Gamelan Boot camp!

Hi all, the wifi at the cafe I'm at is really slow so pictures aren't uploading. Stay tuned!

Sunday was free time, I went with 2 other girls around Ubud, and we bought a kebaya (lace shirt), sash, and sarong to wear at temples and performances. Stay tuned for a pic of me looking fabulous and "native" in my new ensemble. We went to the Bali Arts Festival that night and saw the first and only women kecak ensemble, it was amazing! I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to see it, I love kecak. The first time I heard it on my last trip to Bali I wanted to live here forever. Search for it on youtube, its amazing.

I've finished my second day of the workshop, aka gamelan boot camp as coined by one of my cohorts, Gary. Another guy has described the timing at which we play to be whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, and craziness, and that's about right. The rate of instruction here is astronomical, its insane! Its the throwing you into the swimming pool method of teaching. It must be working somehow cause we're all kind of getting it.

Monday morning we started with a ceremony, we were all blessed by the local priest who is a VIP in the Pengosekan village (where Cudamani is housed), we were praying to wish for success in our studies together. Lets hope it works! That afternoon us music students began gamelan. The teacher, Dewa, started out with a nice explanation of the proper way to hold the mallet, so we were all feeling pretty good about ourselves. We can hold it correctly, all right! But then the speed of the lesson increased exponentially as he quickly demonstrated the rhythmic patterns we'd be learning. We did 3 in all, switching instruments on occasion. In a gamelan everyone plays everything- can you imagine a western orchestra like that? Its insanity. And, there's no sheet music, its all by memory. This has its benefits, as you have to listen to each other and have a real understanding of how all the pieces fit together. So if you get off, you know to listen for the gong to get back on track. Everyone has a member of Cudamani sitting in front of you playing on your instrument with you. But they don't start slowly- its fast right away and we just keep repeating it till we get it. Just when you kind of get it, they go double time, or stop playing along with you, or still play on your instrument but start playing with the rhythm. In short- very intense is an understatement.

This morning we split into two groups, I was in the group that learned drums. It was fun, but pretty challenging. Our teachers can barely hit it and make a huge sound and we're banging as hard as we can and it sounds like a mouse squeak. But we'll get there. After this it was time for lunch- at Emiko and Dewa's (Cudamani founders) house. This reminded me why I fell in love with Indonesian food on my first trip here- it is absolutely delicious! I could eat it every day and be very happy.

After lunch today we started learning a new piece that we will play as the dance students do their thing. I made the mistake of not getting to the instruments fast enough and had to take the one in the front, that has to start the piece off and is responsible for the transitions- way more responsibility than I was ready for! I play slower than the "crazy" speed instruments beside me, but I am not ready to lead. It was tougher too cause Dewa was showing me my part but he wasn't playing with me the whole time as he was directing, but the drummers helped me out too when I got lost. These musicians amaze me, I still can't get over how they can pick out all the different parts.

The other students here come from a few countries and there is a large range of skill, which makes me feel a lot better, I was afraid everyone else would have a decade of Balinese gamelan experience, but luckily this is not the case. Its a good group of people, I think we're going to have a good time together and hopefully keep our gamelan connections going when we get back home.

Anyway thats all for now- will post more when I have time, this busy schedule is hard, haven't had to focus on one thing for this long since high school!