The kebyar composition, gilak topeng, is presented in cipher or number notation. The pentatonic scale used in gong kebyar music is indicated on the Western staff as C#-D-E-G#-A, a practice first used by Colin McPhee (1976) and followed by Tenzer (see 1991 & 2000). The cipher notation assigns numbers to the metal keys and gongs of the various instruments; a dot above a number indicates a higher octave while a number below indicates a lower octave. In the notation table, the Balinese 'solfege’ equivalents are indicated below the numbers. The pitch representations are approximate, more precise measurements (including the metallophone paired tunings) are indicated in cents.

In the notation of gilak topeng, the pitches are represented as a series of numbers in rows of boxes. Each instrument is assigned a specific row and each box marks a regular unit of time. The two interlocking parts, sangsih and polos (kotekan), are written on separate rows. The gong tone is regarded as the final of melody and is placed at the end rather than the beginning of the cycle. This is in keeping with the Balinese practice of counting the gong tone as the last in a given cycle (the eighth in an eight beat cycle, the sixteenth in a sixteen beat cycle, and so on) (see Tenzer 2000:169).