Having fun with music

No thanks to the cheeky antics of The Abonation, a street band in Jalan Bukit Bintang, I experience the most embarrassing moment of my life right in the middle of a busy street in the Golden Triangle.

I try to beat a hasty retreat but Megat Shamsul, 30, the band leader persuades me to stay.

“Clap along and be part of the rhythm party,” he urges.

“Oh what the heck,” I think, giving in and finding myself having the time of my life.

It is quite an introduction to the world of interactive music, where the audience is invited to jam with the musicians! Everyone is invited, never mind if you don’t have a musical background, say the Tugu Drum Circle, another street band that encourages crowd participation.

Rosdi “Shady” Zahari, 27, of the Tugu Drum Circle, says it’s just a matter of feeling the rhythm and fitting in. All one needs is a good ear for music and a sporting spirit, adds Izzardzafli “Nicky” Fadzil, 27, of The Abonation.

The Abonation brings people together in their public jam sessions. --Starpic by SIA HONG KIAU

Shady, a self-taught percussionist, has been teaching drumming techniques to the group, free of charge, for three years.

“It’s very easy and anyone can do it. Once you can play, we’ll teach you how to improvise with different beats and that’s when you can learn to ‘sing’ with the drum,” says Shady.

You don’t have an instrument? No worries. The musicians will probably lend you theirs. In any case, you can always make your own, like Paul Lau, 45, the founder of Tugu Drum Circle, did. He makes percussion instruments out of broomstick handles with bottle caps nailed to them.

These interactive street groups sound nothing like a conventional band. Their music seems to come from the heart and soul. It’s tribal. Organic. Catchy. Very alive.

“It’s a form of community service,” says Shady, of the free music lessons they offer.

“Not everyone can afford music lessons and there is a saying that if you keep knowledge locked away, it will wither and die. Share it and it will grow.”

Nicky, for his part, thinks that public jam sessions may help youths on the streets who have neither the resources nor space to pass the time productively.

“When I started busking at Bintang Walk two years ago, I thought, ‘Why not teach these street youths to make music instead of sitting around and wasting time’?”

With this in mind, Nicky invited youths to join his new band. Today, they have five core members and their début album Birth will be out Aug 15.

Public response to jam sessions by The Abonation and Tugu Drum Circle are encouraging.

One retired 55-year-old TNB technician who calls himself Ramli Rock joins The Abonation in their sessions at least three times a week. A paraplegic, Ramli thinks the activity is a way for him to rejoin the mainstream.

He plays the harmonica, bird whistle and beats time using a comb handle and wooden block. These jam sessions always make Ramli’s day and is a great way for him to make new friends. W

For a copy of The Abonation’s album Birth, call Nicky at 016-3670 138. They play from 9pm to midnight every day in front of Maybank near BB Plaza

Drumming to foster unity

Life is full of funny turns. For example, if Paul Lau, 45, had not been working 12-15 hour days as a landscape designer three years ago, the Tugu Drum Circle may never have been formed.

Feeling “physically and mentally drained” from his hectic work schedule, Lau decided to look for an outlet for stress.

Drumming sounded like a good idea, so Lau decided to take up drum lessons with Lewis Pragasam. But he hardly had time to practise. Luckily, Pragasam did not forsake this “tardy” student of his. When he formed Beat Club, Pragasam invited Lau to tour the country with the drum and percussion band.

And that was how Lau became hooked on drumming and how the notion of creating a “drum circle” began to form in his mind.

Drum circles, explains Lau, are not new. It has its origins in the US when an African drummer, the late Babatunde Olatunji, started the practice of drumming as a form of community service. What makes drum circles unique is that there is no audience. Everyone is part of the performance. The goal is not precise rhythmic articulation or perfection of technique, but the ability to form a group mind, a state of “entrainment”.

“When everyone makes music together, their brainwaves are in sync. This is a primal form of communication that creates a non-vocal bond with all people regardless of gender, race or religion,” Lau says.

The Tugu Drum Circle jamming. --Starpic by SAMUEL ONG

“When everyone in the drum circle is in a state of total synchronicity, there is a special moment where everybody gets a natural high and their bodies feel light. I have felt this and even without thinking, my hands would move to the rhythm,” says Lau.

This drumming enthusiast says that when people come together to make “in the moment” music, it creates positive thoughts and feelings. It also fosters a sense of muhibbah as it brings people of all races together in an activity.

“As you can see, our country is very rich in drum culture with influences and traditions from various parts of the world. We have Chinese, Malay and Indian drums but they rarely come together in a jam session. Our aim is to bring people together from all walks of life and build a stronger community spirit by making music together,” he says.

Lau thinks drumming also allows people to “voice” their feelings.

“In the Tugu Drum Circle, anyone who starts a rhythm is the leader and the group will support that person. As the rhythm continues, it could metamorphose into another rhythm and everybody will support the player of that new rhythm.

“Everyone is a star whilst being supportive of each other, and, in the process, everyone gets to ‘speak’. As such young players will also get a ‘voice’ regardless of their age and this empowers them to ‘drum talk’ as young people are usually too shy to voice out their feelings”.

To take his drumming passion further, Lau attended a seven-day workshop – thanks to a provisional grant from the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Heritage – in Hawaii on Aug 7, where Arthur Hull, a reknowned drum circle facilitator, conducted his Drum Circle Facilitator Playshop 2006.

Lau hopes the experience will enable him to take the Tugu drummers to a higher level. – By GRACE CHEN

The Tugu Drum Circle gathers every Sunday from 5.30pm to 8.30pm at the National Monument in Lake Gardens. To get in touch with Paul Lau, call 012-2663292.

The Star, Saturday August 19, 2006