Welcome

Welcome to the gamelanireland.com website. My name is Niamh Tiernan. I am a musician/teacher/performer specialising in gamelan of Java, Indonesia. I own two very special sets of instruments – a complete Central Javanese gamelan and a Calung (bamboo gamelan), from Banyumas also in Java.

What is Gamelan?

Gamelan is a percussion-dominated musical ensemble from Indonesia.  It consists of gongs, metallophones, drums, wind and string instruments as well as vocals.  Besides Indonesia, gamelan is played in many countries worldwide, notably the UK, America, France, Germany, Holland and Japan.

It has been found that gamelan is ideally suited for developing group music-making and team-building skills for a broad range of groups, ranging from primary school children to adults. One of the truly unique features of this music is that no previous musical experience is necessary, just a willingness to take off your shoes, embrace a new experience and have fun.

Who is gamelan for?

Gamelan is for absolutely everyone. No prior musical knowledge is required, making it accessible for a broad cross-section of people. It is one of the few examples of practical music-making, where a single introductory workshop is generally sufficient to come away having learned to play a piece of music as a group. At the other end of the spectrum, it is also hoped in the future to set up a dedicated group who wish to study the instruments in greater detail and to use in composition projects.

Gamelan can be used for schools workshops (both primary and secondary), arts centres, festivals, rehabilitation projects and corporate workshops.

Why play gamelan?

We live in a multi-cultural society and studying musics from other cultures is one of the best ways to embrace another culture in a fun environment.

Gamelan is ideally suited for developing group music-making and team building skills and is musically very satisfying and stimulating, all the time improving rhythm and general musicality.