MALAYSIAN MUSICAL INSTRUMENT &

DANCE

MPU 1313

MS. ZAREEN
 HISTORY
Music of Malaysia is the general
term for music that has been made up
from various genres in Malaysia. Mostly came from Kelantan-
Pattani region with influences from
India, China, Thailand and
Indonesia.
The music is based on percussion
instruments and the most
important one is
the gendang (drum).
There are at least 14 types of Music is traditionally used for
traditional drums. storytelling, celebrating life-
cycle events, and times like
harvests.
INTRUMENTS
 MALAY TRADITIONAL MUSICAL
INSTRUMENT
There are four 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.

Idiophone (percussion instruments of fixed immovable surface), such as

gong, kesi, canag, saron, kenong, gambang kayu, bonang, etc; and

Chordophone (string instruments), such as the rebab

Aerophone
Membranophone
IDIOPHONE
CHORDOPHONE
 DANCE
Dance is a popular cultural form in Malaysia
too. Each ethnic group has its own dance
forms which characterizes its culture.
Malaysian dances can be identified with
certain regions or religious practices which are
often performed in festive celebrations,
wedding parties, cultural shows, religious
ceremonies or other public events. Below are
the dances of the 3 major racial groups in our
country : MALAY, CHINESE & INDIAN
 MALAY DANCE
Tarian Melayu or Malay dance portrays the customs or adat resam and
culture or budaya of the Malays. It depicts the true nature of the Malay
people and their way of life.

Generally, Malay dances are divided into two main categories which are
the original Malay dances and adopted Malay dances. The original
Malay dances are indigenous to the Malay region, encompassing Sumatra,
the Malay Peninsular, Singapore, the Riau Archipelago and Borneo, and its
origins can be traced back to the early Malay civilizations. The adopted
Malay dances are influenced by foreign cultures due to political and
historical events. The various forms or styles of Malay dance are further
categorized by its beats (rentak) and rhythm (irama).

The four basic genres of Malay dance are Asli, Inang, Joget and Zapin. Asli
and Inang dances are categorised as the original Malay dances whereas
Joget and Zapin are categorized as adopted Malay dances.
MALAY DANCE
 CHINESE DANCE
The term Chinese Dance, which tends to be broadly used to refer
to dance forms that have traditional Chinese origins, actually
encompasses two main forms, Chinese classical dance and Chinese
ethnic dance.

While continually discovering and preserving the particular charm

and appeal of Chinese classical dance movements, it was also
constantly improving upon its techniques in order to standardize
the form. Improvements in the following areas were just a few ways
in which to achieve that: foundation techniques of Chinese classical
dance (barre work training, centre work training, jumps, turns,
somersaults and combined technique training), Chinese classical
dance posture and rhythm training, tanzigong training (fighting and
acrobatics/martial arts), sword-dance training, long-sleeve dance
training, etc. In fact, recently, Han Tang classical dance training
has also started to gain popularity.
 CHINESE DANCE

Chinese ethnic dance is a product of the historical progress

of each ethnic community as well as their individual artistic
creativity. The dances reflect the various regional
specialties, cultural characteristics and religious beliefs of
each ethnic group at different stages in history, infusing
every dance with unique local flavour, thus making it widely
popular with the masses. Many of the terms used in these
dances are drawn from everyday life and even the props
used are also day-to-day items and instruments. Ethnic
dance performances are a staple at celebrations, religious
ceremonies and major events, making them an integral
part of every communitys identity.
CHINESE
DANCE
 INDIAN DANCE
In the Indian context, both dance and drama were fused into
one at a very early stage of development. The techniques
governing the technique of Indian dance are the same as
those that govern the technique of classical drama in India.
Classical Indian dance is divided into three distinct categories,
namely natya (corresponds to drama), nritya (gesticulation
when it is performed to words sung in a musical melody) and
nritta (pure dancing where the movements do not express
any mood or meaning).
While most of the styles are rooted in the basic principles,
there are certain characteristic features that distinguish one
form from the other. One of the famous Indian dance is
Bharatanatyam.
INDIAN DANCE
 GHAZAL
The Ghazal is a poetic
form consisting of
rhyming couplets and
a refrain, and each
phrase shares the same
meter.

The Ghazal spread

into South Asia in the
12th century.

The Ghazal in Malaysia

is the most popular
traditional music in
Johor.
 DIKIR BARAT
Dikir Barat is a musical form,
native to the Malay Peninsula,
mainly in Kelantan. It involves
singing in group.

It is performed either
with percussion
instrumental accompaniment or
with no instruments at all.

The Malaysian government

actively promotes Dikir Barat as
Malaysian national culture.
 Boria was first brought to
BORIA
Penang in 1845 by the Muslim
soldiers of the 21st Madras
Regiment.

A typical Boria troupe consists of

a leader, a chorus, comedians and
musicians.

The song-dance group

commonly performs dances such
as rumbas, Cha-cha-cha or
soul.