Music of Indonesia

Indonesia is a country with many different tribes and ethnic groups, and its music comes in many forms and styles. Every area has its own culture and art, so traditional music differs from place to place. Often, music is paired with dance and theatre.

The music of Java, Kalimantan, Sumatra, Bali, Flores (Lesser Sunda Islands) and other islands has been studied and recorded. Scholars from Indonesia and around the world continue to learn more about it. Indonesia's music goes back before written history. Many Native Indonesian tribes use chants and songs with instruments in their ceremonies.

Today, Indonesia's modern music is popular in nearby countries like Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. Indonesian music often has a strong beat and harmony, influenced by Indian, Javanese, Arab, Chinese and Malay styles. This mix can be heard in the popular traditional genre of Dangdut.

Musical instruments

Indonesia has many music styles because of its many tribes and groups. Each place has special instruments, many from long ago.

Indonesia is famous for its gongs, metal instruments that make sounds by being hit. Other popular instruments are gendang (drums), sasando from Rote island, angklung from the Sundanese people, and the well-known gamelan orchestra from Java and Bali.

Gong

Main article: Gong

The gong is a metal percussion instrument from Southeast Asia. In Indonesia, it is often used in gamelan music.

Bonang and talempong

Musicians performing musical ensemble, The 8th century bas-relief of Borobudur Temple, Central Java, Indonesia

Main articles: Bonang and Talempong

The bonang is a type of gong used in gamelan. The talempong is a similar instrument from the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra. It is played with a wooden stick and is used in dances and celebrations.

Kulintang

Main article: Kulintang

The kulintang is a bronze instrument from eastern Indonesia and the Philippines. It has small gongs on a frame and is played with sticks. It is used at community events to bring people together.

Angklung

Indonesian kempul gong.

Main article: Angklung

The angklung is a bamboo instrument from the Sundanese people of West Java. It is made from bamboo tubes that shake to make music. Each angklung plays one note. UNESCO said the angklung is important cultural heritage from 2010.

Suling

Main articles: Suling and Saluang

Suling is the Sundanese word for flute. These are bamboo flutes that are played by blowing at the end. They come in different sizes and are used in many traditional music groups like gamelan and dangdut.

Kacapi suling

Talempong performance

Main article: Kacapi suling

Kacapi suling is music from West Java that uses the kacapi (a zither-like instrument) and suling (bamboo flute). The music is slow and gentle, mixing the sounds of the instruments.

Kendang

Main articles: Kendang and Gendang beleq

Kendang or gendang is a two-headed drum used by many Indonesian groups. In Java and Bali, one side is bigger than the other, while in Bali both sides are the same size. The gendang beleq is a special type from Lombok, with big drums played while dancing.

Sasando

Replica of a kulintang musical instrument, similar to the Gambang.

Main article: Sasando

Sasando is a string instrument from Rote island in East Nusa Tenggara. It uses bamboo and dried leaves to make sound.

Tapanuli ogong

Main article: Tapanuli ogong

Tapanuli ogong is dance music from North Sumatra, played with a lute, trumpet, and flute.

Sape Dayak

Main article: Sapeh

The sapeʼ is a lute from the Kenyah and Kayan communities in East, West, and North Kalimantan. It is carved from wood and has one melody string and others for rhythm, making rich music.

Traditional genres

The music of Indonesia is very diverse because of the many different tribes and cultures. Each area has its own special style of music, often with its own dance and theatre too.

Folk music

Folk music in Indonesia varies a lot and shows the many cultures and languages of the country. It includes many kinds of music such as pop, rock, and hip hop, as well as special styles from each region. For example, there is Pop Sunda, Pop Minang, Pop Batak, and others, all with their own local flavors.

Gamelan

Javanese women singing with Sindhen style

Main article: Gamelan

Gamelan is one of the most famous kinds of Indonesian music. It is a group of tuned percussion instruments like metallophones, drums, gongs, and spike fiddles, along with bamboo flutes. Gamelan started in Java, Bali, and Lombok. In central Java, the music is very detailed, with a main melody played by a metallophone, and gongs adding beats in the background.

Gamelan music often goes with dance, puppet shows, or special ceremonies. In Java, there is a saying that nothing is official until the gong is hung. Gamelan is also used in religious ceremonies in Bali and even in some Christian church services in Indonesia.

Tembang Sunda

Tembang sunda, also called "seni mamaos cianjuran", or just cianjuran, is a form of sung poetry which arose in the colonial-era of Cianjur.

SambaSunda music performance, featuring traditional Sundanese music instruments.

Jaipongan

Jaipongan is a complex dance music from the Sundanese people of western Java. It has changing rhythms and uses only local instruments. It was created by artists after rock and roll was banned in the 1960s.

Gambus

Gambus is music that came from the Middle East and is popular in many parts of Indonesia. It uses a special kind of guitar and is often sung.

Qasidah modern

Qasidah is a kind of religious music that came from Arabic traditions. Qasidah modern mixes this with pop music and local lyrics to talk about modern Indonesian life.

