Da Niu's Chinese New Year Greetings

Today's the 5th day of Chinese New Year celebration. Everything's back to normal. Guess it's never too late for me to wish all my friends a very happy new year and Gong Xi Fatt Chai. May the year of boar brings you good luck, good wealth and good health.

wishing all become 'fat, fat' and 'white, white' like this oink oink here.

Da Niu's Complete Idiot's Guide To Types of Harmonicas

Yeap! You heard me! Harmonica AGAIN!!

I have started a small harmonica class for the Kuching rovers last month. (2nd week of January 2007, 5th January 2007 to be exact) with the aim of having some Rovers to play harmonica and perhaps even perform in the scout night at the end of the year (who knows we might even have a concert of our own!). The class is free of charge, in which I would personally share the joy of harmonica playing with the rovers. Hopefully, this could attract more scouts and rovers in the district in taking up such wonderful music instrument.

As what i have told my friends, harmonica, is relatively easy to learn. However, it can be difficult to master where there are many techniques and methods in making harmonica playing session an enjoyable one. As per Master Zhen Xian Wen's definition of competency, i have just merely passed the basic level and doing ok. Well! yet to progress into the advance level. But can't wait to share what i know and of course, the joy of playing harmonica with my friends. This entry is gonna be a long one (which take me 3 weeks for research, compile, edit and publish)introducing different types of harmonicas and hopefully i won't bore the non-harmonica playing friends but to open the eyes of all my blog readers (as if!! Tak perasan!!), especially my harmonica class. Welcome to the world of harmonica.

Intro...

Harmonica, being the ‘prince’ of all instruments are the most widely played instrument in this world due to its small size, easily portable and relatively cheap in price. It’s the most affordable musical instrument in the world and enjoyed by all communities. Well! this would be my Idiot's guide introducing different types of harmonica enjoyed by the world .

May be i should consider publishing this entry *Evil grin*

There are many types of harmonica produced by many renowned harmonica manufacturers, which are readily available in the market. Generally they can be divided into 3 main groups.

Different categories of harmonica

1, Solo (獨奏類口琴) :
a, - Diatonic (全音階口琴),

i - Tremelo (複音口琴),
ii - Echo (回声/回音口琴),
iii - Octave (重音/上低音口琴),
iv - Blues / 10 Holes (民謠/布鲁斯/十孔口琴),

b, - Chromatic (半音階口琴),

2, Ensemble (合奏類口琴):
a, - Bass (低音口琴),
b, - Chord (和絃口琴),
c, - Horns (銅角口琴),
d, - Baritone (中音口琴).

3, Others :
a, - Baby / Miniature / One Inch harmonica (項鍊口琴).

b, - Historic collection.

i, - Trumpet call

ii, - Echobell

iii, - Puck and double puck

iv, - Echophone

1, Solo (獨奏類口琴) - As the name implies, is to be performed by 1 person only.

a, Diatonic (全音階口琴)

Diatonic harmonica

Strictly speaking, diatonic harmonicas denote any harmonica that is designed for playing diatonic scale in only one key. Depending on the region of the world, " diatonic harmonica" may mean either Tremolo Harmonica (in East Asia) or Blues Harp / 10 holes (In Europe and North America). Other diatonic harmonicas include octave and echo harmonica. The reeds of Diatonic harmonicas produce the notes of the scale to which they are tuned. For example, a diatonic harmonica tuned to the key of C would produce the natural notes of the C scale without sharps and flats (picture the white keys on a piano, without the black keys). Each hole has two reeds; one plays when breath is exhaled (blow) and the other when inhaled (draw). The individual reeds are each tuned to play a different note on the scale. As with many other diatonic instruments, they come in all of the musical keys, and are manufactured by just about every company- Hohner, Suzuki, etc. Although diatonic harmonica are not able to be used to play ‘#’ (Sharp), playing and switching between 2 saperate harmonicas with ‘#’ keys are common practises among players.

I, Tremelo (複音口琴)

Tremelo harmonica

The most commonly used harmonica especially for the beginners. In Asia, diatonic usually refer to this type. Tremelo harmonicas are made out of 2 rolls of reeds. The tremolo harmonica's distinguishing feature is that it has two reeds per note, with one a bit sharp and the other a bit flat. This provides a unique wavering or warbling sound created by the two reeds being slightly out of tune with each other and the difference in their subsequent waveforms interacting with each other. The term "tremolo" is actually something of a misnomer; "vibrato" would have been a better term for this instrument or perhaps “musette”. The Asian version, which has all the notes on it, is used in all East-Asian music, from rock, folk, country to pop music. There are many techniques in playing such harmonica.

