'An Exploration of the Malay Kompang\r'

'AN EXPLORATION OF THE Malayanananan KOMPANG Name: Chan Tsui Sze Dora Matriculation Number: U1210644K Seminar Group measure: 1330 †1530 Seminar Group Instructor: Cikgu Zubir Assignment: Research authorship in Malay medical specialty Date: 10 April 2013 Word Count: 2245 Contents Chapter 1: An psychiatric hospital to the Kompang3 1. 1 Features of the Kompang4 1. 2 Features of Kompang Music4 1. 3 cognitive operation Context6 Chapter 2: Influences on the Malay Kompang 7 2. 1 Arabic Influences7 2. 2 Lusitanian Influences9 2. 3 Thai Influences11 2. 4 African Influences12Chapter 3: Future Changes in the Malay Kompang14 3. 1 knock down and Media Influences14 3. 2 western Influences15 Chapter 4: Conclusion16 Bibliography 17 Discography/ Videography 19 Chapter 1: An Introduction to the Kompang The Malay Kompang tout ensemble refers to a Malay stick ensemble that ranges between three per engineerers in a teensy chamber or accompaniment setting, to a outsize group of 30 met al drummers. As an instrument, the Malay Kompang is so familiar to close to Singaporeans, yet it encompasses a sizeable history spanning to a greater extent than 700 years that would astound and enchant some(prenominal).Kompang is primarily an oral tradition (Abdullah, 2005). Like solely other non- nonational medication trends, it is inevitably highly characterized by change, self-improvisation and fascinates from other nuances. While Kompang euphony today is confessedly not so a great deal perceive nor performed as before, in that location stimulate been efforts to assimilate this poted-down harmony melodyal theater style into today’s familiar culture. This tuneful theater theme give address the di meter cultural influences on Malay Kompang from Arabic, Portuguese, Thai and African sources.Through the primary(prenominal) musical elements of instrumentation, rhythm, form, and public presentation context, a comprehensive musical psychoanalysis of the influence of the contrastive cultures on Kompang music will be make. This paper will in any case run into how elements of touristed culture can be inf utilise into the conventional Malay Kompang music genre, and discuss the general developmental direction that Kompang music is taking. 1. 1 Features of the Kompang The Malay Kompang is trigger off of the membranophone family.It is a wooden-framed, circular, one- postd handheld drum with a skin made up of tool hide and contend using the free hand (Abdullah, 2012). on that point atomic number 18 both chief(prenominal) types of calibres on the Kompang †the lentong beat played by smasher the side of the drum with closed fingers, and the cerang played by slapping the union of the drum with the palm (Abdullah, 2012). The lentong typic anyy produces a lower-pitched, globose adept while the cerang typically produces a higher-pitched slapping egress. unity of the unique causes of the Kompang is its â€Å"wet” a nd rumbling timbre callable to the watertight substances of reverberation.Another special feature of the Kompang is its interlacing technique and the unique musical texture heard from this effect. 1. 2 Features of Kompang Music Even though most musical repertoire of the Kompang is oral in record and ne real notated nor formally defined, there is undeniably a wide range of repertoire in the Kompang genre. There is purely instrumental drumming as easily as Kompang used to trace vocal explodes, alike zikir. The variety in form †the organization of musical elements in time to create structure (Kamien, 2013) †used in Kompang music is very(prenominal) wide.There is the use of Pukulan, which the archetypical subsection is called Pukulan Mula (introduction beat), the second is called Pukulan Asas (basic beat) and the third is Pukulan Naik (ascending beat), followed by a combine of other sections including Pukulan Turun (descending beat) and Pukulan Naik. Finally the last section is identified as Pukulan Mati (ending beat). (Abdullah, 2005) There is no regulating as to how many times each(prenominal) Pukulan has to be played; the combination of Pukulan sections is determined by the duration as well(p) as the function of the absolute performance.Also, the form of Kompang pieces is also specific to the community that is contend the pieces. For extype Ale, the Kompang music performed by the Kompang Ezhar community in Malaysia typically begins with a call-and-response recitation of the Selawat, a reading of a holy scripture, and so continues with the different Pukulan sections. Additionally, there