Irama facts for kids

Irama is a special word used in Indonesian music, especially for a type of orchestra called gamelan. It helps describe how fast or slow the music feels. It also explains how different instruments play together.

Number of saron panerus notes per saron note in each irama.

Irama is different from just "tempo" (which is called Laya in Javanese). Think of it as combining how fast the music flows with how many notes are played in that time. The main idea is how "dense" the music is.

How Irama Works

One easy way to understand Irama is by looking at an instrument called the saron panerus. This instrument plays notes very consistently in gamelan music.

Sometimes, the saron panerus plays one note for every main melody note (played by the saron barung). Other times, it might play two or even four notes for each main melody note. When the saron panerus plays more notes for each main melody note, it means the Irama is slower. This also usually means it takes longer for the music to reach a big gong ageng sound.

Types of Irama

There are five main types of Irama, each with a different "density" or number of notes played by the saron panerus for each main melody note:

When the Irama is slower (like Irama wilet or Irama rangkep), there's more "space" in the music. This means other instruments, called elaborating instruments, have more room to play fancy and detailed melodies.

Irama and Laya (Tempo)

Each Irama can also be played at different speeds, which are called Laya (tempo). There are three main Laya:

• Seseg ("fast")
• Sedeng ("medium")
• Tamban ("slow")

Often, when the Laya changes, it signals that a new part of the music is starting.