The Balinese Modes
The seven-tone pelog scale of the UNSW gamelan, modeled on the Sanggar Bona Alit gamelan, is indicated in the table below. The table also illustrates the five possible modes (patutan) found in the gamelan semar pegulingan practicealong with the Balinese solmization syllables: ding, dong, deng, dung, and dang.
| Mode | Pitches | |||||||||||||
| 7-tone pelog scale (UNSW gamelan) |
e | f | g | a | b | c | d | e | f | g | a | b | c | d |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |
| selisir | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | ||||
| ding | dong | deng | dung | dang | ding | dong | deng | dung | dang | |||||
| tembung | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ||||
| dung | dang | ding | dong | deng | dung | dang | ding | dong | deng | |||||
| sunaren | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7 | ||||
| dung | dang | ding | dong | deng | dung | dang | ding | dong | deng | |||||
| baro | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | ||||
| dung | dang | ding | dong | deng | dung | dang | ding | dong | deng | |||||
| lebeng | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| ding | dong | deng | deung | dung | dang | daing | ding | dong | deng | deung | dung | dang | daing | |
The selisir mode is the most commonly heard in Balinese gamelan partly because of the ubiquity of the 5-tone gamelan called the gong kebyar, the gamelan associated with 20th century Balinese modernity and virtuosity. The lebeng mode, however, is rarely used. More than one mode may be used in a composition, with each mode normally associated with the larger formal sections. With the exception of the 7-tone lebeng mode, all modes comprise 5-tones arranged in groupings of 3 tones and 2 tones.
In the patutan Lebeng pitch 4 and 7 are considered the pemero (‘false tones’). These two pitches are also called penyorog or penyelah for pitch 4, and pemanis for pitch 7 and use the solmization syllables, deung and daing, respectively.