Tabuh Pacific is a sort of concerto for two orchestras, each of which takes turns to display the types of sounds with which it is traditionally associated – the gamelan bright and energetic or smooth and flowing, the orchestra heavy and "romantic" or transparent and static. Each ensemble alternates for a while and then the two come together in a crazed romp at the end of the work.
Like the orchestra, the gamelan is a large ensemble of multiple timbres, primarily percussion. The pitched elements of the gamelan gong kebyar are tuned to a five-note scale (translating to C-sharp, D, E, G-sharp, A in the western orchestra) ranging over several octaves, and each member of the ensemble plays a limited number of single pitches. Consequently, the music of a single individual in the group is meaningless until it weaves and blends with the other players to create a multitude of intricate, delicate patterns. These patterns (kotekan) shift and interlock in subtle, graceful combinations which are occasionally articulated by the booming resonances of the largest gongs, and the drums which signal time and section changes.
