The Village of Krebet, Learning to Make Batik on Wooden Puppet

Puppet can originate from the idea of Sunan Kudus who spread Islam to Java Island, but current forms of puppet are not just based on the ones developed by the pioneer. Wayang klithik, for example, is a kind of puppet made from wood that was developed late after Sunan Kudus time.

Since 1970s, Krebet village becomes one of the pioneers that developed wooden handicrafts by adopting the form of wayang klithik. Not long after the time, around the year 1992, existed new innovation combining the puppet handicraft with classic batik pattern in the village. The surface of the puppet is not plain anymore, but is decorated a la Yogyakarta Kingdom.

Now, after more than ten years this batik puppet was developed in Krebet Village, the production can be learned. You can reserve tour ticket to visit the village that includes the package of learning the batik puppet making. Of course, you will learn the process of the batik making only, since it takes longer time to produce the puppet.

The process of batik making can be seen and learned in other places, but making batik on puppet will give you different sensation. The process of batik making on this medium requires carefulness since the pattern is made manually instead of printed like making batik on other media.

Other sensation, the patterns you learn while making batik in this village are classic Kingdom patterns such as parangrusak, parangbarong, kawung, garuda, sidomukti, sidorahayu and tens other patterns. Thanks to those patterns, the batik puppet handicraft in this village is famous in foreign markets.

In fact, the facilities of batik learning in this village are simple and no instructors who can speak foreign languages. Nonetheless, by observing the craftsmen who make puppet and batik will give you sufficient knowledge to start making batik. You can also choose the batik pattern you are going to make.

In order to enjoy the learning of puppet batik making, you should spend around IDR 200,000. Apparently, it seems expensive, but you enjoy other things in addition to puppet making. During your tour, you will stay a night in local people's house without additional charge.

To reach Krebet village, please take Jalan Bantul. There are some alternatives to take, for instance by passing Kasongan village or turn right after the Great Mosque of Bantul. You have to prepare your personal vehicle or contact your travel agent since there is no public transportation to reach this place.

In addition to learning making batik puppet, you can learn climbing coconut tree and taking the nira or the substance to make palm sugar. You will also enjoy a package of going around teakwood forest on a jeep. When you get tired, you can enjoy special menu of the village, namely lodeh (mixed vegetable curry), gudeg manggar (flowers of coconut trees cooked sweet), tempe garit (salt, fried soybean), peyek (crackers with peanuts on it) and wedang legen (beverage made from the substance of coconut flowers as main material to make palm sugar).

Source : http://www.yogyes.com/

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Gamelan, the Javanese Orchestra

Gamelan is surely not a foreign music. It has been popular in most continents and has created new music integration, for example jazz-gamelan, has born institution as learning space and gamelan music expression and it has produced famous gamelan musicians. Gamelan music instrument can now be enjoyed in various parts of the world, but Yogyakarta is the right place to enjoy it since you can enjoy the original version of gamelan.

Gamelan that grows in Yogyakarta is Javanese gamelan, one form of gamelan that is different from Balinese gamelan or Sundanese gamelan. Javanese gamelan has softer and slower tones; it is different from Balinese gamelan that is very dynamic and Sundanese gamelan that is melodious with domination of the voice of seruling or traditional bamboo flute. The difference is just natural since Java has its own view of life that is expressed in its gamelan music melody.

The Javanese view of life that is expressed in its gamelan music is the harmony of physical and spiritual lives, harmony in talking as well as behaving in order not to create explosive expression and to realize people tolerance. The real form of harmony in Javanese gamelan music is the moderate play of rebab string, voice harmony of kenong, saron kendang and gambang and the voice of gong ate each closing of the melody.

There is no definite history of gamelan existence. The development of gamelan music is predicted to begin from the existence of kentongan, rebab, tap on the mouth, rubs on string and thin bamboo until the introduction of metal music instruments. Further development after named by gamelan, this music was used to accompany leather puppet show and dances. Later it became independent music and it was completed with voices of female singers called sinden.

A set of gamelan consists of several music instruments; some of them are drum called kendhang, rebab, and celempung, gambang, gong and bamboo flute or seruling. The main components composing the gamelan music instruments are bamboo, metal, and wood. Each of the instrument has its own function in a gamelan music show, for example the gong functioning to close the long music melodies and to give balance after the music was previously decorated by Javanese music melodies.

Javanese gamelan is music with pentatonic melodies. A complete gamelan play consists of two cycles, namely slendro and pelog. Slendro has 5 melodies per octave, namely 1 2 3 5 6 [C- D E+ G A] with small interval difference. Pelog has 7 melodies per octave namely 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 [C+ D E- F# A B] with big interval difference. Gamelan music composition was created with some rules, namely consists of some cycles and pathet, confined by one gong and the melodies were created in a unit consisting of 4 melodies.

You can see gamelan as an independent music performance or a companion of a dance or performance arts such as leather puppet show and ketoprak. As an independent performance, gamelan music is usually combined with the voice of the Javanese singers (male singers are called wiraswara and female singers are called waranggana or sinden). Gamelan music performance can be classic or contemporary. One form of contemporary gamelan is jazz-gamelan as a combination of music with pentatonic and diatonic melodies.

One of the places in Yogyakarta where you can see gamelan performance is Yogyakarta Kingdom. On Thursdays from 10:00a.m. to 12:00p.m. gamelan is performed as an independent music performance. On Saturdays at the same hours, gamelan is performed as companion of leather puppet show, while on Sundays at the same hours, gamelan accompanies Javanese traditional dance. Please come to Bangsal Sri Manganti to see the performance. Meanwhile, in order to see older gamelan music instrument, you can go to other hall of the kingdom that is located a little further at the back.

source : YogYes.com

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Wayang

Wayang is an Indonesian and Malay word for theatre. When the term is used to refer to kinds of puppet theater, sometimes the puppet itself is referred to as wayang. "Bayang", the Javanese word for shadow or imagination, also connotes "spirit." Performances of shadow puppet theater are accompanied by gamelan in Java, and by "gender wayang" in Bali.

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