Music courses are a great way to learn about virtually any area of music; history, theory, and musical instrument instruction -- you name it and somewhere music courses specialize in it. Though generally found through colleges, universities or high school programs, music courses are also offered via one-on-one instruction with a private teacher or community-based workshops. Some churches even offer music courses as a complement to their choirs; the music courses may be offered to the general public, but they're often geared toward the choir members and congregation.
In the last few years, however, a new dimension to learning music has appeared in the form of the internet – the world wide web. Now instead of being limited to classroom courses, students are free to create their own schedules and learn at their own pace. A quick search on Google or Yahoo will turn up online courses in:
-Chord Piano
-Classical Piano For Beginners
-Improvising on the Piano & Guitar
-Rock Guitar
-Killer Drum Instuctions
-Jazz Piano
and many many more…
Music courses offered by colleges are generally far more in-depth than other music courses and are usually only available to degree-seeking students (though some colleges offer music courses as part of their continuing education programs). Lower level college music courses often focus on an amalgamation of music theory and history, teaching individual theory concepts based on the historical period to which they are particular. As the music courses grow in skill level so too does the number of specialized topics. Advanced music courses are available for nearly every historical music period and are sometimes based on one particular movement. Advanced music courses for theory grow increasingly more difficult and slowly teach every detail found in modern music theory; it's during the theory music courses that students intending to major in music have their skills challenged the most -- some even refer to these music courses as a weeding out period.
Instrument-based music courses are equally as tough at the college level, though they usually assume a working knowledge of the instrument before the class begins. Those wishing to learn an instrument, therefore, are better off with private music courses or music courses offered by a community orchestra or social group. These music courses will focus on the basic details of learning an instrument, starting from the very beginning. Fingering, theory and music reading will be covered, in addition to the occasional bit of history. Students of these music courses may then wish to move on to college-level music courses after completing a few years of private instruction.
But for those more interested in “recreational music” – in other words, music that is played for personal enjoyment or to entertain family and friends, college music classes are not at all necessary. The internet abounds with wonderful courses that will help you do everything from play at your church to accompany your child on their flute or trombone, or even play in a jazz or rock or fusion or country group.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
10 top reasons you should learn to play chord piano
There are roughly umpteen zillion reasons why you should learn enough chords to be able to “chord a song” at the piano.
By “chord a song”, I mean the ability to play 3 or 4 chords on the piano in some sort of rhythm while you or someone else sings the tune. To do this, you don’t need to be a Van Cliburn; all you need to do is learn a few basic chords and be able to more back and forth between them in some organized rhythmic pattern.
For example, did you realize that all of these songs (and hundreds more) can be sung or played with just 3 chords?
Auld Lang Syne
Amazing Grace
Kum Ba Ya
Silent Night
Joy To The World
Jingle Bells
Happy Birthday
Down In The Valley
On Top Of Old Smoky…
and hundreds or maybe thousands more!
Add just one more chord to the basic 3, and you can play another thousand songs or so. So why not learn a few chords and start your chording career?
Here are my top 10 reasons for learning “chord piano”:
1) It’s easy. Learn 3 chords and start in.
2) Even though it’s easy to get started, you don’t have to stop there. You can learn more and more chords and more rhythm patterns and get really good.
3) You’ll be able to play “Happy Birthday” while the gang sings it.
4) You’ll be able to play half-a-dozen Christmas carols. In case you haven’t noticed, Christmas comes every year, so every year you’ll get better as you participate in family gatherings.
5) You can help your kids learn to play the piano, guitar, or most any other instrument by learning chords. Most teachers don’t teach chords, so you’ll be giving your kids an advantage by learning chords.
6) People will admire you. It’s true. Musicians are popular. Anyone who can play anything is in demand at parties and social gatherings. And if you can “chord” while others sing, you’re bound to be popular.
7) Piano playing using chords is good for your brain. Studies have shown that people who actively participate in music do their brain lots of good. And since chords require 3 or 4 notes at a time instead of one, you are giving your brain a good workout.
8) Piano playing, particularly using chords, is good exercise for your wrists and fingers. (Take the time to learn about correct hand position, though!)
9) Piano playing is excellent therapy for the stress of life. Many professional people come home from a hard days work and relax by expressing their emotions on the keyboard. Play a few dark and angry chords, and you’ll be surprised how much better you feel!
10) Piano playing is a blast. It’s just plain old fun. So learn 3 or 4 chords and get going. Maybe you’ll stop there and enjoy it the rest of your life.
But just maybe you’ll love it so much that you keep going and turn yourself into an excellent piano player who can read music as well as play chords!
By “chord a song”, I mean the ability to play 3 or 4 chords on the piano in some sort of rhythm while you or someone else sings the tune. To do this, you don’t need to be a Van Cliburn; all you need to do is learn a few basic chords and be able to more back and forth between them in some organized rhythmic pattern.
For example, did you realize that all of these songs (and hundreds more) can be sung or played with just 3 chords?
Auld Lang Syne
Amazing Grace
Kum Ba Ya
Silent Night
Joy To The World
Jingle Bells
Happy Birthday
Down In The Valley
On Top Of Old Smoky…
and hundreds or maybe thousands more!
