Pre-planned small variations within a piece

It is often difficult, if not impossible, to tell whether apparent changes to a piece are truly spontaneous. Often, through improvisation, a version of the piece seems to crystallise out and become a player’s own favourite way, before gradually transforming again. This phenomenon is common in many improvised and semi-improvised traditions and helps explain why boredom is often cited as a reason for changing pieces. Even one’s own favourite version may become tired after months of repetition.

In this section, I will consider refined (halus) versions of pieces, players’ personal styles and how they relate to perceived regional styles. In terms of the continuum from more to less improvised, these changes could be defined as the conscious or pre-planned composition of new versions of pieces, incorporating similar types of changes to 6.1 above, in that they do not involve new sections or deviate markedly from the rhythmic structure. Creating halus versions of pieces may involve making the kotekan more intricate and technically difficult, or adding a left-hand sangsih counter-melody or additional ngoret

ornamentation. Typical examples of halus versions are certain Sukawati pangkat that have become “show pieces”: “Grebeg”, “Krepetan” and “Partha Wijaya”. Such worked-out variations are probably the commonest type of composition in gender, as nearly every competent player attempts to find a favourite version. One reason for creating these refinined versions, particularly in Loceng’s case, seems to be to impress and mystify players and listeners from other areas, making it hard for them to “catch” the music, or steal the pieces from listening to recordings.

It is worth questioning whether these versions always derive from spontaneous variation-making that becomes relatively fixed. This sometimes seems to be the case, but changes are often also worked out beforehand and become, in turn, a basis for improvisation. In this way, spontaneous and worked-out compositional methods feed into each other: the ability to choose

between variants may be a prerequisite for the ability to improvise. It forms the background to those more spontaneous types of change, as does the ability to make one’s own sangsih part.

Halus versions

In Sukawati especially, but also elsewhere, players delight in creating versions which they describe as halus (refined) or wayah (old, mature), featuring intricate syncopations and tricky, unusual kotekan. An example is this phrase from the pangkat piece, “Krepetan”, showing how Loceng has created a more complex right-hand sangsih; the polos can change too to a more complex version (see musical example 39).

Musical example 39: simple (above) and complex (below) versions of phrase from “Krepetan”

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These versions may be crystallisations of previous improvisations and lead to players creating their own distinctive styles with their own favourite versions of pieces, as Buda explains:

B: In gender wayang pieces, we can’t say Sukawati style is always the same. It depends on who is playing. If it’s Pak Loceng playing, if it’s me playing, or me with him, it’s the breath of the tune. Its breath gives its own character to the piece. For instance, Pak Loceng likes it sweet, likes it melodic. I prefer it with sudden entak-entakan (pushing, forceful). So we give it our own character. (Buda, tape 2002:17a)

I asked Buda whether players can easily distinguish different versions of a piece they already know from genuinely new, improvised material. He replied:

B: There are many pieces like that, that are changed gradually, on purpose. They are thought about first to make different motifs of playing. “ Partha Wijaya” - what's its

kotekan? [I sing] That’s already been changed. Its pokok isn’t like that [he sings]. There

are many pieces whose kotekan have been changed, outside the spontaneous [changes], (Buda, tape 2002:17a)

Buda describes playing with a Japanese pupil of Loceng:

B: She said, “how can I play?” I said, “just try it. Later we will meet there in that playing and can connect. We will be able to follow because in gender wayang it doesn’t have to be like this or like that, we can improvise.” (Buda, tape 2002:17a)

Changes to pieces in slow style, both “crystallised” and improvised, usually involve variations in the ornamentation such as ngoret Buda regards

such changes as relatively simple, but “connecting to the heart” (tape

2002:17a). Mudita in Tenganan agrees, saying he only changes the pukulan (striking) a little in pieces like “Mesem” and “Alas Harum” (tape 2002:1b). Loceng has reworked “Mesem” by increasing the subtlety and intricacy of the ornaments. He feels there are limits to how much a piece like this can be changed:

L: Why is it there are pieces here i’m never bored with? I like them. Perhaps these are popular; they don’t need to be changed any more. For instance, "Tangis” [“Mesem"] - how could you change that? It’s not possible that I could. If I changed it, it would have to be better. Only the pukulan alone could improve. (Loceng, tape 2000:3b)

Loceng demonstrated the simple, pokok version he first learnt of “Mesem”:

Me: Do you still remember the pokok you first studied, for instance “ Mesem", before it was made halus? L:lt was still pojol (simple). Me: Did it already have ngoret? L: Yes, it had ngoret [plays] It was us who made it more refined - if it’s given ngoret, it’s more w hatever... compared with now. I don’t say that’s bad; I’m grateful to be given the

pokok [plays]. Only, we made it so it’s good to be heard - for me! Whether other people

like it, I don’t know [plays]. (Loceng, tape 2000:4a)

Musical example 40 shows a refined cadence from “Mesem” played by Loceng (tape 2000:4a), above the simpler version he had first taught (see also example 9 in chapter 4 for another halus phrase from this piece compared with a pokok version). Loceng commented about the halus version of “Mesem”: “the feeling is truly different” (2002:23b), although the difference is, on the surface, simply adding some subtle ornamentation. A slightly different version is on

track 14 of the accompanying CD, starting at 2 minutes 12 seconds in.