II, Blues (十孔民谣口琴)

10 holes / Blues harmonica

Also known as 10-hole harmonica or Blue harp. In United States and Europe, diatonic usually refer to this type. The harmonicas are smaller in size and easily to be brought around. Even Hohner produced a special blue harp for the American Scouts.

Geesss! They even come out with blues harmonica for Scouts!!

The 10-hole, or richter tuned harmonica, is the most widely known type of harmonica. It has ten holes that offer the player a total of 19 notes (10 holes times a draw and a blow for each hole minus one repeated note) in a three octave range. This is the harmonica commonly used in blues, country, jazz and rock music, as well as some skilled jazz players.

One of the specialties of the 10-holed diatonic "Richter" tuned harmonica is its ability to play more than its basic 19 notes. It has the ability to produce 42 notes, (including 4 repeats), ending up with a complete 3 chromatic octave range, plus two extra half-steps on the high end. This requires the use of special techniques such as bending and overblowing. Furthermore, these techniques are used to produce many different effects. The most common is slurring (linking from a regular note in the scale to an overblow or overdraw) to the bent note, or playing straight into the note.

III, Octave tuned (重音/上低音口琴)

Octave harmonica

Octave harmonicas have two reeds per hole which are tuned to the same note a perfect octave apart. Many share their basic design with the tremolo harmonica and are built on the "Wiener system" of construction.

Octave harmonicas also come in what is called the "Knittlinger system". In this design, the top and bottom reed-plates contain all of the blow and draw notes for either to lower or higher pitched set of reeds. The comb is constructed so that the blow and draw reeds on each reed-plate are paired side-by-side in a single chamber in the same manner as on a standard diatonic. However, the top and bottom pairs each have their own chamber. Thus, in a C harmonica the higher pitched C blow and D draw found in the first "hole" would be placed side-by-side on the upper reed-plate and share a single chamber in the comb and the lower pitched C blow and D draw would be placed side-by-side on the bottom reed-plate and share a single chamber directly below the higher pitched pair of reeds' chamber. Knittlinger octave harmonicas are also called "concert" harmonicas and are almost always tuned in a variation of the traditional major diatonic with chords tuning found in diatonic harmonicas. Octave harmonicas built in the "Wiener system" may be tuned either in this traditional method or in the same manner as the Asian tremolos mentioned above.

An interesting variation upon the Knittlinger octave harmonica is the so-called "half-concert" harmonica. This is not an octave harmonica at all, but rather a single-note diatonic harmonica which is built with a single reed-plate rather than the standard two--essentially it is one half of the standard octave harmonica.

IV, Echo (回声/回音口琴)

Echo harmonica

Echo harmonica are used in specific songs for its effects. The design of the harmonica creates a unique echo effect with beautiful tunes.

b, Chromatic (半音階口琴)

Chromatic harmonica

Have been very popular among players in these few years. The Chromatic harmonica usually uses a button-activated sliding bar to redirect air from the hole in the mouthpiece to the selected reed-plate, although there was one design, the "Machino-Tone", which controlled airflow by means of a lever-operated movable flap on the rear of the instrument Able to play all the '#' notes (picture the white keys on a piano, with the black keys). This harp can be used for any style such as classics Jazz, blues, Celtic and western music. As the range of music played often can reach up to 4 octaves, it is often used in ensembles.

2, Ensemble (合奏類口琴) - Rare and usually used in orchestras and ensembles.

I, Bass (低音口琴)

Bass harmonica

Some say it’s the world’s heaviest harmonica. It is mainly used to play bass notes in the orchestras due to its solid and low tunes. The Bass harmonica can be further divided into Contra bass and Double bass. It playes an octave lower range than baritone harmonica.

The Bass harmonica consists of two separate combs joined together one atop the other with moveable connectors at their ends. Most of the bass harmonicas are all-blow instruments covering much the same range as the viola family Contra and Double Bass in string instrument. Today, Double Bass harmonicas are all octave tuned, which means that each hole has two reeds one of which plays the bass note and the other a note an octave higher while Contra Bass harmonicas only consist of one reed only. The lower comb contains the notes of the C major diatonic scale, while the upper comb contains the notes of a C# (sharp - Db) diatonic scale.

II, Chord (和絃口琴)

Chord harmonica

Some say it’s the world’s longest harmonica which plays 8 reeds simultaneously. It consists of 384 reeds which has 48 chords: major, seventh (7), minor, augmented and diminished for ensemble playing. It is laid out in four-note clusters, each sounding a different chord on inhaling or exhaling. Typically each hole has two reeds for each note, tuned to one octave of each other. However, less expensive models often have only one reed per note.