Add just one more chord to the basic 3, and you can play another thousand songs or so. So why not learn a few chords and start your chording career?
Here are my top 10 reasons for learning “chord piano”:
1) It’s easy. Learn 3 chords and start in.
2) Even though it’s easy to get started, you don’t have to stop there. You can learn more and more chords and more rhythm patterns and get really good.
3) You’ll be able to play “Happy Birthday” while the gang sings it.
4) You’ll be able to play half-a-dozen Christmas carols. In case you haven’t noticed, Christmas comes every year, so every year you’ll get better as you participate in family gatherings.
5) You can help your kids learn to play the piano, guitar, or most any other instrument by learning chords. Most teachers don’t teach chords, so you’ll be giving your kids an advantage by learning chords.
6) People will admire you. It’s true. Musicians are popular. Anyone who can play anything is in demand at parties and social gatherings. And if you can “chord” while others sing, you’re bound to be popular.
7) Piano playing using chords is good for your brain. Studies have shown that people who actively participate in music do their brain lots of good. And since chords require 3 or 4 notes at a time instead of one, you are giving your brain a good workout.
8) Piano playing, particularly using chords, is good exercise for your wrists and fingers. (Take the time to learn about correct hand position, though!)
9) Piano playing is excellent therapy for the stress of life. Many professional people come home from a hard days work and relax by expressing their emotions on the keyboard. Play a few dark and angry chords, and you’ll be surprised how much better you feel!
10) Piano playing is a blast. It’s just plain old fun. So learn 3 or 4 chords and get going. Maybe you’ll stop there and enjoy it the rest of your life.
But just maybe you’ll love it so much that you keep going and turn yourself into an excellent piano player who can read music as well as play chords!
Monday, September 21, 2009
3 secrets to understanding what music is made of
It’s no secret that virtually everyone loves music in some form or other. After all, it is the universal language, and we all participate in it to some degree from the cradle to the grave. It starts with our Mothers’ lullaby, ends with our funeral song, with a zillion other stops along the way.
But what is music, anyway? What makes it tick? We all love some form of it and dislike other forms of it.
The country-western fan may not like jazz, but he or she sure loves the sound of pickin’ & grinnin’. And the jazz fan feels just the opposite.
And that’s as it should be. If we all liked the same kind of music, there just wouldn’t be the variety that is available to us now. We can choose from musical styles ranging from heavy classical and opera to rock to children’s songs to Broadway musicals to gospel music to the blues.
Each has its place, and each seems on the surface to be drastically different than another form of music. The key word is “on the surface.” But beneath the surface of all music is a commonality that is organic to all forms and styles of music.
So what does all music have in common?
At least 3 things – sometimes more, but never less:
1. Melody
2. Rhythm
3. Harmony
The melody is the part of a song or composition that you whistle or hum – in other words, the tune of the song. In one sense, it is the most visible of the 3 elements, because melody is what identifies a song. Without melody, it would be difficult to even conceive of a song or piece.
In musical notation, the melody is almost always written in the treble clef – also known as the treble staff. It consists of a horizontal line of notes that move up and down on the clef as the tune moves higher or lower.
Rhythm is the beat – the swing – the throb of the music. It happens in repeating patterns, depending upon the type of music. It is like a horizontal line of beats which occur at regular or semi-regular intervals. A waltz, for example, basically consists of a heavy beat followed by two lighter beats. So we say that a waltz is in triple meter – one strong beat followed by two weak beats, then repeated.
A march, on the other hand, generally consists of a heavy beat followed by a light beat, then another heavy beat followed by another light beat. (I’m simplifying, of course – there are many varieties…) So a march is in duple meter – as you might expect since we have two feet and we march in left-right-left-right patterns.
All rhythms are some combination of triple meter and/or duple meter, and the possibilities are endless – from boogie to R&B to mambos and sambas and bossa novas and….on and on.
Harmony, the 3rd aspect of music, is the musical background of a song – the chords, or intervals “behind” the melody. Without harmony, a song sounds empty – like a vocalist singing without an accompanist – or accapella. Music doesn’t HAVE to have harmony to function, but in actual practice it almost always does, even if it is just the interplay of two melodies, as in counterpoint.
You could spend a lifetime learning all the nuances of music, but it its most basic form, it is these 3 elements combined together; melody, rhythm, and harmony.
But what is music, anyway? What makes it tick? We all love some form of it and dislike other forms of it.
The country-western fan may not like jazz, but he or she sure loves the sound of pickin’ & grinnin’. And the jazz fan feels just the opposite.
And that’s as it should be. If we all liked the same kind of music, there just wouldn’t be the variety that is available to us now. We can choose from musical styles ranging from heavy classical and opera to rock to children’s songs to Broadway musicals to gospel music to the blues.
Each has its place, and each seems on the surface to be drastically different than another form of music. The key word is “on the surface.” But beneath the surface of all music is a commonality that is organic to all forms and styles of music.
So what does all music have in common?
At least 3 things – sometimes more, but never less:
1. Melody
2. Rhythm
3. Harmony
The melody is the part of a song or composition that you whistle or hum – in other words, the tune of the song. In one sense, it is the most visible of the 3 elements, because melody is what identifies a song. Without melody, it would be difficult to even conceive of a song or piece.
