Malaysian Music

As in dance, music in modern Malaysia is divided into

traditional and western types. Traditional music is
usually associated with the traditional theatre forms
such as Mak Yong, Wayang Kulit, Joget Gamelan,
Hadrah, Dabus, Kuda Kepang, Gendang Kling, Mek The kompang is played at Muslim
Mulung, and a host of other minor entertainment weddings.
activities. This type of music is based on either the
pentatonic 5-tone or heptatonic 7-tone scales; and is
performed mainly by percussion-dominated ensembles
which include combinations of three types of
instruments, namely the:

 Aerophone (wind instruments), such as the

serunai, pinai, seruling and selumprit flutes.

 Membranophone (drum-sounds produced by

membrane-covered musical instruments) such
as the gendang, geduk, gedombak, rebana,
kompang, tar and jidor drums.

The rebana ubi - king of the Malay

 Idiophone (percussion instruments of fixed drums.
immovable surface), such as gong, kesi, canag,
saron, kenong, gambang kayu, bonang, etc; and

 Chordophone (string instruments), such as the rebab.

Traditional music reached its zenith during the Melaka Sultanate (1411-1511)
when it was an integral part of the ritualistic and secular entertainment of both
court and folk life. Thenceforth, the various royal courts in Peninsular Malaysia
maintained their own dance and music troupes. The common people, too,
developed their respective forms of folk music.

When the British gained complete political, administrative and economic control of
the country (1905-1957), they established their own educational system through
which western music - namely Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin, was introduced first
to the Malay aristocracy, and later filtered down to the masses.

In post-Independence Malaysia, the movies, especially Broadway musicals, also

had a hand in popularising western music. Malay movies followed suit with songs
of Malay flavour based on western tempered scale and arrangement. The songs of
the late Malay movie legend P. Ramlee bear testimony to this fact.

A great majority of the present-day local recording artistes, such as Fauziah Latiff,
Ella, Search and Wings, while singing Malay lyrics actually imitate their western
counterparts as far as melodic structure and arrangement are concerned. Some,
like Zainal Abidin, M. Nasir and Sheqal, try to blend eastern and western music,
and do come up with an interesting new sound.
However, despite the onslaught of this foreign influence and
inroads by television and video entertainment, traditional
music in Malaysia still survive and flourish in a wide variety of
forms. It is performed during ceremonial occasions, and as an
accompaniment to dance and drama for entertainment. Dance
and drama themselves are of course closely related to music.

The basic element in traditional music is the drum (gendang),

of which there are at least 14 types, four of which are beaten
without the accompaniment of any other musical instrument.
These are the rebana besar, rebana ubi, kompang and tar.

The nobat is a special royal orchestra consisting of usually

four or five members, using the flute, trumpet, gong and
drums; and only performed during state ceremonies. There
are four such orchestras in the Peninsular at present, the The instruments are all laid
oldest in Kedah, and the others in Terengganu, Perak and out ... Bring in the
Johor. The number of musical instruments in the nobat varies musicians.

from one group to another. However, there are five basic

instruments which include the:

 Nafiri - the royal trumpet

 Serunai - the flute
 Gendang nobat besar - the main drum
 Gendang nobat kecil - the double-sided drum
 Gendang negara - the one-sided drum

There are certain traditional steps or requirements observed when the nobat is to
be performed. It can only be performed for the Sultan, the Crown Prince, the
Bendahara and the Temenggong. The most important use of the nobat is during
the coronation of the Sultan, where it is believed that he will not be accepted as
the ruler unless the nobat is played.

The rebab is a type of three-stringed violin played in the Mak Yong dance-drama.
Other musical instruments played during the Mak Yong performance are the
gendang and gong. There is also singing involved in the Mak Yong, both solo and
in a group. There are more than 30 types of Mak Yong songs, among them the
Pakyung Muda, Kijang Mas, Sedayung and Sedayung Mak Yong.

The Wayang Kulit music is another type of music popular in the Malay community.
Music is very important in the performance of the wayang kulit because it
enhances the story by making it more interesting and entertaining. The wayang
kulit orchestra usually consists of 12 instruments, the most important being the
flute (serunai).

There is also music that accompanies traditional dances such as Tarian Asyik and
other Malay folk dances. Gamelan music is a form of traditional music widely
performed in Malaysia during ceremonial occasions. The instruments used include
gongs, xylophones and a cylindrical drum.
There are also various forms of traditional music in Sabah and Sarawak. The
Kadazans and Dayaks also like to play the gong. There are four types of gongs
mainly the Tawag-tawag, cenang, gong agung and tenukol. There are also many
types of flutes made from bamboo. The Kadazans play a two-stringed guitar called
sundalang; and the sumputon, a trumpet-like instrument made from pumpkin and
bamboo.