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Name: SARON
The saron is a metallophone used in the Malay Gamelan of Terengganu. (Matusky 1985). It comes in various sizes tuned an octave apart. From the smallest to the largest these are, the saron pekin, saron barong and saron demong. Saron Barung is a slab-shaped instrument and is made from bronze. In the Malay gamelan ensemble, this saron carries the middle octave sound. Saron Barung also plays the main melody. Physically, these slab's are smaller than the saron demong's and produce a louder sound. The perdam (hand dampening) technique is used for different tones, depending on the song context. This is to prevent the sounds from running into one another when played together with other instruments that play different melodies in the ensemble. The saron is struck using something that looks like a hammer made from soft wood. (Nik Mustapha, 1998) Saron demong is a slab-shaped instrument and is made
from bronze. Those slabs are arranged on a base of wood and supported
with a stand which serves as a resonator. Saron demong carries the basic melody in the
Malay Gamelan performance and is an
octave lower than the saron barung. It is tuned to the anhemitonic pentatonic
scale system. In the gamelan tradition that flourishes in Johor, the saron demong plays the main
melody and also interlocking rhythmic patterns to decorate the melody. The bars are usually made from metal.
Saron pekin is a new and extra instrument in the Malay Gamelan ensemble. It doubles the melody. The hand dampening technique is also used and it is the highest pitched member of the saron family. It is also able to produce louder and clearer sounds. Physically, this saron has smaller sized bars, but these are also thicker compared with the saron barung. The mallet used for the saron pekin is also shaped like a hammer and is made from buffalo's horn. (Nik Mustapha, 1998)
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