slendro
A five-tone scale system used in Javanese and Balinese gamelan music with roughly equal intervals.
In Depth
Slendro divides the octave into five roughly equal intervals, producing a scale quite different from any Western pentatonic scale. Like pelog, the exact tuning varies between gamelan ensembles. Slendro is considered the older of the two Javanese tuning systems and has a bright, open quality. It is used for specific types of compositions and dramatic accompaniment in wayang (shadow puppet) theatre. The intervals sound exotic but internally consistent to trained ears.
Claude Debussy heard a Javanese gamelan at the 1889 Paris Exposition and was so captivated by the slendro scale that it influenced his harmonic language for the rest of his career.