'Gondang' The Uniqueness Music From the Toba Batak

Coinciding because I used to learn about traditional musical instruments theoretically this time I gave a little information that I had obtained during my stay and school in the city of Medan regarding one of the traditional music of the Toba Batak tribe, Gondang. Previously, what was the meaning of the word gondang itself? it turns out that gondang has three different meanings depending on where we review it. First, Gondang can be interpreted as a type of musical instrument that resembles a drum if we interpret it from the aspect of the media. whereas, from the aspect of the type of music, gondang can be interpreted as a type of music even gondang also interpreted as a musical composition.

Gondang music consists of 2 types based on the ensemble, the first ensemble is Gondang Sabangunan which is usually played outside the home or on the home page. Gondang Sabangunan consists of

-Sarune Bolon which is a double reed (obo) wind instrument ..Sarune players use a technique called marsiolak hosa (returning breath continuously) and the player plays long, endless phrases to inhale.

- tagading which is 5 pieces of drums lined up. how to play it is hit using a punch, so it is not hit directly by the hand.

- ogung is a gong which consists of 4 pieces, each of which has a role in forming a rhythm. the concept is similar to the gongan cycle found in gamelan music from Java and Bali, but the rhythm is shorter.

- gordang which is a big drum that accentuates rhythm rhythms.

The second type is Gondang Hasapi, which is usually played in the house.

the gondang stairs are very unique, which is almost the same as the major diatonic scales found in western music. This is very unique because as far as I know it cannot be found anywhere else. first, this music was only used in sacred events (death, marriage, birth etc.) but after the development of the music era it was used as entertainment for the community and the instruments used were no longer 100% original from the area but were mixed with modern instruments such askeyboard, guitar, bass and drum.in the city of Medan itself there are still many schools that have these musical instruments as a venue for learning and cultural preservation. So that in the future it is hoped that future generations will still know it and play it.