Music is an art form that plays sound structures. Sound with harmonious tones and rhythms can be enjoyed as entertainment. It also gives certain effects if it has been composed based on frequency waves. Like the Mandolin Gamelan which comes from acculturation. Playing the Mandolin Gamelan is still a regular thing to do by the residents of Pupuan Village, Pupuan District, Tabanan Regency.

Initially, stringed instruments that had keys like the piano were distributed in the 1930s. During the Japanese occupation in Indonesia, the Mandolin Kecapi was first played. Mandolin comes from the Mandarin word which then spread in several regions in Bali. In Karangasem, this instrument is called Penting. Not only in Bali, but the people in several areas outside of Bali also know and play Mandolin.

The accent tone that sounds from a Mandolin musical instrument is very similar to a harp. Not infrequently, it’s also called the Mandolin Lute. Mandolin in Bali is rectangular in shape with 9 strings and 16 keys. The top of the Mandolin Harp is a tuner. This section serves to tune acoustic strings with a number of nine. The opposite end is a bridge that serves to link the strings with the Mandolin body.

Quite unique indeed, the structure of this instrument. Because it's like a combination of guitar, lute, and piano. On the Mandolin body, there are keys that are played to get the notes. While the soundhole is under the keys and near the bridge. To play it, you need to be patient. Your right and left hands must coordinate well. The left-hand presses the notes, while the right finger plucks the strings. Interested in enjoying or even playing the Mandolin Harp music instrument?

In one gamelan group, Mandolin is played by two or more people. Everyone will play the same key note, but to enrich the sound, the player will pluck their instrument differently. Mandolin harp, in general, will be accompanied by other musical instruments in a gamelan music composition. Because it feels classic, it is suitable to be played with traditional instruments such as percussion drums, flutes, and so on.

In Banjar Mertasari, Pujungan Village, there is the Mandolin Gamelan Group. The sound composition played in groups usually accompanies some religious ceremonies. If you want to enjoy it as musical entertainment, check the calendar of events. Gamelan Mandolin is often played to enliven cultural and artistic festival events in Bali. And the most interesting thing is, Mandolin can be enjoyed not only in one place on the island of Bali. In Karangasem Regency, which is famous for its Sukasada Ujung Park, there are also craftsmen and artists who play Penting musical instruments or the Mandolin Kecapi.