In musical notation, the melody is almost always written in the treble clef – also known as the treble staff. It consists of a horizontal line of notes that move up and down on the clef as the tune moves higher or lower.
Rhythm is the beat – the swing – the throb of the music. It happens in repeating patterns, depending upon the type of music. It is like a horizontal line of beats which occur at regular or semi-regular intervals. A waltz, for example, basically consists of a heavy beat followed by two lighter beats. So we say that a waltz is in triple meter – one strong beat followed by two weak beats, then repeated.
A march, on the other hand, generally consists of a heavy beat followed by a light beat, then another heavy beat followed by another light beat. (I’m simplifying, of course – there are many varieties…) So a march is in duple meter – as you might expect since we have two feet and we march in left-right-left-right patterns.
All rhythms are some combination of triple meter and/or duple meter, and the possibilities are endless – from boogie to R&B to mambos and sambas and bossa novas and….on and on.
Harmony, the 3rd aspect of music, is the musical background of a song – the chords, or intervals “behind” the melody. Without harmony, a song sounds empty – like a vocalist singing without an accompanist – or accapella. Music doesn’t HAVE to have harmony to function, but in actual practice it almost always does, even if it is just the interplay of two melodies, as in counterpoint.
You could spend a lifetime learning all the nuances of music, but it its most basic form, it is these 3 elements combined together; melody, rhythm, and harmony.
3 quick easy steps to playing music by ear
Playing by ear is the ability to play a piece of music (or, eventually, learn an instrument) by simply listening to it repeatedly. The majority of self-taught musicians began their education this way; they picked up their instrument and began playing an easy melody from a well-known song, slowly picking out the notes as they went along. And even after these musicians master their instruments or a particular song, playing by ear still plays a large role. Many pop and rock bands don't play or write their songs based on sheet music, they figure the songs out by playing by ear. It's even common among non-musicians. Ever sit down a piano and mindlessly pick out the tune to "Mary Had a Little Lamb"? What about grabbing a guitar and suddenly finding yourself playing the opening licks to "Smoke on the Water"? That's playing by ear. You're able to play part of the song just because you've heard it so often.
Since music is basically composed of 3 elements – melody, rhythm, and harmony, it is logical that there are also 3 basic steps to learning to play music by ear:
1.Charting the contour of the melody. Tunes move higher and lower – up and down – as the song progresses. Being aware of that movement is the first step. Once you mentally define the parameters of the melody, you can then begin to hone in on picking it out on your instrument. As an example, think of “Joy To The World”. We’ve all sung it a zillion times, but have you ever noticed that the melody moves down exactly 8 steps (an octave), then gradually moves back up in increments, then repeats the down movement, etc. The entire melody is contained within those 8 notes, so you now know the parameters of the song and can begin to pick out the melody intelligently.
2.Harmonizing the melody with matching chords. The second element of music is harmony, and you can harmonize any melody just by matching the supporting chords to that melody. For example, if the melody is a “G”, you can harmonize that melody by using a chord with G in it, such as the G chord (G, B, D), the C chord (C, E, G), or the Em chord (E, G, B), or the Eb chord (Eb, G, Bb) and so forth. By using your ear to guide you, you can learn to harmonize the melody of most any song using matching chords.
3.Using an appropriate rhythm that matches the feel of the song. This is usually the easiest part, since most people “feel” the beat and don’t have to do any mental gymnastics to come up with an appropriate rhythm for a song. But for those of us that might be “rhythmically challenged”, just by knowing that there are basically two meters available – duple meter and triple meter -- that can be combined in infinite combinations, we can give the song either a “3” feeling (like a waltz or a jazz waltz) or a “4” feeling (like swing or a march or a ballad).
Playing by ear is a valuable technique for many musicians; learning songs based solely on hearing them is a great way to understand song and chord structure. In fact, a great number of rock and pop musicians learned to play their instruments this way. Instead of picking up a book or taking lessons, they concentrated on figuring out the notes and rhythms to a song until it was mastered. Then they moved on to another song. And another.
Gradually, they learned their instrument just by playing by ear -- and in the process learned how to effectively structure a song in that particular genre. Playing by ear is also beneficial in helping a musician develop his or her own style; sure, they'll at first mimic the style of the song they're imitating, but the amalgamation of the music that they're playing by ear will help them create something distinctive, something indicative of them only.
Since music is basically composed of 3 elements – melody, rhythm, and harmony, it is logical that there are also 3 basic steps to learning to play music by ear:
1.Charting the contour of the melody. Tunes move higher and lower – up and down – as the song progresses. Being aware of that movement is the first step. Once you mentally define the parameters of the melody, you can then begin to hone in on picking it out on your instrument. As an example, think of “Joy To The World”. We’ve all sung it a zillion times, but have you ever noticed that the melody moves down exactly 8 steps (an octave), then gradually moves back up in increments, then repeats the down movement, etc. The entire melody is contained within those 8 notes, so you now know the parameters of the song and can begin to pick out the melody intelligently.
