The phenomenon that was Pop Yeh Yeh

TO be honest – by this, I mean, REAL honest – thrilled was not exactly the word to describe how I felt when I was assigned to interview Datuk A Rahman Hassan, he’s one of the pioneers of Pop Yeh Yeh, a local music genre which took the region by storm in the 60′s.

Our very own Elvis? Hmm, interesting. It wasn’t exactly an easy task to get hold of the man thanks to the seemingly never-ending photo shoots surrounding him following the announcement of Konsert Pop Yeh Yeh Suatu Evolusi.So finally, there we were, sitting in a corner at the lobby of Hotel Adamson. The man sitting in front of me was a picture of serenity. With a cigarette dangling between his fingers, he started to chronicle in a slow, calm tone, the rise and development of Pop Yeh Yeh. One thing is for sure, the man is different from the veterans who can’t help but keep on reminiscing about the good old days.

For the uninitiated, Pop Yeh Yeh was inspired by Western rock and roll bands, particularly The Beatles. The genre soon gained a huge following in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.

“Strictly speaking, the era began in 1964 and the hype lasted till the late 60s. By 1969, the trend started fading,” recalled A Rahman.

The term Pop Yeh Yeh was derived from a line from The Beatles hit, She Loves You, `she loves you, yeah-yeah-yeah’. The singer traces the roots of the genre back to Suzanna. Sang by M Osman in 1964, it is widely considered as the first Pop Yeh Yeh song.

“He’s known as Raja Pop Yeh Yeh. Back in those days, albums came in the form of EPs, which normally contained four songs each. The artiste’s name was printed on the EP instead of the album title.

“The recording session was an one-run thing. One error and you would have to start all over again. Even the songs back then were short. “A song normally lasted for like, two or at most, three minutes. Tengah syiok then habis,” he recalled with a smile. Short as they were, these songs were the key factors that would make or break an artiste.

A Rahman Hassan & Orkes Nirwana during their heydays [thank you to popok08.blogspot.com for the pix
“Basically, if you got the right song, you would go up. Last time, there used to be a programme called Lagu Pujaan Minggu Ini. Hosted by the first Malay DJ MIA (Mohd Ismail Abdullah), it was aired on Radio Singapore and was a weekly chart sort of thing. “If your song hits number one on Lagu Pujaan Minggu Ini, then you know that you’re gonna be big.”

Returning to the present, I ask him what he thinks about the current music scene?

“One thing that strikes me is how everything is so sophisticated and advanced. You can get all the facilities that you need. It seems that there should be no reason why an artiste can’t be big.

“However, there’s no denying the fact that, even though everything is great, at the same time, competition has heightened, too. This is also why you see many artistes nowadays having to work really hard in order to make it big in the industry.”

Let’s shift our attention back to Orkes Nirwana, the band fronted by A Rahman.

On Mar 25, 1965, a common passion for music brought Johorians A Rahman (frontman), Datin Azizah bt Mohamad (vocalist), E Elias (bassist), B Badrun (guitarist), A Rozie Ashari (tambourine player) and M Radzi Jamil (drummer) together to form Orkes Nirwana.

The term kugiran is short for Kumpulan Gitar Rancak, which refers to a band consisting of a vocalist, a lead guitarist, a bassist, a rhythm-guitarist, a keyboardist and a drummer. It was coined by subtitling officer, Daud Abdul Rahman. Though heavily influenced by Western music, the collective insisted on a Malay band name.

“This is because we sang in Malay and our audiences were mainly Malay,” explained A Rahman.

Over the years, the collective had launched eight EPs and brought us hits like Tak Mengapa, Hanya Untukmu, Semoga Berjaya, Perpaduan Hidup and Kerana Fitnah. The band’s reference points back then were from the West: The Rolling Stones, Peacemakers, The Beatles, as well as The Shadows and Cliff Richard.

“These were the acts that were really big at the time. However, we tried to create our own style and infuse more local elements into it.” Though the genre died down in the late 60s, it experienced a resurgence in popularity later, which was very evident during the Malam Himpunan 60-an which was held in 1985 at Stadium Negara.

