Ladrang

The ladrang is one of the gendhing structures used in Javanese gamelan music.

The basic colotomic structure is a cycle of 32 beats ("keteg") in the following order:

::pTpW pTpN pTpP pTpN pTpP pTpN pTpP pTpG

where p indicates the strike of the kempyang, T the ketuk, P the kempul, N the kenong, and G the simultaneous stroke of the gong and kenong. The W indicates the wela, the pause where the kempul is omitted. Thus, the gong plays once, the kenong divides that into four parts, the kempul divides each of those in two, the ketuk divides each of those in two, and the kempyang divides each of those in two. The kendhang usually plays in kendhang kalih style.

The ladrang is similar to the ketawang except that four (instead of two) nongan comprise a gongan. It is also similar to the lancaran, except it is twice as slow, and the kempyang plays in between each beat of the lancaran.

Many ladrang have two sections, an ompak and a ngelik, each of which typically last one gongan. Ladrang can be played in any irama except for lancar.

References

* Neil Sorrell. "A Guide to the Gamelan". London: Faber and Faber, 1990. Page 68-69.