2.Harmonizing the melody with matching chords. The second element of music is harmony, and you can harmonize any melody just by matching the supporting chords to that melody. For example, if the melody is a “G”, you can harmonize that melody by using a chord with G in it, such as the G chord (G, B, D), the C chord (C, E, G), or the Em chord (E, G, B), or the Eb chord (Eb, G, Bb) and so forth. By using your ear to guide you, you can learn to harmonize the melody of most any song using matching chords.
3.Using an appropriate rhythm that matches the feel of the song. This is usually the easiest part, since most people “feel” the beat and don’t have to do any mental gymnastics to come up with an appropriate rhythm for a song. But for those of us that might be “rhythmically challenged”, just by knowing that there are basically two meters available – duple meter and triple meter -- that can be combined in infinite combinations, we can give the song either a “3” feeling (like a waltz or a jazz waltz) or a “4” feeling (like swing or a march or a ballad).
Playing by ear is a valuable technique for many musicians; learning songs based solely on hearing them is a great way to understand song and chord structure. In fact, a great number of rock and pop musicians learned to play their instruments this way. Instead of picking up a book or taking lessons, they concentrated on figuring out the notes and rhythms to a song until it was mastered. Then they moved on to another song. And another.
Gradually, they learned their instrument just by playing by ear -- and in the process learned how to effectively structure a song in that particular genre. Playing by ear is also beneficial in helping a musician develop his or her own style; sure, they'll at first mimic the style of the song they're imitating, but the amalgamation of the music that they're playing by ear will help them create something distinctive, something indicative of them only.
Monday, September 14, 2009
GAMELAN
GAMELAN
PENGENALAN GAMELAN
Nama Gamelan berasal dari bahasa Jawa yang bermaksud ditabuh atau dipukul. Ini mungkin kerana peralatan muzik gamelan tergolong dalam kumpulan alat perkusi yang dibunyikan dengan cara ditabuh atau dipukul. Alat muzik gamelan diperbuat daripada perunggu dan kayu, dan ada juga dari besi dan buluh. Alat-alatnya mempunyai larasan yang tetap atau ‘fixed tuning’. Permainan muzik gamelan dilakukan secara ensembel. Persembahannya hanyalah lengkap dan sempurna apabila dimainkan secara berkumpulan. Namun muzik gamelan juga boleh dipersembahkan secara tersendiri.
SEJARAH
Muzik gamelan dikatakan wujud semenjak T.M 1. alat gamelan yang pertama sekali dicipta ialah gong. Kemudian alat-alat yang lain dicipta mengikut peredaran zaman. Pada awal tamadun Melayu, gong merupakan alat yang penting dibunyikan sebagai tanda sesuatu upacara bermula atau sesuatu peristiwa berlaku. Pada zaman Pemerintahan Kerajaan Demak di Jawa, gamelan digunakan untuk berdakwah oleh ahli sunan (kiai). Kini gamelan dikenali di seluruh dunia sebagai muzik etnik yang unik yang mempunyai keistimewaannya tersendiri.
Gamelan dipercayai berasal dari Indonesia, tetapi terdapat juga alat gamelan yang serupa di negara jiran seperti Filipina, Thailand, Cambodia dan sebahagian Vietnam. Di antaranya Kulintangan di Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei, Mindanao dan Celebes. Namanya mungkin berbeza dari satu tempat ke tempat lain tetapi bentuk alat serta susunannya adalah lebih kurang sama.
Muzik gamelan Malaysia berasal dari Indonesia. Muzik gamelan dibawa dari Indonesia melalui penghijrahan orang Jawa semasa Empayar Sri Vijaya dan Majapahit dalam kurun ke-14 hingga 15. di Malaysia terdapat dua versi muzik gamelan iaitu Gamelan Johor dan Gamelan Terengganu.
Gamelan Johor/Gamelan Jawa:
Gamelan Jawa mempunyai latar belakang sejarah yang tersendiri. Kedatangan gamelan Jawa ke Malaysia adalah bersama kedatangan masyarakat Jawa ke Johor. Mereka memainkan gamelan mengiringi persembahan Wayang Kulit Purwa dan mengiringi tarian seperti Tarian Kifrah, Serimpi Lilin, Kupu-kupu dan Cakil. Alat-alat gamelan didapati digunakan bagi mengiringi Riog, Barungan dan Kuda Kepang. Muzik gamelan dipersembahkan di majlis perkahwinan, berkhatan dan sebagainya.
Gamelan jenis ini boleh didapati di Johor, Selangor dan Wilayah Persekutuan. Muzik gamelan Jawa berfungsi dalam kehidupan rakyat sebagai permainan rakyat dan bukannya terhad untuk persembahan istana.
Gamelan Terengganu.
Muzik gamelan Terengganu bermula apabila istana Pahang menerima set gamelan dari Riau-Lingga pada tahun 1800-an. Muzik ini pertama kali dimainkan sempena hari perkahwinan kerabat Di Raja Pahang dan Lingga pada tahun 1811. Muzik gamelan berkembang di Pahang dalam kurun ke 19.