Orkes Nirwana remains active until today and A Rahman was last seen performing at a tsunami concert in Johor Baru, three years ago. It is a widely acknowledged truth that the local music scene lacks proper documentation of its origins and development. And this had always been something that many local music critics – (including one extremely passionate entertainment editor at The Malay Mail) – sighed over. It’s apparent that A Rahman has spent time thinking about this too. And who better to do this if not the man himself?

“I intend to write more about the beginnings of the local music scene in a book. Of course this requires a lot of research. You know, back then, there were thousands of kugiran. It would be great to be able to make a record of these. I still remember many of these bands, as well as the very first songs they sang. It would be interesting to document the origin and the hardships that these early artistes went through during their times.

“I have already started on this and, hopefully, I can finish it within the next two years,” he concluded.
* Originally published in The Malay Mail on Aug 21, 2007

The Parts of the Guitar

Guitar Diagram

Guitars can be classified into 2 main categories, acoustic and electric. Well you play them in similar ways the style of their composition is quite different. Below is a guitar diagram that details some of the parts on both.

1. The Headstock

The focal point of the tuning system, headstocks come in two distinctive designs. The square headstock has three tuners on either side, whilst Fender style instruments have all six tuners on the left.

2. Tuner

There are six tuners—one for each string. They are used in guitar tuning to tune strings to their proper pitch. Each tuner consists of a nut and cog to tighten or slacken the string. Also known as machine heads.

3. Nut

The nut keeps the strings in position as they leave the head, by way of six small grooves. If you own an expensive guitar the nut will probably be made of ivory. If you’re a conservationist or just an economist it’ll be plastic.

4. Frets

Frets are wire inserts which mark the points on the neck where you pass each string to make different notes. They are normally made of nickel alloy, hammered home.

5. Fretboard

Generally made of rosewood, the fretboard is glued to the neck. It’s usually decorated with tortoise shell or plastic inlays which help you to see where you are on the fretboard.

6. Strings

The strings are the lifeblood of the instrument, and a poor or worn set can make even the most talented player sound bad. Generally constructed from alloy, strings very in thickness from the bottom (the thickest) to the top (thinnest). The three bass strings are wound to give them depth, whilst their skinny counterparts are simply tensioned alloy wire. Strings are measured by gauge—the lower the number, the thinner the string. It’s important to select a set suitable for your guitar, whether electric or acoustic. The two aren’t generally interchangeable.

7. Pick Guard

Located next to the sound hole (on acoustic guitars) or pick-ups (on electric guitars) the pickguard protects the main body of the instrument from pectrum scratches and finger marks.

8. Soundboard

The acoustic guitar soundboard is the top piece of wood on the main body. The sound hole is cut into it.

9. Pick-Ups

Pick-ups transmit the string sound from the guitar to the amplifier by way of an electric lead. In reality, pick-ups are no more than miniature Microphones. You can in fact talk into a guitar pick-up and your voice will be broadcast through the amp.

10. Bridge

Acoustic and electric guitar bridges come in all shapes and sizes, but their purpose is the same. They adjust the pitch, harmonics and string height. The classic set-up is the retaining tailpiece, and individual bridge, which is adjustable on electric models as you can see below in the guitar diagram. Modern acoustic and many electric guitars have a one-piece bridge set-up, which eliminates the separate tailpiece. The bridge on a acoustic guitar is slightly offset to achieve perfect harmonics, whilst the electric counterpart has a series of independent mechanisms, one for each string. These are adjusted with a small screwdriver, until the pitch is correct.

11. Volume And Tone Control

Once your guitar is plugged in, and you have turned your amp on, you will be able to adjust volume and tone by the collection of knobs generally positioned to the right side of the bridge.

Source : http://www.howtotuneaguitar.org/tuning/methods/

Guitar Types

Classical And Flamenco Guitars

Sometimes known as Spanish guitars, these instruments are very suitable for Classical Style solo playing Flamenco Music and for accompanying singers. The nylon strings are plucked or strummed with the right-hand thumb or fingers – a pick is never used. The Flamenco Guitar is similar to the classical Guitar but has plates to protect the face of the guitar during golpe tapping.

