Malay Traditional Music and Dance: Joget and Zapin

Vocabulary flashcards covering the characteristics, instrumentation, structure, and rhythmic features of Joget and Zapin traditional Malay music, along with reflex arc notes from the lecture material.

Joget

A dance form originating from Malacca with Portuguese influences, performed at social events, dance halls, weddings, and cultural festivals.

Joget Time Signature

Duple time featuring switching between simple duple (2/4) and compound duple (6/8) time signatures, though notation is always written in 2/4.

Joget Structure

Starts straight away with the metered section without an opening taksim, with percussion staying at relatively the same dynamic level throughout.

Joget Melodic Layer

Instrumentation consisting of Vocals, Seruling (sometimes), Violin, and Accordion.

Joget Harmonic Layer

Instrumentation consisting of Accordion, with Guitar sometimes added.

Joget Rhythmic Layer

Instrumentation consisting of Gong and Rebana.

Zapin

An energetic dance form brought to the Malay Peninsula by Arab communities that settled in Johor in the 1300s, where dancers form rows and stamp their feet on the fourth beat.

Zapin Meter

A 4/4 meter.

Zapin Melodic Layer

Instrumentation consisting of Vocals, Gambus, Seruling, Violin, and Accordion.

Zapin Harmonic Layer

Instrumentation consisting of Accordion.

Zapin Rhythmic Layer

Instrumentation consisting of Marwas and Rebana, with a gong sometimes added.

Taksim

The introductory section of Zapin featuring free rhythm and improvisation by the gambus based on diatonic and modal scales.

Main Dance Section

The main body of the Zapin dance, usually consisting of two contrasting melodic ideas and featuring the zapin rhythm.

Wainap

Also called Tahtim, an extension of the melodic phrase ending each dance section and the piece itself, accompanied by loud drumming.

Pokok Rhythm

A rhythmic pattern featured in the Wainap that is syncopated, offbeat, features interlocking patterns between marwas players, and is often repeated three times.

Rebana

A large frame drum played by the hands, made from a large piece of goatskin stretched over a wooden frame, used in both Zapin and Joget.

Sensory Neurone

A neurone that carries nerve impulses from receptors when dust is breathed in.

Relay Neurone

A neurone located in the spinal cord that receives nerve impulses transferred from a sensory neurone.