Bagaimanapun kemajuan muzik gamelan di Pahang menjadi malap dengan kemangkatan Sultan Ahmad. Kemudian muzik gamelan tersebut dibawa ke Terengganu apabila puteri Sultan Ahmad berkahwin dengan Tengku Zainal Abidin dari Terengganu. Sejak itu, muzik gamelan dikenali di istana Terengganu. Dari segi tradisi, gemelan Terengganu adalah tradisi istana dan hanya dipersembahkan untuk hiburan kerabat di raja dan dalam upacara istana.
Muzik gamelan Terengganu mula dibawa keluar dari istana oleh Tan Sri Mubin Sheppard pada tahun 1970-an. Gamelan Terengganu kini banyak mengalami pengubahsuaian dan mempunyai ciri Melayu dan kini digelar gamelan Melayu khasnya bila dipersembahkan dalam majlis rasmi meraikan pembesar, tokoh politik luar negara dan pelancongan.
PERALATAN GAMELAN DAN SKIL
Muzik gamelan Terengganu adalah lebih mudah dibandingkan dengan muzik gamelan Johor/gamelan Jawa. Set alat gamelan Terengganu mengandungi 7 alat berikut:
- gendang
- bonang/keromong
- saron barung
- sarun penerus/pekin
- gambang
- kenong
- gong
Gamelan Terengganu dimainkan dalam skel slendro iaitu 5 ton. Jeda di antara not hampir sama iaitu lebih kurang berjarak suku ton.
Set alat gamelan Johor/Jawa adalah lebih banyak dan permainannya lebih kompleks. Peralatannya mengandungi 9 alat berikut:
gendang (ketipung, jiblon, bem)
bonang/keromong
demung
saron barung
saron penerus/pekin
gambang
kenong
kempol
gong
Alat tambahan:
slenthem
saron 9
kertuk/kempiang
rebab
sitar
gender
seruling/suling
Gamelan Jawa dimainkan dalam skel slendro dan pelog. Skel pelog mengandungi 7 ton dan jeda di antara not agak berbeza iaitu di antara ½ ton dengan minor ke-3. skel pelog adalah seperti berikut:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Penunggul | Gulu | Dada | Pelog | Lima | Nem | Barang |
| (ji) | (ro) | (lu) | (pat) | (ma) | (nem) | (pi) |
Skel pelog adalah lebih baru dari skel slendro. Pelog dalam bahasa Jawa bermaksud halus, indah dan cantik.
Skel pelog adalah lebih baru dari skel slendro. Pelog dalam bahasa Jawa bermaksud halus, indah dan cantik.
Kedua-dua skel slendro dan pelog ini pula boleh dibahagikan kepada 3 bahagian (patet).
SLENDRO : Patet Nem ; Patet Sanga dan Patet Manyura
PELOG : Patet Nem dan Patet Barang
FUNGSI ALAT
GONG
Mengeluarkan pic paling rendah dan dimainkan pada akhir frasa lagu untuk menandakan satu pusingan lengkap lagu.
GONG KEMPOL
Mengeluarkan pic lebih tinggi daripada gong. Dalam Gamelan Terengganu, terdapat sesetangah lagu di mana gong kempol dimainkan pada detik pertama Contohnya, lagu Lenggang Kangkung dan detik keempat pada dua gatra akhir lagu, contohnya lagu Timang Burung.
Dalam permainan Gamelan Jawa gong kempol dimainkan pada detik kedua pada gatra kedua akhir sebelum gong menghabiskan satu pusingan lagu.
KENONG
Dimainkan pada detik keempat setiap gatra.
BONANG BARONG
Dalam Gamelan Terengganu, bonang barong digunakan untuk membuka lagu dan memainkan melodi . Manakala dalam Gamelan Jawa, bonang barong dimainkan untuk membuka lagu dan dimainkan bagi detik pertama dan ketiga dalam setiap gatra .
Cara memainkan bonang barong adalah dengan mengetuk bahagian tombol menggunakan pengetuk. Terdapat dua cara memainkan bonang barong iaitu secara mipil dan gembiang.
BONANG PENERUS
Dalam Permainan gamelan Jawa ,Bonang Penerus memainkan not sinkopasi (up-beat) di mana akan dimainkan secara ‘call and respon’ (soal jawab) kepada Bonang Barong. Manakala dalam permainan gamelan Terengganu, Bonang Penerus akan memainkan melodi seperti Bonang Barong. Bonang Penerus boleh juga dimainkan secara harmoni bersama Bonang Barong dengan cara membuat improvisasi irama dan melodi.
SARON PENERUS/PEKING
Dalam Permainan gamelan Terengganu, Saron Penerus adalah alat yang memainkan melodi utama yang diketuk menggunakan pengetuk yang dibuat daripada tanduk haiwan berbentuk penukul . Saron Penerus diketuk secara gandaan dan biasanya memainkan not kuaver.
SARON DEMUNG
Dalam Permainan gamelan Terengganu, Saron Demung adalah alat yang memainkan melodi utama yang diketuk menggunakan pengetuk yang dibuat daripada kayu berbentuk penukul . Untuk memainkan Saron Demung, hendaklah diketuk pada bilah-bilah gangsa/perunggu yang juga disebut sebagai wilaham. Dalam permainan gamelan Jawa, Saron Demung akan dimainkan pada detik kedua dan keempat.
