The rebab originated in Eastern Persia now Afghanistan and its influence has reached a major part of Asia , as far as Indonesia , as well as Africa and Europe .
There are various different types of rebabs that have different functions. In Southeast Asia, the rebab is a large instrument with a range similar to the Viola Da Gamba , whereas versions of the instrument further west tend to be smaller and higher-pitched. In Indonesian Gamelan music, the rebab is often considered not to be part of the core of Gong s, Metallophone s, and Drum s but, rather, a vocal-style instrument that does not have to conform to the scale of the exact-pitched core gamelan instruments, and can also be played in relatively free time, while finishing its phrases after the beat of the Gong Ageng (the big gong that "rules" the ensemble). In both Indonesian and Malay gamelan music, it is traditional for rebab players to ornament their melodies a lot, just as singers do in those styles.
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