Gamelan notation ladder-like vertical staff allowed notation of the balungan by dots and also included important drum strokes. "Kepatihan" is widely used in ethnomusicological studies of the gamelan, sometimes accompanied by transcriptions into Western staff notation with approximate mapping of slendro and pelog tuning systems of gamelan onto the western staff, with and without various symbols for microtones. The relative merits of "kepatihan" and staff notation are sometimes debated, but staff notation is essentially incompatible with the 'end-weighted' nature of melodic structures in Indonesian music. In this respect, "kepatihan" is more suitable, although the usage of overscores (taken from the Galin-Paris-Chevé system)
Indonesian art "[[gambuh]]" and "[[topeng]]", Javanese "[[wayang wong]], [[ketoprak]]" and "[[ludruk]]"; Betawi "[[lenong]]"; Sundanese "[[sandiwara]]"; also colonial "[[toneel]]". [[File:Wayang Kulit - Museum Wayang 02.jpg|thumb|right|Indonesian Javanese "[[wayang kulit]]" shadow puppet.]] "Wayang" refer to a theatrical performance with puppets or human dancers. When the term is used to refer to kinds of puppet theatre, sometimes the puppet itself is referred to as "wayang." Performances of [[Shadow play|shadow puppet]] theatre is known as "wayang kulit", are accompanied by a "[[gamelan]]" orchestra in [[Java (island)|Java]], and by "[[Gamelan gender wayang|gender wayang]]" in [[Bali]]. It has been developed into a complete and refined artform, especially in Java