SARON BARONG
Dalam Permainan gamelan Terengganu, Saron Barung adalah alat yang memainkan melodi utama yang diketuk menggunakan pengetuk yang dibuat daripada kayu berbentuk penukul . Untuk memainkan Saron Barung, hendaklah diketuk pada bilah-bilah gangsa/perunggu yang juga disebut sebagai wilaham. Dalam permainan gamelan Jawa, Saron Demung akan dimainkan pada detik kedua dan keempat.
GENDANG/KENDHANG
Gendang adalah alat yang dimainkan untuk mengawal tempo lagu dan dipukul dengan menggunakan dua tapak tangan.
GAMBANG
Gambang memainkan melodi lagu. Ia dimainkan dengan mengetuk notasi satu oktaf , contohnya 1 dan i, 2 dan 2’ secara gandaan, contohnya, 2/2’,3/3’. Biasanya gambang memainkan not kuaver.
CADANGAN PENYUSUNAN ALAT PERMAINAN GAMELAN
Rajah 2 : Susunan permainan gamelan
NOTASI GAMELAN
Pada permulaannya, permainan gamelan dimainkan tanpa notasi. Notasi tidak penting dan lagu lama tidak dicatat. Muzik ini dipelajari secara tidak formal melalui pendengaran bermula dengan yang mudah dan beransur kepada kompleks. Pada abad ke-19, sistem menggunakan nombor diperkenalkan untuk memudahkan pemuzik memainkan ‘repetoire’/lagu yang telah banyak berkembang. Sistem menggunakan nombor ini dikenali sebagai Sistem Kepatihan dan sistem ini kekal digunakan sekarang.
TEKSTUR
Tekstur muzik gamelan adalah polifoni. Polifoni bermakna gubahan yang mempunyai banyak lapisan suara . Ciri utama muzik gamelan ialah bentuknya yang berulang . Setiap frasa diulang muziknya dan bergerak dalam bentuk bulatan. Permainan gamelan memerlukan kemahiran muzikal serta teknikal, perasaan yang peka kepada tekstur keseluruhan serta kerjasama dan hubungan yang baik di antara setiap alat atau pemain.
KOMPANG
PENGENALAN KOMPANG
Kompang adalah sejenis alat muzik tradisional dari keluarga membranofon. Ia menyerupai sebuah kuali dan terbahagi kepada dua bahagian iaitu baluh (badan) dan belulang.
Baluh bingkai kompang diperbuat daripada kayu pokok nangka. Manakala belulang pula adalah daripada kulit kambing.
Permainan kompang terbahagi kepada beberapa jenis. Antara jenis-jenis kompang ialah:
a. Kompang Hadrah ( Negeri Perak )
b. Kompang Johor / Jawa
c. Kompang Eizhar ( Negeri Selangor )
d. Kompang Kelalang ( Negeri Melaka )
Kompang boleh diperolehi dalam saiz yang berlainan mengikut umur tertentu. Antara saiz kompang yang mengikut peringkat umur pemain adalah seperti berikut:
Saiz (cm) Umur (tahun)
30 cm 12 tahun dan ke bawah
32.5 cm 13 dan 14
35 cm 15 dan 16
37.5 cm dan 40 cm Orang dewasa
SEJARAH KOMPANG
Kompang dipercayai berasal dari Timur Tengah berdasarkan beberapa pendapat iaitu ;
Pendapat pertama:
Bentuknya sama dengan hadrah yang menyerupai kompang yang terdapat di negara Arab.
Pendapat kedua :
Lirik lagu yang dimainkan selalunya dalam bahasa Arab , contohnya Selawat Memuji Rasulullah SAW.
Permainan kompang dibawa oleh pedagang Arab yang datang berdagang ke Nusantara. Ia digunakan untuk menarik perhatian pembeli terhadap perniagaan mereka. Dipercayai permainan ini menjadi ikutan masyarakat tempatan dan seterusnya berkembang sehingga kini.
Manakala permainan kompang berkembang ke Tanah Melayu akibat imigrasi masyarakat Jawa. (Abdul Latif Ali,1980:12)
PEMBUATAN KOMPANG
FUNGSI KOMPANG
Persembahan kompang ini mempunyai pelbagai fungsi dan peranan. Pada asasnya, ia bertujuan untuk memeriahkan sesuatu upacara. Sungguhpun demikian, fungsi permainan ini turut mengalami perkembangan mengikut masa. Antara fungsi permainan kompang ialah;
1. Mengiringi aktiviti vokal seperti nyanyian solo atau kumpulan secara ensemble (nasyid, marhaban)
2. Mengarak pengantin, kanak-kanak berkhatan, berkhatam Quran, dan upacara rasmi yang melibatkan pembesar
3. Menjadi elemen permainan ensembel lain seperti orkestra, lagu etnik kreatif, cak lempong, cak lempong pacik dan gamelan.
4. Untuk merangsang semangat pasukan yang bertanding, contohnya pasukan bola sepak bagi memeriahkan acara sukan serta membuat gimik sorakan.