argon up to now to a greater extent types of Pukulan found in various forms of dance music (Abdullah, 2005). A stocky of the different Pukulan specific to the Kompang Ezhar community is shown in ikon 1 below: mannikin 1: A summary of the various types of Pukulan found in the Kompang Ezhar (Abdullah, 2005)In Kompang, rhythm is principal(prenom inal)ly characterized by the net of different parts dual-lane within the Kompang ensemble. Interlocking is basically done with two or more Kompangs acting simultaneously, with one part playing the Basic beat which is unremarkably the downbeats; other part playing the Rhythm beat which is normally the off beats; and an additional part(s) playing the atomic number 82 beat which is usually characterized by triplets or a syncopated rhythm that creates a unique interlocking texture specific to the Malay Kompang musical genre (Hahril, 2010).In addition, instrumentation is a musical element that is comparatively fixed in Kompang; there is usually a group of Kompangs playing together, and occasionally, conform toing voice. 1. 3 Performance Context In the Singaporean context, the Malay Kompang is usually seen performed at weddings and celebratory ceremonies, or at conventional showcases. As the Kompang is usually performed in large, open spaces, it is measurable that it produces lo ud, penetrating and thundering sounds. Kompang performances ar also set outular at cordial functions like cultural festivals, dinner shows and events, as well as for the royalty (Abdullah, 2005).All these factors underscore the importance and essentiality of this unique instrument in the entire Malay community. Chapter 2: Influences on the Malay Kompang The Malay Kompang is influenced by many cultures, especially from those cultures that introduced the musical genre into the Malay community in the former(a) 13th century. As Malacca was ruled by different cultural groups throughout its history, the performance of Malay Kompang was also inevitably influenced by these cultures that took over the polish at different points in its history. 2. 1 Arabic Influences One main influence on Kompang music is the Arabic culture and its music.In this context, it is of relevance to discuss the main hand drum that is greatly symbolic of Arabic music †the chalice drum, a large single-heade d drum introduced in 1100 BCE (Sadie, 1980). Figure 2: African chalice drum The goblet drum is played either with the drum held under the player’s arm, or with the player sitting down and placing it side appearances on his lap, or with the drum strapped around his neck. Similar to the Malay Kompang, it is played using lonesome(prenominal) the hands. There are three main tones used. The doum (bass) tone is produced by hit the center of the drum head with the palm.The tek (higher-pitched) is produced by smash the edge of the drum head. The pa is a percussive effect produced by hitting the drumhead and then muting it with the palm to create a closed sound. Figure 3: Doum tone on the Arabic goblet drum Figure 4: Tek tone on the Arabic goblet drum Thus, it can be seen that the playing techniques of the Malay Kompang is somewhat elicitd from the playing techniques of the Arabic goblet drum †such that a higher-pitched sound is heard by tapping the side of the drum and all ow the sound ring, and a lower-pitched sound is produced by hitting the middle of the drum using the palm.Although the muting percussive tone is not as established in Kompang performance techniques, this is probably due to the limitations of the Kompang in that it can only be hit with one hand and held with the other, devising it hard to execute a muting effect. 2. 2 Portuguese Influences Portuguese musical elements are also unembellished in the music of Kompang, particularly in its repertoire. This is not unexpected, as the Portuguese took over Malacca after its successful assault on the city in July 1511 (Leo, 2013) †leading to infiltration of Portuguese elements into the Malay culture and practices then.The main hand drum in the Portuguese tradition is the tabor. It is a double-headed snare drum made of cylindrical wood, played with one hand. The skin heads are tightened with leather straps and rope tension (Harms, 1989). Figure 5: The Portuguese Tabor The repertoire of the Tabor is loosely military in genius and is used frequently in border district band processions. Additionally, the Tabor is normally played together with the Portuguese thermionic vacuum tube. The player unremarkably plays the pipe with his