Round-Hole Steel Strung Guitars

The most common type of Acoustic guitar found in North America, these all-round instruments are used for most popular guitar music; pretty much everything except Classical or Flamenco. They may be finger-picked, or played with a Guitar Pick. They are suitable for accompanying singing and playing with others. Pick-ups may be added to those guitars for playing with an amplifier.

The Jumbo is a Round-hole Guitar with an extra large body which gives a deep bass sound.

The 12-string Guitar is similar to the Jumbo, but is a more specialized instrument. It is not recommend for absolute beginners.

Semi Acoustic Guitars

These very slim guitars give enough acoustic (un-amplified) sound for practicing, but are otherwise played with an amplifier. They are lighter than Solid Guitars and often have a better tone when amplified.

Cello Guitars are similar but have a thicker body. They are played with or without an amplifier and give a chunky rhythm sound.

Electric Guitars

Electric Guitars are only played with an amplifier, as they have no real acoustic sound. They are made in various shapes, styles and sizes and usually come with a solid body. You can also use effects pedals and different types of contraptions to alter the sound.

Semi-Acoustic and Solid Body Guitars have lower action then an Acoustic or Classical Guitar, and are ideal for fast ‘electric’ playing – Jazz, Rock, Pop, etc.

Electric guitars are generally played with a guitar pick.

Source : http://www.howtotuneaguitar.org/tuning/methods/

Kisah Search Ke Layar Perak

Petikan Berita Harian : Filem berjudul Search: Meniti Titian bakal mulakan penggambaran.

HANYA dengan satu keputusan nekad, lima minit sebelum bas bergerak menuju ke Kuala Lumpur, adalah menjadi titik terpenting di dalam lipatan sejarah buat kumpulan lagenda rock tanah air, Search. Pemain dram, Yazid Ahmad hampir bertindak mengoyakkan tiket Amy kerana yakin Amy tidak akan menaiki bas pada malam itu untuk menuju ke ibu negara bagi memulakan penghidupan baru mereka sebagai pemuzik. Amy pula yang sememangnya pemuda pendiam sejak remaja seperti berada di dalam dilema. Dia seperti tidak mampu untuk membuat keputusan, sama ada ingin terus mengikuti sahabat lain ke Kuala Lumpur atau mendengar cakap kedua orang tuanya supaya terus tinggal di Johor Bahru.

Sedangkan pada waktu Hillary Ng, Nasir Daud dan Din memang sudah lama menunggu mereka (Yazid dan Amy) di Kuala Lumpur. Lima minit sebelum bas bergerak, kelibat Amy dalam keadaan termengah-mengah berlari menaiki anak tangga bas membuatkan Yazid tersenyum bangga. Bermulalah penghidupan baru lima anak muda di kota yang penuh dengan segala macam cabaran sebagai anak seni. Segala detik terpenting, semangat untuk berubah, kejujuran dalam persahabatan dan kehidupan sebenar kumpulan lagenda Search bakal dilayarkan ke layar perak sebagai sebuah filem cereka tidak lama lagi. 

Itulah antara babak dan cerita yang dipaparkan dalam filem yang mengangkat perjalanan hidup dan bermulanya kumpulan Search berjudul Search: Meniti Titian. Ketika ini perancangan untuk filem itu sudah dilakukan sejak setahun yang lalu dan kini proses menyiapkan skrip sedang berjalan rancak. Filem yang diterbitkan Saspintar Sdn Bhd melalui perancangan yang teliti untuk menghasilkan kisah benar kumpulan yang cukup dikagumi di negara ini. 

Penerbitnya, Marzunaidi Mat Noh berkata, perancangan dan kajian yang rapi akan dilalui bagi memastikan kualiti produk dapat dihasilkan. 