5. Pertandingan – paluan kompang dan kompang formasi
6. Permainan kompang biasanya dapat dilihat dan dimainkan oleh persatuan atau kumpulan dalam sesebuah kampung, sekolah-sekolah, pusat pengajian tinggi, yayasan kesenian negeri, serta institusi-institusi kerajaan bagi mengekalkan keaslian permainan muzik tradisional Melayu.
Persembahan kompang diketuai oleh seorang pemimpin. Tugas pemimpin ialah untuk memulakan dan menamatkan sesuatu permainan dengan arahan atau lakuan tertentu.
TEKNIK PERMAINAN
Pegang kompang dengan sebelah tangan sementara sebelah tangan lagi memukulnya. Kompang boleh dimainkan secara duduk atau berdiri. Pada asasnya, kompang menghasilkan dua bunyi iaitu ‘pak’ dan bunyi ‘bung’. Pukulan ‘pak’ mestilah lebih berat daripada bunyi ‘bung’.
Bunyi ‘pak’ dihasilkan apabila bahagian tengah kompang dipalu dengan tapak tangan sambil jari tangan terbuka. Kekuatan bunyi adalah hasil daripada pukulan tapak jari. Untuk menghasilkan bunyi yang tepat, sentuh tapak ibu jari dan jari anak mendahului jari yang lain semasa memukul.
Bunyi ‘bung’ dihasilkan apabila bahagian tepi permukaan kompang iaitu 1/3 daripada permukaan dipukul dengan jari. Manakala kesemua jari berkeadaan tertutup semasa membuat pukulan. Sila rujuk posisi dan cara memegang kompang.
POSISI PEMAIN KOMPANG
Permainan ini dipersembahkan secara beramai-ramai atau ensembel. Biasanya dimainkan oleh kira-kira 10 hingga 20 orang. Posisi pemain semasa persembahan kompang adalah sama ada secara duduk atau berjalan sambil berarak.
Susunan pemain kompang
Terdapat tiga paluan digabungkan untuk menghasilkan paduan bunyi yang berharmoni. Tiga kumpulan paluan tersebut dipanggil Melalu, Meningkah dan Menyilang. Fungsi paluan ini adalah seperti berikut;
• Kumpulan Melalu memainkan rentak asas.
• Kumpulan Menyilang memainkan rentak silihan (up beat) kepada pukulan Melalu.
• Kumpulan Meningkah menjadi penghias rentak yang dimainkan paluan antara kumpulan Melalu dan Menyilang.
Setiap persembahan kompang terdiri dari tiga bahagian pukulan iaitu;
• Pukulan ‘Mula’ untuk memainkan sesebuah lagu
• Pukulan lagu dan
• Pukulan ‘Mati’ untuk mengakhiri sesebuah lagu.
PENJAGAAN KOMPANG
Kompang dalam simpanan seharusnya dikendurkan permukaannya. Sebelum memulakan permainan kompang, permukaannya perlu ditegangkan dengan sedak. Kompang yang basah seharusnya dijemur sehingga kering supaya tahan lebih lama.
Semasa dalam simpanan juga, kompang perlu diletakkan dengan berkeadaan muka kompang bertindan dengan permukaan lain dan disusun di rak atau almari yang sesuai. Ini untuk mengelakkan kerosakan muka kompang apabila ditindani oleh baluh kompang.
PENALAAN KOMPANG
Penalaan kompang bertujuan untuk meninggikan ton bunyi kompang dan menegangkan permukaannya dengan menggunakan sedak. Sedak boleh dibuat daripada rotan atau wayar plastik. Sedak ditolak dengan kayu sedak di sekeliling bahagian dalam, di antara baluh dan belulang kompang.
Kompang adalah sejenis alat muzik tradisional dari keluarga membranofon. Ia menyerupai sebuah kuali dan terbahagi kepada dua bahagian iaitu baluh (badan) dan belulang.
Baluh bingkai kompang diperbuat daripada kayu pokok nangka. Manakala belulang pula adalah daripada kulit kambing.
Permainan kompang terbahagi kepada beberapa jenis. Antara jenis-jenis kompang ialah:
a. Kompang Hadrah ( Negeri Perak )
b. Kompang Johor / Jawa
c. Kompang Eizhar ( Negeri Selangor )
d. Kompang Kelalang ( Negeri Melaka )
Kompang boleh diperolehi dalam saiz yang berlainan mengikut umur tertentu. Antara saiz kompang yang mengikut peringkat umur pemain adalah seperti berikut:
Saiz (cm) Umur (tahun)
30 cm 12 tahun dan ke bawah
32.5 cm 13 dan 14
35 cm 15 dan 16
37.5 cm dan 40 cm Orang dewasa
SEJARAH KOMPANG
Kompang dipercayai berasal dari Timur Tengah berdasarkan beberapa pendapat iaitu ;
Pendapat pertama:
Bentuknya sama dengan hadrah yang menyerupai kompang yang terdapat di negara Arab.
Pendapat kedua :
Lirik lagu yang dimainkan selalunya dalam bahasa Arab , contohnya Selawat Memuji Rasulullah SAW.
