An important part of the Indonesian gamelan ensemble, the gender looks something like a xylophone.

It usually has 12 or 14 thin brass 'keys' suspended over tube shaped resonators. Because these resonators have different lengths and therefore tunings, different pitches are heard when the keys are stuck with padded mallets. These resonators used to be made from bamboo, which did not prove to be very long-lasting. Now they are exclusively made out of zinc which may be painted a bamboo colour.

The two sizes of gender in the Venerable Lake of Honey Gamelan are called the gender barung (lower) and the gender panerus (higher). Performance techniques are similar. Both play melodies made up of short repeated patterns or cells. The gender barung more often plays the core melody, often with two mallets struck simultaneously. The gender panerus plays only one melodic line, but may play twice as fast as the gender barung.

The challenge for both instruments is to strike a key and simultaneously 'dampen' the key previously hit while holding two mallets. Musicians often use their little fingers, thumbs or the sides of their hands.