''Kotekan'' is a style of playing fast interlocking parts in most varieties of

Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nu ...

nese

Gamelan Gamelan () ( jv, ꦒꦩꦼꦭꦤ꧀, su, ᮌᮙᮨᮜᮔ᮪, ban, ᬕᬫᭂᬮᬦ᭄) is the traditional ensemble music of the Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussive instruments. T ...

music, including Gamelan gong kebyar,

Gamelan angklung The (Sundanese: ) is a musical instrument from the Sundanese people in Indonesia made of a varying number of bamboo tubes attached to a bamboo frame. The tubes are carved to have a resonant pitch when struck and are tuned to octaves, similar t ...

, Gamelan jegog and others. Kotekan are "sophisticated interlocking parts," "characteristic of gong kebyar and several other Balinese gamelan styles, that combine to create the illusion of a single

melodic line A melody (from Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combinat ...

that often sounds faster than any single human could possibly play." According to

Colin McPhee Colin Carhart McPhee (March 15, 1900 – January 7, 1964) was a Canadian-American composer and ethnomusicologist. He is best known for being the first Western composer to make a musicological study of Bali, and developing American gamelan along ...

: "Composed of two rhythmically opposing parts which...interlock to create a perpetual flow of sound, the ''kotekan'' adds sheen and intensity to the music, ...calls for the utmost rhythmic precision... ndlies in the top register of the gamelan."McPhee, Colin (1966).
Music in Bali
', p.162. New Haven, CT: Yale. . In ''kotekan'' there are two independent parts called ''polos'' and '','' each of which fills in the gaps of the other to form a complete

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular recu ...

ic texture. In Gamelan gong kebyar, Kotekan is usually played on the higher-pitched ''

gangsa A gangsa is a type of metallophone which is used mainly in Balinese and Javanese Gamelan music in Indonesia. In Balinese gong kebyar styles, there are two types of gangsa typically used: the smaller, higher pitched and the larger . Each instrume ...

'' and ''

reyong The reyong (also spelled reong) is a musical instrument used in Balinese gamelan. It consists of a long row of metal gongs suspended on a frame. In gamelan gong kebyar, it is played by four players at once, each with two mallets. Often the indi ...

'' as embellishment to the main melody ('' pokok'') played on the ''

calung The ''calung'' ( su, ) is a type of Indonesian bamboo xylophone originating from Baduy culture and commonly used in Baduy, Bantenese, Sundanese, Banyumasan, and Balinese performances. The calung (instrument) consists of multiple bamboo ...

'' and ''

ugal The ugal is an instrument in the Indonesian gamelan orchestra. It is a bronze metallophone played one handed with a small hammer, often in a dance-like manner. There are usually ten keys, giving a maximum range spanning about two octaves. Like the ...

''. :''Note: In the transliteration of Balinese used here, the letter "c" represents a sound similar to English "ch".''

Nyog cag

''Nyog cag'' is a straightforward alternation between ''polos'' and ''sangsih'', each playing only every other note of a scale or other melodic figuration. Though structurally the simplest form of ''kotekan'', ''nyog cag'' can be difficult to play accurately, especially because it is used at the fastest

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

Nyok cok

''Nyok cok'' is an ornamentation of the ''pokok'' melody in which ''polos'' and ''sangsih'' anticipate the next pitch of the ''pokok ''in unison and then each plays one of its neighbor tones.

Kotekan telu

In ''kotekan telu'', the ''polos'' and ''sangsih'' share a set of three pitches (''telu'' means three in Balinese). One of the parts plays the low and middle pitches, the other plays the middle and high pitches. The middle pitch is always played in unison by both parts except if ''kotekan telu'' is played by the

, because the two or four players share the same set of pots.

Kotekan empat

''Kotekan empat'' is similar to ''kotekan telu'', except in this case there are four pitches (''empat'' means "four" in Balinese). One part plays the lower two and the other plays the upper two; there is no sharing of pitches. Usually the lowest and highest pitches are struck simultaneously, and the interval they form varies depending upon where the notes fall in the scale and the tuning of the ensemble.

Kotekan theory

''Kotekan'' are typically composed by elaborating the ''pokok'' melody. The subdivisions of the composite ''kotekan'' are usually played four or eight times faster than the ''pokok''. Since the ''kotekan patterns'' are either three notes (''telu'') or three sounds (the ''kotekan empat'' has two solo pitches plus the open interval), the simple patterns do not repeat every four or eight notes. This can be illustrated in the following example: Kotekan 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 etc... Pokok 1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 1 . . . etc... The above is the most basic example of a kotekan ''telu''. In the example the numbers refer to the different pitches being played. The ''kotekan'' is repeating the same pattern over and over. Note that the ''pokok'' is exactly the same pattern played four times slower. The ''kotekan'' would be divided into ''polos'' and ''sangsih'' as follows: Polos 1 2 . 1 2 . 1 2 . 1 2 . 1 2 . 1 etc... Sangsih . 2 3 . 2 3 . 2 3 . 2 3 . 2 3 . etc... Pokok 1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 1 . . . etc... If the ''pokok'' changes, the ''kotekan'' will follow it. Here is a simple example that is similar to the first example except that it changes direction. Kotekan 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 2 1 3 2 1 3 2 etc... Pokok 1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . etc... Notice that this example can repeat over and over. Here is what the separate parts might look like: Polos 1 2 . 1 2 . 1 2 . 2 1 . 2 1 . 2 etc... Sangsih . 2 3 . 2 3 . 2 3 2 . 3 2 . 3 2 etc... Pokok 1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . etc... Here is the same melody with ''kotekan empat'': Polos 1 2 . 1 2 . 1 2 . 2 1 . 2 1 . 2 etc... Sangsih 4 . 3 4 . 3 4 . 3 4 3 . 4 3 . etc... Pokok 1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . etc... The ''polos'' part is the same as the previous example. However, the ''sangsih'' part is very different.

References

External links

Demonstration of kotekan on YouTube
��Note: In this version, both performers are using the same instrument, which is not normally how it is performed.
Demonstration of kotekan on YouTube

An article on kotekan by Wayne Vitale, published by the American Gamelan Institute in Vol. 4, No. 2 of the journal ''Balungan""
{{Gamelan Gamelan theory