Tabanan, Rainbow over Ricefields

Tek-tekan, Tabanan’s Musical Arts

Tektekan is a traditional music art of the Tabanan regency. This traditional art is very popular within society and the tourism world. Almost each art performance especially in Tabanan, Kuta and Nusa Dua, always takes place. Beauty will not be complete without this art performance.

The presence of this musical art is really unpredictable, suddenly appearing, beginning from the villager’s spontaneity. The instruments are really simple, merely made from tools that produce the sound when stroked. For example blek (empty can), pacul, kentongan, iron chip, etc, its music rhythm is not quite orderly, the important thing is that it can produce a noise.
From this unshaped art, later has been modified temporarily by the musical artist. Because it contains high art creativity, this simple art then produces the musical art of tek-tekan, which is qualified as a quality of high value. Moreover, this Tabanan characteristic art is often staged at several star-hotels in Nusa Dua, whilst in Puri Agung Wisata Kerambitan, tek-tekan is the first choice instrument to accompany the famous dance-drama calonarang.
According to the story, the appearance of tek-tekan is at first to rid the silence and frighten off the dark night. Its said, once there was a village that was attacked with a horrifying disease. People were dying each day, and took place for a long period of time. This phenomenon is what we call in Balinese grubug. The incessant death made the villager afraid especially at night.
To get rid of the fear and silence, and without anyone leading them, the villagers struck anything to produce a noisy sound. They walked around the village in-groups while striking the instruments. This is what they call ngerebegin. The instrument and its rhythm is called tek-tekan. Ngerebegin that is played every night, finally brings a satisfying result. The horrid shade slowly disappears, and the village begins to shine again.
Tek-tekan art is simple at the beginning, with the touch of the artist’s temporary creativity, refreshing its instruments by using ceng-ceng (cymbal), gupekan, klenang, tawa-tawa, kempul, gong, okokan, and suling (flute). The music rhythm is arranged orderly, so it can be used as the dance follows. (BTN/S. Kamadjaya)

Civil Servant Becomes a Dancer

TABANAN – Welcoming in the New Year 2004, Tabanan Regency Government again performs public entertainment involving hundreds of local artists. According to I Wayan Muder, SSn., the arts coordinator, this year appears to be different. “The previous year, the shows were staged at several places such as the Regent Office, Arts Building, and the town of Kediri. This year will be centered at the Regents Office of Tabanan,” he said to Bali Travel News while adding that the dancers were mostly employees, and local official government staff. Mr Muder said, as an additional event, preparations are underway for door-prizes. Arts that will be staged are Bondres, Joged Bumbung, Balinese dances, band music and opera, with trumpet and firecracker packs as the peak event. (BTN/015)