The kempli, a single small gong held in the lap or horizontally mounted, divides metric periods into beats, or, in some older repertoires, marks melodic subsection endings. Panggul kempli are slightly shorter and thicker than panggul tromping. Thanks to Michael Tenzer for permission to use short extracts from his excellent book “Gamelan Gong Kebyar”, published by Chicago University Press.

Keep all gamelan instruments dry and away from extremes of temperature.

An integral part of the Balinese gamelan ensemble and mixes will with all gamelan instruments.

The kempli is struck on the boss but muted with the other hand near the rim to produce a dry sound quite different from other gamelan sounds.

All our premium gamelan are made in the same Balinese village workshop using traditional materials and techniques. The metals used in our premium instruments are mixtures of steel and brass – a much less expensive alternative to the bronze originals. The wood is jackfruit – a very hard and durable wood traditionally used for gamelan instruments.