What are beats? How are beats used in tuning pairs of Balinese ...

[hubes95]

What are beats? How are beats used in tuning pairs of Balinese instruments and Western pianos? (Include an explanation of tempered Western tuning in your answer.)
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Although Balinese gamelans have a variety of instrumentations (rather than the standard large gamelan of Java), according to WOM, what stylistic features are commonly found in Balinese gamelan music?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

[cpetit11]

Answer to Question 1

 Beats or pulsations are the result of intentionally tuning two sound sourcessuch as two Balinese gamelan instruments or two tones on a Western pianoso that the pitch of one of the sources will be just slightly higher (or lower) than the same pitch on the other sound source. Playing the two slightly out of tune sources together produces these special beats or pulsations (very fast vibrations).
 In the case of Balinese instruments, the resulting beats give a desirable shimmering quality to the gamelan ensemble. In the case of the Western piano, the special sound of these beats is used to guide the piano tuner as he/she tempers the tuning.

Answer to Question 2

 (1) strictly instrumental
 (2) characterized by changes in tempo and loudness (often abrupt), and
 (3) requiring a dazzling technical mastery by many of the musicians, who play fast interlocking rhythms, often comprising asymmetrical groupings of two or three very fast beats. . . . exploiting contrasts in the manner of Western art music.

[hubes95]

Thanks

[cpetit11]

Welcome