“Idea ini timbul setahun yang lalu di dalam bulan puasa. Saya dan rakan sekerja, Suhaimi berjumpa Amy pada satu majlis berbuka puasa dan menyatakan hasrat itu untuk menerbitkan filem yang mengisahkan kisah benar Search.  
“Idea saya memang diterima Amy, namun Amy menyoal saya semula, ‘siapa yang nak buat? Katanya kalau betul nak buat, kenalah serius dan melakukan persediaan yang rapi. Memang dia tidak mahu cakap kosong. 

“Dari situ kami mula berbincang, merancang dan merangka sehinggalah hari ini. Bererti kini sudah setahun proses ini berjalan,” katanya yang ditemui baru-baru ini. 

Kini proses menyiapkan skrip sedang rancak dijalankan dan dijangkakan akan melalui beberapa draf sebelum dipersetujui oleh setiap anggota Search sendiri. 

“Kami kini sedang mendapatkan kisah hidup setiap anggota Search dengan meluangkan masa menemubual mereka dan mengkaji latar kehidupan silam mereka. “Semua cerita di dalam filem ini adalah cerita benar. Beberapa peristiwa penting akan dikeluarkan di mana tanpa peristiwa itu maka tidak akan wujudlah Search hingga hari ini. 

Sebaik draf pertama siap, ia akan melalui proses penyaringan pertama daripada setiap anggota Search sehinggalah ke draf ketiga atau seterusnya. 

“Pada peringkat menyiapkan skrip ini, memang kami harus mendapatkan persetujuan daripada semua ahli Search, ini bagi mengelakkan daripada kesalahan fakta. Lebih lagi filem ini bukan sekadar filem cereka tetapi ia boleh dijadikan rujukan kepada peminat mengenai sejarah penubuhan kumpulan kesayangan mereka,” katanya. 

Search sudah berusia 30 tahun 

VOKALIS utama Search, Amy berkata, sempena 30 tahun usia pembabitan Search di dalam industri hiburan, projek filem ini seharusnya ada bagi dokumentasi impian yang ingin digapai generasi baru.

“Filem ini bukan sekadar menceritakan mengenai pembabitan awal Search di dalam industri seni tetapi semangat. Kerja kuat dan impian Search sehingga sampai ke tahap ini. 

“Bagaimana kami bermula dengan mimpi dan akhirnya menjadi realiti. Kami mahu memberi galakan kepada generasi akan datang walaupun kami semuanya bukan dari latar belakang berpendidikan tinggi,” katanya yang ditemui baru-baru ini. 

Bagi Nasir Daud, sempena ulang tahun ke-30 pembabitan Search dalam industri seni tahun depan, pelbagai perancangan membabitkan jenama Search dirancang dan bakal diterbitkan. “Kini sudah sampai masanya untuk menunjukkan kemuncak karier Search di dalam industri terus disokong. Selain banyak syarikat penerbitan yang berminat untuk menerbitkan filem Search, kami juga merancang untuk menghasilkan buku berjudul ‘Search Untold Story’. 

“Buku ini akan menceritakan kisah Search yang tidak pernah diketahui peminat. Sebagai contoh mengenai pembikinan lagu yang pernah mencetus fenomena dalam industri muzik kita iaitu Isabella dan apa cerita disebalik pembikinan lagu itu. 

“Selain itu, kami juga akan mengeluarkan replika patung Search dalam beberapa versi untuk cenderamata kepada peminat kami. Cenderamata ini akan ditempah di luar negara dan ia bakal diperkenalkan buat pertama kali di negara kita secara eksklusif,” katanya. 

"The Return"......Hari Keluarga 2010 (part 2)

Lagu 'Kasih Berduka' nyanyian Mohd Hazri.

Lagu 'Hati Emas' nyanyian Mohd Haizal.

Guitar Lesson: 10 Guitar Tuning Tips And Secrets

• Tune your guitar every time you pick it up to play, guitars can go out of tune sooner then you think.

• Avoid leaving your guitar in areas with extreme temperature changes,this will definitely mess up the tuning. Dropping or bumping the guitar will also make it go out of tune. Carry your guitar in a case as any damage to it could effect how well it tunes up.