left hand and hits the drum with a wooden stick in his right hand.Portuguese pipe music is folk in nature and the rhythms played on the Tabor are accompanimental and characterized by extend rhythm. As the musical repertoire of the Tabor is not extensive, there is little notation available. Hence a short transcription of the Tabor parts from a Portuguese Pipe and Tabor ensemble has been act as: Figure 6: Transcription of Pipe and Tabor ensemble recording As seen from Figure 6, each of the three Tabor parts plays different rhythms, tho the performance culminates in an interlocking effect such that the three different parts compliment each other’s beats of emphasis.Hence we can derive two insights regarding the Portuguese influence o n the Malay Kompang †firstly, the use of the Kompang in Malay processions and weddings could be influenced by the use of the Tabor in Portuguese marching processions. Secondly, the interlocking feature in Kompang music could be taken from Portuguese Tabor ensembles and then genuine to the several complex interlocking parts of today, which includes triplets and more complicated syncopation parts. 2. 3 Thai Influences until now another cultural influence on Kompang music is Thai music.The Malays and the Siamese have had long, diplomatic run across for over half a decade during the Siamese empire of 1403 †1909. This allowed the Malays to adapt to the Thai culture and music. devil Siamese musical forms that were of great influence to the Malay Kompang were the Wayang Siam and the Makyong (Abdullah, 2012). The Wayang Siam is essentially accompaniment to shadow puppet theatre. The form of Wayang Siam music is more often than not free in nature and depends on the theatrics and drama of the performance. Characters are free to move onstage in more or slight than the traditional eight-bar phrases (Baier, 1995).The Makyong musical form was primarily performed by a small ensemble of instruments used to accompany theatrical acts, and included improvised monologues and dialogues (UNESCO, 2005), underscoring the tractability of the form. Similarly, Kompang ensembles accompany dances, weddings and processions and require a certain amount of flexibility to suit the occasion. Despite the flexibility in combination and number of repetitions of Pukulan sections played, it is not as free as the form in Wayang Siam. Nevertheless, the flexibility in form can be seen as a main influence of Wayang Siam on Kompang music. . 4 African Influences The way that the drummers in an African djembe ensemble interact musically is also of influence to the Malay Kompang. One main feature of African djembe ensemble playing is polyrhythm, in which each djembe player plays a repetit ive vibration of its own accompanying rhythm which is in a different measure from the other djembe players. This creates a very unique cadent texture as there are different downbeats heard simultaneously with the playing of two different measures. This can be seen in the ex adenosine monophosphatele below, depicting a poly metrical effect: Figure 7: Ex deoxyadenosine monophosphatele of polyrhythmIn addition, there is usually also a solo, virtuosic part heard above all the different accompanying parts, which gives even more rhythmic variety to the music. The influence that this has on Kompang is clear in the different parts that are taken on by the different players in the ensemble. However, the interlocking effect in Kompang is not as complex in that it is not as texturally thick as djembe as all the ensemble players are still playing in the same measure. Nevertheless, it still shows a very important influence that African drum music had on the Malay Kompang.In the 13th century in the Malay Archipelago, little polyrhythmic or even contrapuntal music could be found. Hence the interlocking feature of Kompang music was drawn from the polyrhythms in African djembe. Chapter 3: Future Changes in the Malay Kompang In the twenty-first century today when most people including those in the Southeast Asia region are exposed to popular music due to factors like technological advances and the hygienic wave of social media, there is inevitably a strong inclination towards fusing traditional music with pop elements.In addition, due to the increased westernization of Asian cultures, many traditional musical forms are gradually evolving into a more Westernized structure. Besides this, the culture where Kompang is performed today also has an effect on how it is performed. For ex deoxyadenosine monophosphatele, Kompang Melayu is a modern style of playing Kompang, specifically found in Singapore (Hahrill, 2010). ground on my research and analysis, there is a strong possibil ity of two main directions that musical developments in Malay Kompang can take †the pop-infused style and the westernized style. 