Keteg: Journal of Knowledge, Thought, and Studies on Sound Vol. 26 No. 1 (2026) presents a diverse collection of scholarly works exploring sound, traditional music, and ethnomusicological practices, highlighting the dynamic interplay between cultural preservation, innovation, and musical transformation. This issue emphasizes themes related to ethnomusicology, the social functions of music, the historical development of music scholarship, and the role of sound in ritual and community life. The opening article, The Soundmark of Tradition, examines the communicative functions of pentatonic music in the gula gending street trade of West Nusa Tenggara, positioning sound as a medium of social interaction, economic communication, and local cultural identity. Meanwhile, The Sparks of the Phonograph, Echoes of Revolution investigates Béla Bartók’s contribution to the emergence of modern ethnomusicology, emphasizing the relationship between sound recording technology, folk music documentation, and the evolution of music research methodologies. Another contribution, Klothekan Music in the Brendung Ritual, offers an ethnomusicological analysis of rain-invoking musical traditions in Pekalongan, demonstrating the interconnectedness of sound, ritual performance, and communal belief systems. Overall, this issue underscores sound not merely as an aesthetic expression but also as a social practice, cultural symbol, and medium for transmitting musical knowledge across communities.