Bedug: Indonesia musical instrument

The bedug is one of the musical drums that is used in the gamelan. The instrument is also used among the muslims in java for religious purposes.

source of picture: undangan-masada.blogsp..

Unlike the more often used kendang, this musical instrument is suspended from a rack played with a padded mallet. The instrument is smaller in size or larger to the largest kendang. The musical instrument is not adjustable like the kendang, but possesses pegs that are holding two identical heads in place, analogous to the Japanese taiko. The sound of the musical instrument is commonly deeper and duller than that of the kendang. The bedug is produced as a big double-barreled musical drum that has water buffalo leather on the two sides of it.

The musical instrument is not used in most gamelan performances, but it is used in special ensembles, such as the gamelan sekaten, where the instrument takes the place of kempul. In some pieces, the musical instrument is used together with the kendang, specifically to as an accompanying instrument to dance.

The bedug alsi is mostly used in mosques in java among the Javanese and Sudanese people to prevent the adhan as a sign for prayer, or during the Islamic ceremonies. The musical instrument for example, is used to signal the end of the daylong fast during the Ramadan, sometimes the instrument is used to signal time for Suhoor during the time of Ramadan. When used to signal the time for Friday prayer, the musical instrument is beaten in a dissimilar way than in normal prayers.