3. Pop and Media Influences Pop music is a main influence on Kompang music today. Since the 21st century, technology has allowed a growing number of people to be machine-accessible to the Internet. With today’s wireless connectivity and infiltration of social media, the immense volume of technological information sacramental manduction inevitably causes people to be influenced by songs that are literally popular †those that are accessible to the widest auditory modality (Lamb, 2013). Elements of rock, R&B, country, disco, punk, and hip-hop have been unified into pop music for the past few decades.The rhythmic elements in these styles have the potential to be coordinated into Kompang. In addition, the form of pop music †verse and chorus †could be another element that could perhaps influence Kompang music in the prospect ive. 3. 2 Western Influences Due to increasing westernization of Southeast-Asian cultures today as well as the flourish in Western Music education that uses mainly western notation, Kompang music is more frequently notated these days. This is evident from the difficulty that cross-cultural ensembles tone in rehearsing due to differences in notational practices. Ross, 2011) Western orchestras, bands and ensembles have also been introduced to the Malay culture in upstart years. There could potentially be new compositions that curb the Kompang into the scored music. For example, percussion ensembles with Kompang as one of the instruments, or even Kompang concertos could be written in the near future as part of efforts to popularize traditional instruments. Chapter 4: Conclusion In conclusion, the Malay Kompang, although a considerably specific musical genre, is still influenced by a myriad of elements from other cultures.This is especially so with globalisation today, causing homog enization of culture throughout many countries. As discussed above, Kompang music was initially influenced by Arabic, Portuguese, Thai and African musical elements. In recent years, it has started to be influenced by pop and western elements, which are mostly caused by the infiltration of media and technology, and the slow but expressed westernization of Asian cultures. As such, the growth of Kompang music in ways that are characterized by today’s era can be witnessed. Bibliography Abdullah, M. H. (2005).An Organological and Ethnomusicological Study of A Malay Frame Drum. Retrieved from https://theses. ncl. ac. uk/dspace/bitstream/10443/869/1/Abdullah05. pdf Abdullah, M. H. (2005). ENCHANTING THE burnish: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE AUTHENTIC KOMPANG PLAYING. Retrieved from http://www. academia. edu/380345/ENCHANTING_THE_CULTURE_AN_INTRODUCTION_TO_THE_AUTHENTIC_KOMPANG_PLAYING Abdullah, M. H. (2012). The Role of the Kompang in Malay Society. Retrieved from http://portal. unesco. org/culture/en/files/21753/10891249663abdullah. pdf/abdullah. pdf Charry, E. (2000). A Guide to the Jembe.Retrieved from http://echarry. web. wesleyan. edu/jembearticle/article. hypertext markup language Djembe technique | Inner Groove Percussion. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://innergroove. wordpress. com/learn-to-drum-2/djembe-technique/ Elements of Music. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://historyofmusic. tripod. com/id6. html Kompang! †SHSS ‘O take Music. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://shssolevelmusic. wetpaint. com/page/Kompang! Mak Yong. (n. d. ). Retrieved April 2013, from http://www. unesco. org/culture/intangible-heritage/23apa_uk. htm Matusky, P. (1995). Malaysian Shadow take to the woods and Music: Continuity of an Oral Tradition.Retrieved from http://www. jstor. org/discover/10. 2307/1124116? uid=3738992&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&uid=4&sid=21101877205913 Matusky, P. A. (2004). Music of the Percussion Ensembles. Retrieved from http://books. goo gle. com. sg/books? id=x06nBdEkAOMC&pg=PA198&lpg=PA198&dq=kompang+music+scores&source=bl&ots=hjI8kuVMZo&sig=uGiMpUc98bGJcM3GbIV9UH0_gB0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=f_5bUanSH8yUrgeXo4CoAQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=kompang%20music%20scores&f=false Musical Elements : Key, Musical Texture,\r\n'