At least two sets of terms are used to describe the four notes of a
gatra:
Ki Sindusawarno's system: (1)
ding kecil (2)
dong kecil (3)
ding besar (4)
dong besarMartopangrawit's system: (1)
maju ('forward') (2)
mundur ('back') (3)
maju (4)
seleh The first word in the names is Ki Sindusawarno's system are similar to the names of the hierarchy of pitches used in Balinese music: ding represents the secondary note of a
pathet, and
dong is similar to the Western idea of
tonic.
Kecil and
besar mean "small" and "large," respectively, so clearly this articulates the hierarchical system explained in the introduction, with the largest and most significant beat at the end of the
gatra, and a somewhat smaller one halfway through. The reference for the names in Martopangrawit's system is to
kosokan, the direction of
bowing of the
rebab. It also reflects the idea that the second beat is stronger than the first and third, since drawing a bow tends to produce a stronger sound than pushing it. ==Experimental gatras==