Permainan kompang dibawa oleh pedagang Arab yang datang berdagang ke Nusantara. Ia digunakan untuk menarik perhatian pembeli terhadap perniagaan mereka. Dipercayai permainan ini menjadi ikutan masyarakat tempatan dan seterusnya berkembang sehingga kini.
Manakala permainan kompang berkembang ke Tanah Melayu akibat imigrasi masyarakat Jawa. (Abdul Latif Ali,1980:12)
PEMBUATAN KOMPANG
FUNGSI KOMPANG
Persembahan kompang ini mempunyai pelbagai fungsi dan peranan. Pada asasnya, ia bertujuan untuk memeriahkan sesuatu upacara. Sungguhpun demikian, fungsi permainan ini turut mengalami perkembangan mengikut masa. Antara fungsi permainan kompang ialah;
1. Mengiringi aktiviti vokal seperti nyanyian solo atau kumpulan secara ensemble (nasyid, marhaban)
2. Mengarak pengantin, kanak-kanak berkhatan, berkhatam Quran, dan upacara rasmi yang melibatkan pembesar
3. Menjadi elemen permainan ensembel lain seperti orkestra, lagu etnik kreatif, cak lempong, cak lempong pacik dan gamelan.
4. Untuk merangsang semangat pasukan yang bertanding, contohnya pasukan bola sepak bagi memeriahkan acara sukan serta membuat gimik sorakan.
5. Pertandingan – paluan kompang dan kompang formasi
6. Permainan kompang biasanya dapat dilihat dan dimainkan oleh persatuan atau kumpulan dalam sesebuah kampung, sekolah-sekolah, pusat pengajian tinggi, yayasan kesenian negeri, serta institusi-institusi kerajaan bagi mengekalkan keaslian permainan muzik tradisional Melayu.
Persembahan kompang diketuai oleh seorang pemimpin. Tugas pemimpin ialah untuk memulakan dan menamatkan sesuatu permainan dengan arahan atau lakuan tertentu.
TEKNIK PERMAINAN
Pegang kompang dengan sebelah tangan sementara sebelah tangan lagi memukulnya. Kompang boleh dimainkan secara duduk atau berdiri. Pada asasnya, kompang menghasilkan dua bunyi iaitu ‘pak’ dan bunyi ‘bung’. Pukulan ‘pak’ mestilah lebih berat daripada bunyi ‘bung’.
Bunyi ‘pak’ dihasilkan apabila bahagian tengah kompang dipalu dengan tapak tangan sambil jari tangan terbuka. Kekuatan bunyi adalah hasil daripada pukulan tapak jari. Untuk menghasilkan bunyi yang tepat, sentuh tapak ibu jari dan jari anak mendahului jari yang lain semasa memukul.
Bunyi ‘bung’ dihasilkan apabila bahagian tepi permukaan kompang iaitu 1/3 daripada permukaan dipukul dengan jari. Manakala kesemua jari berkeadaan tertutup semasa membuat pukulan. Sila rujuk posisi dan cara memegang kompang.
POSISI PEMAIN KOMPANG
Permainan ini dipersembahkan secara beramai-ramai atau ensembel. Biasanya dimainkan oleh kira-kira 10 hingga 20 orang. Posisi pemain semasa persembahan kompang adalah sama ada secara duduk atau berjalan sambil berarak.
Susunan pemain kompang
Rajah 1.7 : Susunan pemain kompangSumber : Tan,Sooi Beng(1997)
Terdapat tiga paluan digabungkan untuk menghasilkan paduan bunyi yang berharmoni. Tiga kumpulan paluan tersebut dipanggil Melalu, Meningkah dan Menyilang. Fungsi paluan ini adalah seperti berikut;
• Kumpulan Melalu memainkan rentak asas.
• Kumpulan Menyilang memainkan rentak silihan (up beat) kepada pukulan Melalu.
• Kumpulan Meningkah menjadi penghias rentak yang dimainkan paluan antara kumpulan Melalu dan Menyilang.
Setiap persembahan kompang terdiri dari tiga bahagian pukulan iaitu;
• Pukulan ‘Mula’ untuk memainkan sesebuah lagu
• Pukulan lagu dan
• Pukulan ‘Mati’ untuk mengakhiri sesebuah lagu.
PENJAGAAN KOMPANG
Kompang dalam simpanan seharusnya dikendurkan permukaannya. Sebelum memulakan permainan kompang, permukaannya perlu ditegangkan dengan sedak. Kompang yang basah seharusnya dijemur sehingga kering supaya tahan lebih lama.
Semasa dalam simpanan juga, kompang perlu diletakkan dengan berkeadaan muka kompang bertindan dengan permukaan lain dan disusun di rak atau almari yang sesuai. Ini untuk mengelakkan kerosakan muka kompang apabila ditindani oleh baluh kompang.
PENALAAN KOMPANG
Penalaan kompang bertujuan untuk meninggikan ton bunyi kompang dan menegangkan permukaannya dengan menggunakan sedak. Sedak boleh dibuat daripada rotan atau wayar plastik. Sedak ditolak dengan kayu sedak di sekeliling bahagian dalam, di antara baluh dan belulang kompang.
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