Saron

The Saron is a member of the struck idiophones (Hornbostel–Sachs 111.222). It originates from Indonesia. Listen to 3 recordings and learn how it makes its sound.

Listen to the Saron

Saron Cempres Gamelan Degung koleksi Jurusan Karawitan ISBI Bandung

0:18CC BY-SA 4.0by Salomo Christian HutajuluWikimedia Commons

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Saron Pelog koleksi Jurusan Karawitan ISBI Bandung

0:18CC BY-SA 4.0by Salomo Christian HutajuluWikimedia Commons

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Saron Salendro koleksi Jurusan Karawitan ISBI Bandung

0:14CC BY-SA 4.0by Salomo Christian HutajuluWikimedia Commons

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Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.

How the Saron makes its sound

In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the Saron belongs to the struck idiophones: the body is struck directly – bells, gongs, xylophones and cymbals.

More broadly it is one of the idiophones, where the solid body of the instrument itself vibrates, without strings or a stretched membrane.

Players shape its sound through technique and materials; the resonating body filters the raw vibration, boosting some harmonics and damping others.

From Wikipedia

The saron is a musical instrument of Indonesia, which is used in the gamelan. It normally has seven bronze bars placed on top of a resonating frame (rancak). It is usually about 20 cm (8 in) high, and is played on the floor by a seated performer. In a pelog scale, the bars often read 1-2-3-5-6-7 across (the number four is not used because of its relation to death) (in kepatihan numbering); for slendro, the bars are 6-1-2-3-5-6-1; this can vary from gamelan to gamelan, or even among instruments in the same gamelan. Slendro instruments commonly have only six keys. It provides the core melody (balungan) in the gamelan orchestra.