American gamelan - Definition and Overview

American Gamelan is a style of gamelan based on Javanese gamelan instruments and music, but using primarily American made instruments and compositions. The first American Gamelan groups were created by William Colvig in California and by Dennis Murphy in Vermont. Lou Harrison is well known for his compositions for American gamelan.

Unlike Indonesian gamelans which are typically made of bronze, American gamelans are constructed from all sorts of materials including aluminum tubes, tin cans, car hubcaps, steel, antique milk-strainers, etc...

Example Usage of American