again 'bout Julia Roberts

Julia Roberts Begins Filming in Bali

Village Demonstrators Seeking Compensation from Filmmakers Mar Start of Bali Filming of 'Eat Pray Love.'

(10/23/2009) Oscar-winning Hollywood star Julia Roberts has arrived in Bali for what is expected to be a month-long filming of the Bali portion of Elizabeth Gilbert's novel "Eat Pray Love."

Gilbert's best-selling autobiographical recounting of her post-divorce travels in Italy, India and Bali is to become a Columbia Pictures (Sony) film starring Roberts, Javier Bardem and Richard Jenkins.

Bali filming is centered on areas in and around Ubud and Bali's southernmost beach with cast and crew staying in various five star hotels on the island.

Filming got off to less than a smooth start on Thursday, October 15, 2009, when the villagers of the village of Benyutung demanded Rp. 200 million (US$20,000) in compensation for the use of their village in the film. This demand, according to local press reports in Bali, was precipitated by rumors of large sums being paid to other Bali locations being used in the film.

The Regent of Gianyar, Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardana Sukawati (Cok Ace), is reportedly mediating local villagers' demands with the film's production team.

Filming is also scheduled to take place in Ubud's famous monkey forest in Padangtegal, Nyuh Kuning, Pengosekan and the traditional art market in Ubud.

Cok Ace, who is also the leader of Ubud's royal household, has issued a special invitation to Julia Roberts to his Palace for dinner. It remains to be seen, however, if the notoriously reclusive star will set aside time on her schedule for visits with Cok Ace or Bali's governor.

Those hoping to steal a look at Julia Roberts or a Hollywood film in production may be disappointed. Elaborate security perimeters are being set up at filming locales that keep the general public at a minimum distance of 500 meters.

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Balinese Gamelan

A gamelan  is an ensemble normally composed primarily of percussion. In Bali, orchestras of tuned gongs, bronze kettles, bronze metallophones, bamboo xylophones, drums, cymbals and flutes fill the night air with animated music. Melodic parts interlock, divided in such a way that musicians play alternate notes to form the melody line. These interlocking parts, known as kotèkan,  require cooperation and a keen sense of rhythm to perform. The two parts of a kotèkan, which are thought of as male and female, are known as nyangsih  and polos.  The main accents of the nyangsih part are usually on the offbeat, while the main accents of the polos part are usually on the beat.
Knowledge of kotèkan can be extremely valuable. These interlocking rhythms have a unique way of bringing people together in cooperation towards a common goal, and there are many creative possibilities for applying them to contemporary music.
The book Ancient Traditions--Future Possibilities, by Matthew Montfort, contains exercises that teach these rhythms. Some of these exercises are adapted here for the World Wide Web.

Using MIDI

GM Standard MIDI files of Balinese rhythm exercises from the book are presented here, arranged for General MIDI vibraphones. Use this to practice Balinese interlocking parts, or for compositional ideas.
Computers with multimedia capabilities now come configured for MIDI playback via web browsers. However, with the built-in MIDI support in Netscape and Explorer, some files may not reproduce properly. For proper playback, this site recommends the Beatnik Plugin which supports both GM voices and user programmable sounds.
To set up playback on a MIDI sound module that is not GM compatible, see the MIDI map of the instruments of the Balinese gamelan.

Balinese Rhythm Exercises

Kotèkan Basics is a beginning exploration of the art of interlocking parts. Includes complete instructions, notation, and a MIDI file. A beginning level example from Ancient Traditions--Future Possibilities, Chapter 2, Exercise II, page 49.
Anklung MIDI file is an intermediate level Gamelan Anklung kotèkan from Ancient Traditions--Future Possibilities, Chapter 2, Exercise III D, page 51. This kotèkan was used as the basis for the composition Gamarock from the Ancient Future release Dreamchaser. More examples of the contemporary use of the kotèkan concept can be found in the Ancient Future introductory pages theme music (from World Without Walls).
(3K GIF of Anklung  in Music Notation)
Pèrmas MIDI File is an advanced level example of the composition Pèrmas  from the repertoire of the Gamelan Semar Pegulingan,  the "gamelan of the love God," as shown in Ancient Traditions--Future Possibilities, Chapter 2, Exercise V-B, page 54.

(107K GIF of Pèrmas  in Music Notation)
Ancient Rhythms--Future Grooves: MIDI Percussion Groove Tracks from the Traditions of Africa, Bali, and India. Want more MIDI files? Get this complete collection of MIDI files based on the book Ancient Traditions--Future Possibilities.

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