• In a noisy environment you will definitely want to use a guitar tuner. You should purchase a quality tuner. You don’t need to spend alot. An inexpensive tuner or tuning fork is definitely good enough to start out. Always bring it to gigs and jam sessions. But, remember try to develop your ear by using the traditional guitar tuning method when you can. In the long run you will be just that much better of a musician. Only use a guitar tuner to tune the Low E string and then tune the rest by ear. This will help develop your ear as a musician.

• Learn to attach the strings to the machine heads properly.

• ALWAYS TUNE UP! When you tune a guitar string, always start below the desired note and tune up to pitch not down to pitch. This will help prevent the string from going flat during play. Even if the note is too high you can stretch the string to give it some slack then tighten it.

• Tuning heads have a certain amount of “play” in them so make a couple of deep bends and then fine tune the string.

• Before tuning a suspect string, check it against both adjacent strings to determine which string is actually out of tune. The string you suspect may not even be the culprit.

• Play a chord that you know well to test the tuning, if it sounds odd or out a bit it probably is, remember always trust you ear.

• When tuning a guitar with a vibrato arm, tune the string, give the arm a good shake, stretch the string, give the arm another shake and fine tune.

• When putting new strings on your guitar you must always make sure you stretch them as you tune them to pitch. Try holding them down on the neck around the 24th fret with your right hand while pulling them away from the guitar body with your left hand. You don’t have to use too much muscle, a few firm tugs should do the trick.

Guitar Lesson: Standard Guitar Tuning Methods

There are many different methods you can use to tune a guitar. The most popular and widely used is Standard Guitar Tuning. That is, the strings are tuned from thickest to thinnest E A D G B E. This tuning evolved mainly because it is the best and easiest for fingering the most amount of scales and chords. Not only are there different tunings, but there are also different techniques to tuning up. I suggest that you experiment and learn different ways to tune. Here are 5 easy methods:

• Using An Online Guitar Tuner
• Tuning With An Electronic Tuner
• Guitar Tuning With A Keyboard or Piano
• Tuning In Octaves
• Tuning With Harmonics

Using An Online Guitar Tuner

Check out this online guitar tuner. This guitar tuner can also do alternate guitar tunings; such as Drop D, Open C, Open G, Open D, Half Step Down, Full Step Down, Open E or Admiral.

Tuning With An Electronic Tuner

There are many electronic tuners on the market today. An electronic tuner monitors the frequency of each of the six strings. The guitar tuning is adjusted until the correct reading on the tuner is given. These are especially good if you are the visual type of learner.An electric guitar or acoustic guitar with a pick-up can also be plugged into the tuner. Sound can be picked up by a tiny built in microphone; this allows acoustics without pick-ups to be tuned. There is a visual frequency display that will show you with a needle how close you are to the proper frequency of any given note. Because of the visual display these tuners are especially helpful in noisy environments, i.e., tuning your guitar in a loud concert hall.

Some electronic tuners also come with adjustable or alternate tunings. Electronic Tuners definitely make guitar tuning easier as they are small and therefore portable. But keep in mind it is helpful to you as a musician to learn to tune by ear as it helps develope your ear, making you a more skillful musician.

Guitar Tuning With A Keyboard Or Piano

The first step in any guitar tuning is to find a source for reference tones. Since pianos stay in tune for years they are always a good source to use. Using a Piano or Keyboard the strings on the guitar can be tuned to six keys on the keyboard. The diagram below shows the relationship between the open notes of standard tuning on guitar and a piano.

Tuning In Octaves

Another common approach to tuning the guitar makes use of octave intervals. To begin with, the open 1st string should be tuned to the note E (you can use an electronic tuner, a piano, a pitchfork, or just wing it by ear to get the correct pitch).

When it is in tune, the open 2nd string (B) can be tuned an octave below the B played on the 7th fret of the 1st string.

With the 2nd string in tune, the open 3rd string (G) can be tuned to the G an octave above on the 8th fret of the 2nd string. The open 4th string (D) can then be tuned to the D an octave above on the 7th fret of the 3rd string.

