> The Sape guitar-a traditional musical instrument of the Dayak People
The Sape guitar-a traditional musical instrument of Dayak People

The Sape guitar-a traditional musical instrument of the Dayak People

The Sape guitar is a traditional musical instrument from Kalimantan

The Sape guitar-a traditional musical instrument of Dayak People

The Sape guitar-a traditional musical instrument of Dayak People from Kalimantan

I personally call it like a guitar because of its shape, and how to play almost similar to a guitar, namely by picking it

But even though looks similar to a guitar, Sape has its own uniqueness, namely from its distinctive and unique sound

Also, the shape of Sape is attractive and full of ornaments

This musical instrument is mostly played by the Dayak tribe in Kalimantan

But with the development of the era and technology,

now many non-Dayak Indonesians are familiar with this musical instrument and have learned to play it

Besides being popular in Indonesia, Sape is also widely known abroad

Because there are artists from the Dayak tribe who play it abroad such as in China, Dubai, and several other countries.

History of  Sape

The Sape guitar-a traditional musical instrument of Dayak People

The history of the Sape – it was first discovered by the Dayak Kayaan and Dayak Kenyah tribe

There are two types of Sape Guitar, the first is wide-bodied but small-stemmed about one meter long

This first type of Sape has two strings made of plastic with 4 scales and was discovered by the Dayak people of the Kayaan tribe

The second type of Sape is small and elongated with a length of about 1.5 meters, has 3 or 5 strings, and has 11 or 12 scales

This second type of Sape was discovered by the Dayak people of the Kenyah tribe

What is it used for??

The Sape guitar-a traditional musical instrument of Dayak People

At first, the Sape guitar was used to accompany dances from the Dayak tribe

and as supporting music at traditional ritual events from other Dayak tribes.

Sape means 3 according to the number of strings

As I mentioned before, there are two types of Sape guitars, namely Sape from the Dayak Kayaan tribe and from the Kenyah tribe

both are basically almost the same in the way of making

These two forms of Sape also represent the artistic values ​​of the cultures of the two tribes

These values ​​can be seen in the shape of the Sape which is like a boat carved with ornaments typical of the Dayak tribe

At first, the strings used in Sape were made of rattan but with the development of the times they were replaced with guitar strings

How to make a Sape guitar

How to make this Sape guitar is quite complicated

because the wood used is certain wood such as wood from the jackfruit tree

The louder and more veined the wood, the better the sound it produces.

The surface is flattened, while the back is in the hole lengthwise, but does not penetrate the surface.

To find a good sound, the thickness of the edges and the surface must be the same so that the sound can vibrate evenly,

So that it produces a sound that is long and loud when plucked.

How to play Sape guitar?

The way to play the Sape guitar is quite unique because it is different from how to play the guitar

This is because there is only one string that is shifted up and down following the feeling of the player

Because the Dayak tribe is very close to nature, the strains of the tone also represent the natural atmosphere around it

Dayak people usually play this instrument together in their traditional house

The traditional house for gathering is called the Betang house

The Sape guitar today

Sape guitar now along with the times began to collaborate with other musical instruments

The songs he plays are also diverse and not only about nature but also about love

This musical instrument is also starting to be made in an electric version so that it produces a louder and stronger sound

So that’s a glimpse of the Sape guitar, a traditional musical instrument typical of the Kalimantan Dayak tribe

Are you interested in learning it??

 

 

 

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