A basic study of the grumong music in Melanau kaul festival

The overall aim of this research is to determine the role and function of the grumong music used during the Kaul festival. This includes the context of performance practice and technique of the music. The methodology applied consists of review on the existing literature which related to the Melanau community, observation on performance during the ritual ceremony, interview sessions with various members of the communities and audio/visual documentation. Result indicates the grumong music ensemble was used to accompany the Serahang to the river mouth for the ritual ceremony The existence of other races' influences in the musical setting which resulted the assimilation in musical instruments used. By the end of this research, the outcome of the study should allow the preservation, conservation, documentation and transmission of the grumong music in order to prevent the decline of the music among the newer generation of this community.