Similarly, the 5th and 6th strings may also be tuned using the 7th fret octaves.

All the strings except the 3rd should have an interval of an octave between the open string and the 7th fret of the string below. From the 3rd string though, the octave is heard by playing the 8th fret of the 2nd string. 

Tuning with Harmonics

On certain frets, when a string is played while a finger gently touches it directly over the fret, a harmonic is produced. Keep in mind you are not fretting the note directly against the fretboard you are simply touching the string. Placing a finger over one of these points changes the usual pitch of a vibrating open string.

Instead, a related higher-frequency note will be heard. This harmonic is referred to as anupper partial. The technique shown below uses a series of harmonics to tune the guitar. Over the 5th fret, the harmonic occurs two octaves above the pitch of the open string. Over the 7th fret, the harmonic is an octave and a fifth above open-string pitch.

1. Tune the 6th string (E) to a tone reference such as an electronic tuner or other instrument
2. Play the 5th harmonic on the 6th string, let this note ring and play the 7th fret harmonic on the 5th string, adjust the tuning head until they sound the same.
3. Play the 5th harmonic on the 5th string, let this note ring and play the 7th fret harmonic on the 4th string, adjust the tuning head until they sound the same.
4. Play the 5th harmonic on the 4th string, let this note ring and play the 7th fret harmonic on the 3rd string, adjust the tuning head until they sound the same.
5. Play the 7th harmonic on the 6th string, let this note ring and play the open 2nd string, adjust the tuning head until they sound the same.
6. Play the 5th harmonic on the 6th string, let this note ring and play the open 1st string, adjust the tuning head until they sound the same.

That concludes this tutorial on 5 easy guitar tuning methods. Now that your all tuned up you can sit back and strum all night long.

Source : http://www.howtotuneaguitar.org/tuning/methods/

"The Return"......Hari Keluarga 2010 (part 1)

Setelah hampir 2 tahun tak 'jamming' (last 'jamming' Disember 2008), pada Disember 2010, kami kembali ber'jamming' di Power House Studio, Kampung Pandan. Tujuannya adalah untuk persembahan Majlis Makan Malam Hari Keluarga LTAT 2010 di Everly Resort Hotel Melaka pada 18 Disember 2010. Kami telah diberi kepercayaan oleh pihak Kesureta untuk membuat persembahan secara solo pada malam tersebut. "Terima kasih kepada tuan presiden - En. Suhaimi". 

Dengan persiapan hanya 2 minggu (last minute) akhirnya kami berjaya memperkemaskan muzik kami walau pun terdapat masalah dalam 1 - 2 lagu. Lagu-lagu yang terpilih adalah: 

1. Yank – Wali Band
2. Kakanda Adinda – Monologue & Athilia
3. Kebahagiaan Dalam Perpisahan – Shahir
4. Kasih Berduka – 60an
5. Seiring & Sejalan –  Broery & Sharifah Aini
6. Kalau Berpacaran – Suhaimi, Ana Raffali & Altimet
7. Hati Emas – M.Nasir
8. Biarkan Berlalu – Wings
9. Biru Mata Hitamku - Wings
10. Hidup Bersama – A.Ramlee & Rtyhm Boys

MyKugiran juga telah mendapat penyanyi baru iaitu Mohd Hazri@Jerry. Line-up MyKugiran yang terlibat dalam persembahan pada kali ini ialah Azhar, Amirrudin, Saiful Iskandar, Mohamad Fakri, Mohd Azdy, Mohd Hazri, Mohd Haizal, Khairudin Jaffry, Nur Aziha, Zunafishailmy, Siti Radhiah dan drummer jemputan - anak kepada tuan presiden Kesureta.

Rata-rata persembahan kami mendapat 'feedback' yang menggalakkan termasuk dari 'sound man' Kem Terendak, Melaka.

"Yank" nyanyian Mohd Hazri & Zunafishailmy

"Kekanda Adinda" nyanyian Mohd Hazri & Nur Aziha