Gambus: The Malay Tradisional Music Instrument

History

A qanbūs or gambus (Arabic: القنبوس‎ is a short-necked lute that originated in Yemen and spread throughout the Arabian peninsula. Sachs considered that it derived its name from the Turkic komuz, but it is more comparable to the oud.^[1] It has twelve nylon strings that are plucked with a plastic plectrum to generate sound, much like a guitar. However, unlike a guitar, the gambus has no frets. Its popularity declined during the early 20th century reign of Imam Yahya; by the beginning of the 21st century, the oud had replaced the qanbūs as the instrument of choice for Middle-Eastern lutenists.

Yemen migration saw the instrument spread to different parts of the Indian Ocean. In Muslim Southeast Asia (especially Indonesia,Malaysia and Brunei), called the gambus, it sparked a whole musical genre of its own. Today it is played in Johor, South Malaysia, in the traditional dance Zapin. In the Comoros it is known as gabusi,^[2] and in Zanzibar as gabbus.

Various Malay Gambus

Three categories of Gambus coexist Malaysia :

Gambus Hijaz, a monoxyle, long necked lute , mostly according summary informations . Also known there
as Gambus Melayu, Panting (Benjmarsin, south Kalimantan) , Gita Nangka(Singapore), Gambus Seludang Gambus Perahu, Gambus Biawak, Gambus Palembang The instrument is now rare and hardly survives
reportedly in Johor state, Sarawak (near Kuching), Sabah (Semporna, Papar, Bongawan), Kalimantan
(panting music in Benjmarsin) and various districts of Sumatra districts : Bengkalis, Penyengat, Jambi, &
Medan.

Gambus Hadramawt, a oud-like lute. The instrument features the conventional glued ribs, or « arched
back » technics, as HILARIAN use to name it. This is famous in peninsular Malaysia as the « Gambus
Johor », as this is appreciated there still when performing local avatars of the Ghazal musical performance.
This can be found still in Johor state, Brunei, Sabah, Java , Sumatra, Madura, Sulu. The instrument is still
much appreciated in Brunei, where this was presumately introduced there much later than the Gambus
Hijaz. It seems this is revived there, and still constructed according egyptian design pattern,mostly for Zapin
and Qasida accompaniement.

Bruneian monoxyle Gambus Seludang is a local crossover design family in Brunei and Sabah. This name
« Seludang » is reported by HILARIAN as a former vernacular nickname of the Gambus Hijaz , but the
bruneian making technics and organology – obvious specific feature is a 100% wooden soundboard -
differentiates it apart both existing Gambus Hijaz and Gambus Hadramawt families. The author claims the
name « Seludang » to root from the shape of a local palm sheath, and this may differentiate it in the local
vernacular vocabulary of Sabah, as Gambus Hijaz was basically nicknamed Gambus Biawak in this far
territory, as HILARIAN says. Actually, the confusing « Seludang » name presumately suggests this
endemic monoxyle construction may have originated in latter evolutions of local technics, after the oud to
have been reintroduced in Brunei. The local cause of this change may be the outstanding profusion of
abunding huge jack trees and teack trees in Brunei, Sarawak and Sabah.