kechapi tunings are in Wim van Zanten's Music in the Cianjuran Style.

Daniel Wolf

--
Using Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/mail/

There is a recording on the Topic label called
Flutes and gamelan music of West Java TSCD913
which is quite beautiful

/^_,',',',_ //^ /Kraig Grady_ ^_,',',',_
Mesotonal Music from:
_'''''''_ ^North/Western Hemisphere: North American Embassy of Anaphoria Island <http://anaphoria.com/>

_'''''''_ ^South/Eastern Hemisphere:
Austronesian Outpost of Anaphoria <http://anaphoriasouth.blogspot.com/>

',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',

daniel_anthony_stearns wrote:
>
> thank you djwolf, any suggestions for recordings?
> --- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com > <mailto:MakeMicroMusic%40yahoogroups.com>, "Daniel Wolf" <djwolf@...>
> wrote:
> >
> > Daniel --
> >
> > There is probably no music that is more fun to play than kechapi-
> suling,
> > either on the suling or one of the kechapi.
> >
> > The usual kechapi-suling ensemble includes, as the main instument,
> one or
> > two kechapi indung (for which a portable kechapi siter can be
> replaced)
> > and -- regularly since the 1950's -- the octave-higher kechapi
> rincik. On
> > both instruments, only open strings are played (dampened by the
> thumb
> > afterwards) and the tuning is pentatonic, altered with tuning pins
> to
> > salendro, (5-toned) pelog or sorog. The pitch standard is provided
> by the
> > suling (flute) and the tunings are close to the tunings used in
> Sundanese
> > gamelan, albeit, as van Zanden has measured, the semitones in pelog
> and
> > sorog are very close to 100 cents. Some pieces mix tunings, i.e.
> a
> > sung/suling melody in sorog with only one of the kechapi tuned to
> sorog,
> > the rest in salendro, in which case, the instrument "out of tune"
> at the
> > moment only plays a repeating pattern on the pitches common to both
> modes.
> >
> > The best measurements of kechapi tunings are in Wim van Zanten's
> Music in
> > the Cianjuran Style.
> >
> > Daniel Wolf
> >
> > --
> > Using Opera's revolutionary e-mail client:
> http://www.opera.com/mail/ <http://www.opera.com/mail/>
> >
>
>

found another one here in the Anaphorian library!
Java - Kecapi Suling. Playasound PS 65225

/^_,',',',_ //^ /Kraig Grady_ ^_,',',',_
Mesotonal Music from:
_'''''''_ ^North/Western Hemisphere: North American Embassy of Anaphoria Island <http://anaphoria.com/>

_'''''''_ ^South/Eastern Hemisphere:
Austronesian Outpost of Anaphoria <http://anaphoriasouth.blogspot.com/>

',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',

daniel_anthony_stearns wrote:
>
> thank you djwolf, any suggestions for recordings?
> --- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com > <mailto:MakeMicroMusic%40yahoogroups.com>, "Daniel Wolf" <djwolf@...>
> wrote:
> >
> > Daniel --
> >
> > There is probably no music that is more fun to play than kechapi-
> suling,
> > either on the suling or one of the kechapi.
> >
> > The usual kechapi-suling ensemble includes, as the main instument,
> one or
> > two kechapi indung (for which a portable kechapi siter can be
> replaced)
> > and -- regularly since the 1950's -- the octave-higher kechapi
> rincik. On
> > both instruments, only open strings are played (dampened by the
> thumb
> > afterwards) and the tuning is pentatonic, altered with tuning pins
> to
> > salendro, (5-toned) pelog or sorog. The pitch standard is provided
> by the
> > suling (flute) and the tunings are close to the tunings used in
> Sundanese
> > gamelan, albeit, as van Zanden has measured, the semitones in pelog
> and
> > sorog are very close to 100 cents. Some pieces mix tunings, i.e.
> a
> > sung/suling melody in sorog with only one of the kechapi tuned to
> sorog,
> > the rest in salendro, in which case, the instrument "out of tune"
> at the
> > moment only plays a repeating pattern on the pitches common to both
> modes.
> >
> > The best measurements of kechapi tunings are in Wim van Zanten's
> Music in
> > the Cianjuran Style.
> >
> > Daniel Wolf
> >
> > --
> > Using Opera's revolutionary e-mail client:
> http://www.opera.com/mail/ <http://www.opera.com/mail/>
> >
>
>

daniel_anthony_stearns wrote:
> Thanks Kraig.Here's a nice link someone posted on another site:
> > http://www.asianclassicalmp3.org/arum.htm

This sounds like degung music with plucked strings in place of the metallophones. It occurs to me that the shakuhachi is a bamboo flute like the suling, the koto is a plucked string instrument like the kecapi, and the "laras sorog" scale sounds much like hirajoshi! I wonder if there's a connection between Indonesian and Japanese music...