Seperangkat Gamelan Jawa memiliki 16 instrumen pokok yang harus ada dalam setiap pementasannya di Pagelaran Wayang Kulit. Dan kadang kadang instrument tersebut dikurangi atau ditambah. Keenambelas perangkat itu antara lain : Kendhang, Gender, Saron, Demung, Peking, Kethuk, Kempyang, Kenong, Bonang, Gong, Slenthem, Kempul, Suling, Rebab, Siter, dan Gambang.



Demung, Saron dan Peking, berbentuk bilahan yang lebih tebal dari Gender dengan enam atau tujuh bilah (satu oktaf ) ditumpangkan pada bingkai kayu yang juga berfungsi sebagai resonator. Memiliki Tabuh kayu. Menurut ukuran, fungsi dan nada yang dihasilkan Perangkat Saran dibagi menjadi 3 :
DEMUNG berukuran paling besar diantara ketiganya dan beroktaf tengah. Demung memainkan balungan gendhing dalam wilayahnya yang terbatas. Umumnya, satu perangkat gamelan mempunyai satu atau dua demung. Tetapi bisa juga lebih di setiap pementasannya.
SARON berukuran sedang dan beroktaf tinggi. Seperti demung, saron barung memainkan balungan dalam wilayahnya yang terbatas. Pada teknik tabuhan imbal-imbalan, dua saron memainkan lagu yang bertempo cepat. Seperangkat gamelan mempunyai dua saron, tetapi ada gamelan yang mempunyai lebih dan dua saron.
PEKING Berbentuk saron yang paling kecil dan beroktaf paling tinggi. Saron panerus atau peking ini memainkan tabuhan rangkap dua atau rangkap empat lagu balungan.
Kenong dan Kethuk, Kenong merupakan satu set instrumen besar yang ditumpangkan pada tali yang ditegangkan pada bingkai kayu. Dalam memberi batasan struktur suatu gendhing, kenong adalah instrumen kedua yang paling penting setelah gong. Kenong membagi gongan menjadi dua atau empat kalimat kalimat kenong. Di samping berfungsi menggaris-bawahi struktur gendhing, nada-nada kenong juga berhubungan dengan lagu gendhing, Kenong bisa memainkan nada yang sama dengan nada balungan, boleh juga mendahului nada balungan berikutnya untuk menuntun alun lagu gendhing.


Bonang, dibagi menjadi dua jenis, yaitu bonang barung dan bonang panerus. Perbedaannya pada besar dan kecilnya, dan juga pada cara memainkan iramanya.

Bonang panerus adalah bonang yang kecil,
beroktaf tinggi. Pada teknik tabuhan pipilan, irama bonang panerus
memiliki kecepatan dalam bermain dua kali lipat dari pada bonang
barung. Walaupun mengantisipasi nada-nada balungan, bonang panerus
tidak berfungsi sebagai lagu tuntunan, karena kecepatan dan
ketinggian wilayah nadanya. Dalam teknik tabuhan imbal-imbalan,
bekerja sama dengan bonang barung, bonang panerus memainkan pola-pola
lagu jalin menjalin.


tanduk/sungu. Kebanyakan gambang memainkan
gembyangan (oktaf) dalam gaya pola pola lagu dengan ketukan ajeg.
Gambang juga dapat memainkan beberapa macam ornamentasi lagu dan
ritme, seperti permainan dua nada dipisahkan oleh dua bilah, atau
permainan dua nada dipisahkan oleh enam bilah, dan pola lagu dengan
ritme – ritme sinkopasi.



