Kempul

Kempul is a hanging gong used in Indonesian gamelan ensembles, notably in Javanese and Balinese traditions. It consists of a bronze or brass disk suspended from a frame by cords, and it is struck with a padded wooden mallet to produce a resonant, sustained tone.

As a central gong-type instrument in gamelan, the kempul provides long-pitched notes that punctuate musical phrases and mark structural cycles. In Javanese gendhing and Balinese pieces, kempul notes are slower and longer in duration than those of the smaller gongs and metallophones, giving a distinctive cadence to sections of the music.

Kempul gongs come in several sizes and pitches to fit the scale system used by the ensemble, whether sléndro or pélog. A typical set includes multiple kempul pitches that complement the larger gong ageng, gong siyem, kenong, and the saron-family instruments. The instrument is hung in a frame and played with a soft wooden hammer.

In performance practice, kempul parts are usually played by musicians positioned on the right side of the gamelan, providing a regular pulse against the melodic lines and reinforcing cadences at key points in the cycle.

Across Java and Bali, the kempul’s tuning and exact role vary by region and piece, but its fundamental function as a time-keeping and cueing instrument remains consistent within traditional gamelan ensembles.