1. GONG.
The most common instrument by far throughout Borneo, and wide parts of Asia, is the gong. The Kadazan call a gong ensemble, which consists of 6 gongs in the Penampang area, sompogogungan.
The ensemble is completed with a gandang (a drum, see below). A set of 7 to 9 kettle gongs or kulintangan completes the full ensemble, faintly resembling an Indonesian gamelan collection.
To the Kadazan, the gong (tagung) is very important, and each gong in the ensemble has its own name. Starting from the highest pitched gong, usually suspended on the right side of the row of players, they are called:
1 Saasalakan
2 Naananangon
3 Hahambatan
4 Kuukulimpoon
5 Tootoongon
6 Tatavag
The mallet to beat the gongs is called tutuntung.
2. KULINTANGAN.
Is frequently included amongst coastal gong ensemblesthough it is also found amongst interior natives like theLabuk-Kinabatangan Kadazans and the Paitanic peoples(both from the eastern Sabah) who have come intocontract with the coastal natives.These idiophones produce predominantly ritual Music:The Tatana Dusun of Kuala Penyu (Southwestern Sabah)employ kulintangan music, and sumayau dancing, aswell as unaccompanied by ritual chanting in Moginumrites to welcome the spirits.The Lotud-Dusun of Tuaran (west Coast of Sabah) usegong ensembles in the slow sedate mongigol dance forthe seven-day Rumaha rites which honour the spirits of sacred skulls and the five-day Mangahau rites which honour possessed jars.
TOGUNGGAK (Interior Dusuns)TOGUNGGU (Penampang Kadazan dusun) & TAGUNGGAK (Muruts).
In older times before gongs were traded into Sabah, thetogunggak was used to accompany dancing and inprocession. It was and still is made of bamboo, whichflourishes in most parts of Sabah. Bamboo is a greatsource of raw materials for Sabah’s musical instruments.
The togunggak consists of a series of hollowed outbamboo tubes of varying sizes of the gongs. The musicproduced is a hollow and rhythmic tung, tung, tungsound of different pitches in each of the different sizes.The togunggak is played by a troupe of a dozen or sopeople in lieu of the gong ensemble.
3. SOMPOTON.
The sompoton is an aerophone, and maybe the most fascinating of all the Sabahan native musical instruments. It is constructed from a dried gourd and eight bamboo pipes arranged in a double-layered raft. A small lamella of polod palm (like a tiny bungkau) is inserted in the side of each sounding pipe near its base.
The pipes are fitted into a hole on one side of the gourd and sealed with bees wax. The lamellae lie inside the gourd and provide the sound of the completed instrument. The pipes are bound with thin strands of rattan, whereby one of the pipes has no sound; it is merely there to balance the bundle.
By blowing and sucking the gourd's mouth, the player can produce a soft-sweet harmonious and continuous sound, not unlike the bagpipe. The sompoton can be played as a solo instrument for personal entertainment or in groups to accompany dancing.
It is popular among the Kadazandusun, but variations of the sompoton can be found almost everywhere in Borneo, and other parts of South-East Asia.
4. BUNGKAU.
The bungkau is a lamellophone, one of the oldest instruments in the world – it is know the world over as Jew’s harp. Here it is made from the outer skin of palm fronds of the genus Caryota, locally known as polod. A skilful hand is needed to fashion a good one, the best are being obtained from Tambunan, Ranau and Keningau areas. The instrument is held to the player’s lips, his half-open mouth providing the body of resonance.
The strip of wood in the centre of the bungkau is made to vibrate by rhythmically striking the long end with the thumb, while the player inhales and exhales, thus magnifying the melodic sound of the fine strip. A limited number of notes can be obtained by varying the shape of mouth and the position of the tongue. When not in use, the bungkau is usually encased in an attached bamboo cylinder to keep it clean and free from damage.
Elderly people will tell you how they used to play the bungkau in the evening, near the house of their beloved when they were still bachelors, and when young girls were still jealously guarded by their parents. The sound of the bungkau would not arise anybody’s suspicion, but the young lady knew and would appear discreetly at the window, or on the porch of her home.
The bungkau was also played as a pastime when fishing.
Actually, banyak lagi alat-alat muzik yang terdapat di Sabah, tetapi ini adalah alat yang popular dalam kalangan masyarakat Sabah.
Ok, I think this is enough for now. got to go. byeeeee!
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