RAPA-IE ( rapa-ii)

Rapa-ie is one of Aceh’s music  elements. It can be a part of traditional music.It can be a percussion. Rapa-ie is used by beaten, one hand arms the rapa-ie, and onother hand beats it following a traditional song and dancer. Nowadays, Rapa-ie is used in modern music. It becomes a part of modern musical instrument.

Rapa-ie is made by one who has a special skill  in making it.  He must be able to choose special wood and leather, than he must be able to process that wood and leather to be a good rapa-ie. Even one who able to make rapa ie also must be able to test that rapa-ie whether this rapa-ie has good sound or not.  Rapa-ie is made of a special wood.  In my village, It is usually made of jackfruit trunk. According to the specialist,  the jackfruit trunk is light, and it can make rapa-ie strong and long lasting. The most important thing that it can make the sound of rapa-ie nice to listen.

In addition, Rapa-ie is familiarly used at traditional dance like rapa-ie  saman dance. Rapa-ie saman dance is a dance that inclose rapa-ie as main instrument. This dance is played by 12 dancers. They have their own role.  Two dancer take a role as singers, and the others as dancers. The dancers each other arm rapa-ies. They beat and play rapa-ie as beautiful as they are possible. They dance following singing which is sung by two singers sitting behind them. The singers sing traditional song. Traditionally , the song is about praise to God ( Allah SWT) and apostle ( Muhammad SAW).

In this time, rapa-ie can be found in  dance studioes, schools, villages in Aceh. By the reason that those places have a resposibility to keep rapa-ie and rapa-ie dance existing in modern life.