Images from The Beede Gallery Bedhug from the Javanese Gamelan Kyai Rengga Manis Everist Click on any image on this page to see a larger image. Bedhug hanging on its teakwood stand   NMM 9882. Bedhug. Barrel-shaped, teakwood drum. Two equally sized, water-buffalo-hide heads held in place by twenty-eight wooden pegs. Decorated with flower, leaf, and naga pattern covered in gold leaf. Length (head to head): 66.9 cm. One long teakwood mallet (tabuh) with thick, soft red cloth padding at one end. Three-piece stand decorated with nagas (dragons) wearing crowns ("dragon king"), and flower and leaf patterns covered with gold leaf (view close-up of carving on stand leg). Carved Dragon Kings (Nagas) on Bedhug Stand Function:  In gamelan Sekaten, the bedhug gives the cues for tempo changes, acts as a phrase divider and emphasizes the strong seleh (resolution notes) during the racikan (long introduction), and performs a colotomic function similar to the kempul once the introduction is over and the actual piece of music has started. In other kinds of music, the bedhug can be used to emphasize the strong tones of the kendhang ageng. Playing technique:  the bedhug is played using a soft-tipped mallet hit at the center of the drumhead. Naga Carved on Bedhug, Covered in Gold Leaf (viewed from head to tail) The Bedhug's Arrival in Vermillion July 15, 2000 turned out to be the hottest day of the summer when Tri Sutrisno, Museum staff, and several volunteers unloaded and unpacked the numerous shipping crates and boxes containing the gamelan's 83 precious instruments and their accessories.   Click arrow to continue Beede Gallery Tour Go to Beede Gallery Tour Index Go to Virtual Tour Index A color postcard of this drum is available from the gift shop Go to Checklist of Musical Instruments from Kyai Rengga Manis Everist Gamelan Go to The Manufacture and Ceremonial History of the Kyai Rengga Manis Everist Gamelan Go to The Arrival of the Kyai Rengga Manis Everist Gamelan in Vermillion, July 15, 2000 Go to The Naming Ceremony for the Kyai Rengga Manis Everist Gamelan, April 26, 2003 Go to Glossary of Terms Relating to the Kyai Rengga Manis Everist Gamelan National Music Museum The University of South Dakota 414 East Clark Street Vermillion, SD   57069 ©National Music Museum, 2001-2006 Most recent update:   October 4, 2006 This page was visited 9,284 times between February 6, 2001 and May 4, 2006 You are the 3,031st visitor to this page since May 4, 2006. The University of South Dakota Return to Top of Page