Cadences
According to Mantle Hood, one of the clearest distinctions between the pathet are the typical cadences that appear in the balungan at the ends of the buka and gongan, particularly at the ends of sections. Here the relationship between the pélog and slendro pathet is obscured, as they have different typical formulas, and slendro sanga and pélog nem are made more similar:
- Slendro
- Nem: 6-5-3-2
- Sanga: 2-1-6-5
- Manyura: 3-2-1-6
- Pélog
- Lima: 5-4-2-1 (old) or 5-3-2-1 (new)
- Nem: 2-1-6-5
- Barang: 3-2-7-6
- Manyura: 3-2-1-6
These cadences appear all in the same octave. Therefore, pélog barang and manyura are quite distinct in their contour, as the penultimate note is in a different register. This preference for certain cadential contours within a pathet, according to Hood, led to the dominance of a single-octave saron to play the balungan.
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