incaHoots gig

See incaHoots on the Sage Concourse, Tuesday 30th June, 6:30pm. 

The main event that night is 'Brass Blast' - large numbers of local schoolchildren will be playing in Hall 1.  We may only be a nine piece band but we will make a happy noise of our own in support, between 6:30 and 7pm and during the interval and after the event. 

Latest news on instruments in the region

Lots happening which will massively increase the amount of gamelan in the North.

As well as the existing slendro sets at Durham and Egremont, and the more recent small slendro at Morpeth, there is now a large bronze slendro set based in Chopwell.  Sue Finn has started a community group there on a Thursday evening.  For information about using it for business training see www.gamelanatwork.com 

The matching pelog set is looking for a home in the NE - any ideas get in touch!

On its way is another slendro set commissioned by Northumberland Music Service - should be here after the summer.

Durham University (as part of the North East Universities' CETL - Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning in Music) has commissioning a pelog set of instruments to match the existing Durham slendro.  This is a very exciting project: the last tuner to visit the UK was very impressed with the quality of the Durham instruments which were built on a small scale but by a top maker for a top musician. 

And on top of all that a partnership of the Sage Gateshead, Soundwave Cumbria, Newcastle Music Service and CETL are commissioning a full double bronze gamelan.

Ste returns?

Ste has now been studying and performing in Java for two and a half years and is considering returning to our colder climate.  It will be great to have his skills and deep knowledge of the music in the region and I know he is keen to keep playing in a wide range of styles.

He seems to have set a precedent - after more than ten years without anyone from the North East going to Java to study there are three more Durham players considering the trip!

• A Gamelan is a whole set of musical instruments found all over South East Asia but especially on the Indonesian islands of Java and Bali.
• Almost all of the instruments of the Gamelan are percussion instruments, most of them made from bronze or iron: gongs, metallophones and chimes of various shapes and sizes. There are also bamboo flutes, a xylophone, drums and more.
• The Durham Gamelan is from Central Java. It is made from bronze. The instruments can be played by between five and fifteen people at one time. It was one of the first playable gamelans to come to the UK.
• There are many different types of Gamelan, even just within Java - Indonesia's most populous island.
• The traditional music of the Gamelan is still very widely played and enjoyed. It is used at ceremonial occasions, at weddings, to accompany dance and puppet theatre (including shadow puppets) and at informal concerts.
• The music of the Gamelan is called Karawitan, which literally means 'refinement'. It is one of the most developed forms of 'non-western' music. It varies from the loud battle scene music to some of the most relaxing and meditative sounds you will ever come across.
• The Gamelan provides an incredible opportunity for musical participation and education. There is no physical barrier to playing and a group of adults who thought they were unmusical, or a group of young children, or anyone else, can be playing real music within the space of a short workshop.
• It is easy to learn the basics but there is also plenty to challenge - Javanese music combines simple melodies with complex improvised ornamentation.