The plucked selo, a three-stringed variation of the cello, in langgam Jawa kroncong music was originally inspired by Javanese gamelan kendhang drumming. By the 1960s, however, Ki Nartosabdho had developed a style of kendhang playing that imitates the selo, often called kendhang gaya selo (selo-style drumming), bringing this musical exchange full circle. Not every piece, however, is considered suitable for this rhythmic treatment. In this article, we examine musical exchanges in a song form known as langgam Jawa between the selo and the Javanese kendhang, and investigate when drummers decide to use kendhang gaya selo in gamelan settings.