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 caklempong photos were taken when author visited Muzium Negeri in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan*
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