Set of Javanese Gamelan ansamble has 16 principal instrument that must exist in every Wayang Kulit performances. And the instrument sometimes reduced or increased with modern instruments. Sixteenth devices that include: Kendhang, Gender, Saron, Demung, Peking, Kethuk, Kempyang, Kenong, Bonang, Gong, Slenthem, Kempul, Bamboo Flute, Fiddle, zither, and Xylophone.
Kendhang, made from animal skins ( goat ), which is usually every player play 3 drums at the same time, a small named Ketipung, the medium size named Ciblon and the biggest named Kalih. Kendhang serves to regulate the rhythm of the gamelan orchestra. Played with the palm of the hand to the soft rhythm or fast rhythm. Kendhang Kalih played to accompany the delicate rhythm like Ladrang and Ketawang .
- Gender, this instrument is made of slats or a metal such as iron bronze with rope stretched over the resonator tubes. Played with percussion, circled rounded a thick layer of fabric with a short stalk. In accordance with the function of the song, tone areas, and its size, there are two kinds of Gender, Barung and Penerus .Demung , Saron and Peking, a thicker shaped slats of Gender with six or seven blades (one octave) superimposed on a wooden frame that also serves as a resonator. According to the size, function and resulting tone. Suggestion Tool is divided into 3 :Demung, in a big size between three and middle octave. Demung balungan played in a limited territory. Generally, the device has one or two Demung in one set of Gamelan.Slenthem, according to its construction, belong to the family of slenthem Gender , Gender Panembung even sometimes called. But slenthem have as many slats as saron. Slenthem has the lowest octave in the group of Saron. Like Demung and Saron Barung , Slenthem balungan played in a limited territory .
SARON medium-sized and high octave . Such Demung, Saron Barung play in a limited territory. On techniques wasp - reward returns, two saron plays upbeat songs. A set of Gamelan has two saron, but there ara Gamelan has more than two.
PEKING is the smallest from three of them and has the highest octave.
Kenong and Kethuk , Kenong is a large instrument set is superimposed on the rope and stretched on a wooden frame. Kenong is the second most important instrument after Gong . Kenong splited into two or four kenong. In addition to functioning structure underlines the piece, Kenong can play the same tone with the base tone, may also precede the next base tone for the piece leads to the main track. Or it can played with the tones within one kempyung balungan tone , to support a sense of pathet. At kenongan fast style, the feasibility ayaka , srepegan , and sampak, wasp kenong guiding groove tune the piece - the piece is. Kethuk with kenong, function equally well with kenong. Kethuk and kenong always play intertwine, the difference in the rhythm of play alone
Bonang, is divided into two types, namely Bonang Barung and Bonang Panerus . The difference in big and small, and also on how to play the rhythm.
Bonang barung, has high to middle octaves, is one of the instruments in the ensemble leaders. Especially in engineering shelled hornet, tone patterns always anticipate the notes that will come to lead the song for other instruments. On the type of the piece of Bonang, Bonang Barung plays the piece and guiding groove to open the song. On techniques wasp - reward returns, Bonang Barung not serve as a guide track, it established track patterns intertwine with Bonang Panerus, and the accents may make important that Bonang gives the songs garnish , usually in the end of the song.
Gong marks the beginning and ending of the song and gives a sense of balance after the passage of a long sentence. Gong is very important to mark the end. There are two kinds of gong : Gong Ageng ( large ) and Gong Siyem suwukan (medium size)
Gambang (Xylophone), this instruments made of slats - wood framed in 'gerobogan' which also serves as a resonator. Gambang has seven - fifteen to twenty blades. Gambang region covers two octaves or more, played with percussion of circular shaped with long stalks horn .
Fiddle, wire - stringed instrument with two wires stretched on wooden tubes stick with heart-shaped body covered with a membrane (thin skin) of the Chronicle cows. As one of the leaders of the instrument, fiddle song is recognized as a leader in the ensemble, especially in the style of the softly beat. In the majority of the song, the piece opening theme played by fiddle, determine the piece, the barrel, and pathet to be played . Fiddle tone areas include any area of the piece. Then the hints sackbut groove track the flow of the song came clear. In the majority of the piece, fiddle also gives guidance to the musical ensemble to move from one section to another.