Kebyar means "to flare up or burst open",[1] and refers to the explosive changes in tempo and dynamics characteristic of the style.

Gong kebyar music is based on a five-tone scale called pelog selisir (tones 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 of the 7-tone pelog scale), and is characterized by brilliant sounds, syncopations, sudden and gradual changes in sound colour, dynamics, tempo and articulation, and complex, complementary interlocking melodic and rhythmic patterns called kotekan.

Following their invasion of the island, Dutch occupiers responded to international criticism by building cultural institutions.

In addition to island-wide arts competitions, gamelan gong kebyar has become an essential part of modern Bali Hindu ceremonies.

They are required for annual birthday ceremonies for temples, odalan, as well as major holidays as accompaniment for sacred dances.

The explosive feeling of the gong kebyar style derives mainly from the dynamic range of these instruments, whose bright, sharp tones can sound anywhere from soft and sweet to extremely loud and aggressive.

The instrument also has 10 keys, with a range of two octaves, and is played with a hard wooden mallet, slightly larger than the other gangsa panguls and usually with additional ornamentations so the leader's sometimes theatrical cues actively catch the light.

The ugals play a combination of gangsa parts and cues, melodic solos, and the underlying melody with flourishes.

This instrument, like jegog, also requires long resonating bamboo tubes so is often played while sitting on a small stool, and consists of one female/male pair.

The keys are considerably larger than those of other gangsa, and are played with a large, cloth-coated, rubber-padded spherical mallet.

Gongs come in different sizes, and provide a structure for phrasing for the music by repeating a four or eight beat pattern.

Positioned this way, there is an opening on the bottom, slightly beveled bow on top, and a protruding center called the boss.

There are four conventional strikes: Also spelled reong, this instrument consists of 12 kettles mounted horizontally in a row on a frame.

Because of the size of the instrument, the melodies are composed to allow one to slowly shift one's position to reach the extremes of its range.

Also written klenang, it is a very small kettle, about 5 inches in diameter, either set on its own stand or held in the hands.

The kajar is a small kettle with a recessed boss, held on the lap and played with a hard stick.

This shape and the cinching action of hide straps creates two distinct, approximate tunings in one drum.

Like most gamelan instruments, kendang are paired: the larger, lead part female, wadon, and the other male, lanang.

The surfaces inside the kendang wadon are carved straighter than those in the lanang, resulting in a more resonant, booming timbre.

The kendang wadon player typically tops the hierarchy of the ensemble, setting tempi and aurally cuing transitions like a conductor.

The kendang part is the most complex in gong kebyar, drawing from a rich lexicon of rapid-fire, syncopated patterns to fit the mood and progression of pitched music.

Suling have retained the complete septatonic tuning of court gamelan and can access tones in the pitch gaps of keyed instruments for effect.

Generally speaking, all instruments in a gamelan gong kebyar ensemble are made and tuned at the same time.

Its namesake refers to the explosive, predominantly unmetered section marking the introduction and some transitions of kebyar compositions.

The compositional style derives from kebyar legong of Buleleng, North Bali characterized by long, maximum-volume notes simultaneously struck by the whole ensemble, freely ringing glissandi, dramatic tempo changes, and rhythmic triplets.

Tabuh kreasi baru ("new compositions") are the primary type of instrumental music in gamelan gong kebyar.

Characterized by a succession of passages featuring each instrumental group, they were, "rhapsodic," and, "loosely constructed," at the beginning of the 20th century but became increasingly standardized.