Music is a form of sound that is arranged to be sung or
played by people and it is universal as everybody in the world listens to
music. The difference in the music that we all listen to would be in a form of
tune, instruments that we use and the language. When it comes to the people of
Minangkabau, they have a unique way of playing their traditional music. They
use a lot of instrument and although the language they use is in Malaysian
language, they speak and sing in different dialects. The most famous instrument
that they use traditionally would be no other than Caklempong.
Caklempong that is made from bronze and belong to the family
of gong will be lined in a straight line having different sizes and different
tone of music as a set of Caklempong is based on a few other parts like firstly
the Bonang itself that is used to be hit by the Kayu Pengetuk. There are 3 different sets of Caklempong
which are Caklempong Gereteh, Caklempong Tigkah and Caklempong Sauwa and the
difference between these 3 is the amount of Bonang they use and the notes that
they use.
According to history, Caklempong was brought to Malaysia by
the Minangkabau citizens from West Sumatera and settled down in Negeri Sembilan
around the 14th century. It is really amazing to see how they could play it
with such enthusiasm and hitting the Caklempong like hitting the drums and you
could see how happy they look when they play it. During the Citra Budaya
Pepatih festival in Negeri Sembilan, this traditional instrument was played not
to provide music but to provide rhythms for the dancers of Tarian Zapin and
Tarian Piring. The main thing I love about this particular performance is that
they use the rhythm very well and displays the uniqueness of their culture with
all the beautiful clothes and the different kinds of rhythms.
*These photo is from Musium Negeri which is located in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan .
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