Ageng is the Javanese word for big in the formal, krama, style; the informal ngoko style is gede, which is sometimes used in English in the context below but less often. See Javanese politeness registers for an explanation. The Javanese language is the spoken language of the people in the central and eastern part of the island of Java, in Indonesia. ... The Javanese language is the spoken language of the people in the central and eastern part of the island of Java, in Indonesia. ...

It is used in Javanese gamelan to refer to the largest variety of a given instrument, especially the gong and kendhang (drum). Saron - Indonesian Embassy in Canberra A gamelan is a kind of musical ensemble of Indonesian origin typically featuring metallophones, xylophone(s), drums, and gongs. ... A gong is any one of a wide variety of metal percussion instruments. ...

The gong ageng is used as to mark the largest phrases in the structure. In small structures, a gong suwukan, the smaller gong, is used for subphrases within this. In larger structures, only the gong ageng is used.

The kendhang ageng is used by itself in kendhang setunggal (setunggal meaning one), a style of playing used in larger structures. It is used with the smaller kendhang ketipung in kendhang kalih (kalih meaning two).