Nasheed

In Indonesia, many singers perform nasheed, which is a type of Islamic vocal music.

Kroncong

Main article: Kroncong

Kroncong started after the Portuguese came to Indonesia and brought European instruments. At first, it was considered low-class music, but it became popular in films and during the struggle for independence. One famous kroncong song is "Bengawan Solo," written during World War II. Kroncong is still loved by many people, especially older generations.

Langgam Jawa

The Sundanese Degung gamelan performance in Museo Nacional de las Culturas Mexico, Indra Swara group.

Main article: Langgam jawa

There is a style of kroncong from Surakarta (Solo) called langgam jawa, which mixes kroncong with gamelan music.

Gambang kromong

Main article: Gambang kromong

In the early 1900s, kroncong music was used in a kind of theatre called Komedi Stambul, and the music was named gambang kromong. This style is common in Jakarta.

Tanjidor

Tanjidor is a traditional musical group from Jakarta. It uses instruments like tuba, trumpet, clarinet, and drums, similar to a marching band. The name comes from Portuguese words for playing music. Tanjidor groups can also be found in Pontianak, West Kalimantan.

Contemporary genres

The music of Indonesia is diverse and full of life. Indonesian musicians have often taken ideas from music around the world. American jazz and dances like foxtrots and tangos have inspired Indonesian music. This helped create many new styles, such as Indonesian pop, rock, gospel, jazz, R&B, and hip hop.

Music in Indonesia is important for movies and TV shows. For example, the film Badai Pasti Berlalu had a popular soundtrack, and the teen movie Ada Apa Dengan Cinta also made hit songs.

Today, Indonesian music is very popular in Indonesia and nearby places like Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei. Sometimes this popularity causes discussions in Malaysia about how much Indonesian music is played on the radio.

Orchestra and classical music

Western classical music came to Indonesia during the time of the Dutch East Indies in the 18th century, mostly for wealthy Dutch people. Today, cities like Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Medan, and Batam each have their own symphony groups. Jakarta has the Jakarta Symphony Orchestra, which has been around for almost a century.

From the 1960s to the 1980s, classical music was often heard on radio and TV. In the 1990s, professional symphony orchestras began to form, like the Twilite Orchestra. Today, many cities have symphony groups, and composers like Ananda Sukarlan are well known.

Pop

Indonesian pop music, also called I-pop or Indo pop, has been shaped by trends from Western music, especially American and British pop, as well as Asian J-pop. Early Indonesian pop and rock bands include Koes Bersaudara, later known as Koes Plus. Famous pop singers are Iwan Fals, Chrisye, and Rhoma Irama. In the late 1990s and 2000s, popular bands included Slank, Dewa 19, Peterpan, and others.

Rock

Indonesian rock has been shaped by American rock music. Popular bands include Panbers, God Bless, and D’Lloyd. In the late 1980s and 1990s, female rock singers known as “Lady Rockers” became famous, such as Nicky Astria, Poppy Mercury, Nike Ardilla, and Anggun. Other well-known rock bands include Slank, Jamrud, Dewa 19, and Peterpan.

Dangdut

Dangdut is a popular music style in Indonesia that mixes Indian, Arabic, and Malay influences. It has melodious music with a strong tabla beat and is often danced to. Famous dangdut singers include Rhoma Irama, Elvy Sukaesih, and Mansyur S.

Campursari

Campursari mixes traditional Javanese music with dangdut and is popular in Central Java, Yogyakarta, and East Java. Didi Kempot is one of its most famous artists.

Experimental music

Indonesia has a growing experimental music scene, with artists mixing traditional Indonesian sounds with modern styles like metal and electronic music. The band Senyawa has gained attention worldwide for these unique mixes.

Gospel

Gospel music became popular in Indonesia in the 1980s, brought by American Evangelical figures. It is now an important part of church worship and has many famous musicians, such as Joy Tobing and Sidney Mohede.

Jazz fusion

Some Indonesian musicians have explored jazz, mixing it with traditional sounds. Bands like Krakatau and SambaSunda combine Sundanese kacapi suling and gamelan with drums, keyboards, and guitars. The Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival shows this exciting mix of styles.

Reggae

Reggae has been popular in Indonesia since the 1970s, often mixed with dangdut and other local styles. Bands and singers like Steven & Coconut Treez and Mbah Surip have helped spread reggae music.

R&B

Contemporary R&B is very popular in Indonesia today, with both established and new artists bringing their own styles to the genre.

Hip hop

Hip hop came to Indonesia through musicians like Benyamin Sueb and Farid Hardja. In the 1980s, artists like Iwa-K helped popularize rap music, focusing more on spoken rhythms than instruments.

Funkot

Funkot is an electronic dance music style that began in Indonesia in the 1990s.

Indie scene

In the late 2000s, indie bands like Mocca, Float, and White Shoes & the Couples Company began to gain popularity. By the 2010s, indie music became mainstream, appealing to younger audiences with its simple sounds and relatable lyrics. Bands like Payung Teduh and Sore led this trend.