In addition, quite a few orchestra harmonicas are also designed to serve both as bass and chord harmonica, with bass notes next to chord groupings. There are also other chord harmonicas, such as Chordomonica (operate similar to a chromatic harmonica), and junior chord harmonicas (Typically provide 6 chords).

III, Horn (銅角口琴)

Horn harmonica

The horn harmonica is divided into 2 types which are Soprano Horn (高音銅角) and Alto Horn (低音銅角). These consist of a single large comb with blow only reed-plates on the top and bottom. Each reed sits inside a single cell in the comb.

One version mimics the layout of a piano or mallet instrument, with the natural notes of a C diatonic scale in the lower reed-plate and the sharps/flats in the upper reed-plate in groups of two and three holes with gaps in between like the black keys of a piano (thus there is no E#/Fb hole nor a B#/Cb hole on the upper reed-plate). Another version has one "sharp" reed directly above its "natural" on the lower plate, with the same number of reeds on both plates.

Horn harmonicas are available in several pitch ranges, with the lowest pitched starting two octaves below middle C and the highest beginning on middle C itself; they usually cover a two or three octave range. They are chromatic instruments and are usually played in an East Asian harmonica orchestra instead of the "push-button" chromatic harmonica that is more common in the European/American tradition. Their reeds are often larger, and the enclosing "horn" gives them a different timbre, so that they often function in place of a brass section. In the past, they were referred to as horn harmonicas.

IV, Baritone (中音口琴)

Baritone harmonica

It playes an octave lower range than normal tremelo harmonica. It produces a rich and deep ensemble sound which is equivalent to a viola in string instrument.

3. Others (其他類口琴)

I, Baby / miniature / One Inch harmonica (項鍊口琴)

Baby / Miniature harmonica
4 holes, 8 reeds miniature harmonicas are usually used as gifts though such miniature harmonica at 1 inch in length can play a perfect octave.

II, Historic Collections

Historic collections

Reproduction and replicas for personal collections.

References:
1, Wikipedia - Harmonica
2, China Harp - Danny Cheong

3, Yellow Stone - Taiwan
4, Other related harmonica sites

Da Niu's playing with his banana again!!

During my last trip back to Sibu, i have been searching high and low for my 'banana'. Err... My banana harmonica. Trying to find my hand written musical notes for my harmoncia classes as well. Guess after so many years, my musical note book must have made a wonderful meal for the cockroaches 'Siu Kiong's family', which have been fed on for many generations.

Ladies and gentlemen, i present to you...Sleeping 'Siu Kiong'!!!

Failed in attempts, i found my favourite Hohner’s harmonica instead and Boy!! Am I happy to find it again.

My 'banana' after so many years....

I have not been playing my banana harmonica for more than 10 years. Some minute scratches here and there with a little bit of dust. I was like a little boy finding his long lost treasure.

My banana is getting old with wrinkles...

With a quick rinse and some light polish and Voila!! I restored my harmonica again. Played a few songs with it which put a broad smile on my face. Same as the last time I played it. No wonder people recommended Hohner’s for its superior quality products and beutiful notes they produced.

Tell me it doesn't look like a banana!

Da Niu's Favourite Home Town Delicacies

It has been a while since i last updated by blog. I have been back in Sibu during the new year eve. Have not gone back to Sibu for more than a year. Many things have changed and i was having a hard time trying to recognise the roads and places.

Bustling Sibu airport with students embarking flights to West Malaysia (National Service).

Generally, roads are still bad with holes and bumps and we were having huge fun on our way back from the airport, imagining us riding a bull in the countryside at the speed of 80km/hr for full 30 minutes. Geesss...what a ride. Sibu municipal council must have done quite a bit to turn boring roads into such a fun-filled playgrounds.

Da Niu riding his big bull to town.

We went straight to the Sibu town right after we touched down. Heading no where else but the town centre in searching for my favorite ‘Ding Bien Hu’. Actually it’s just hard boiled soup cooked with rice starsh. But what the difference is most of the ingredients and material are home made which includes the rice starch and the fish balls.

Little rice mill grinding rice into starch....

The boss adding rice to the grinding mill....

Cooking my all time favourite.


Cooked 'Dian Bian Ngu' is placed inside this basin and later on distributed to bowls. Thought Chinese uses that during wedding ceremony...Geess....

Rice are ground in a small milling machine to produce starch which was later used to cook 'Dian Bian Ngu' (Foochow) / 'Ding Bien Hu (Mandarin). Rice starch is poured to the side of the wok which is already filled with soup to form thin layers and later added on with fish balls, cuttlefish, black fungus, dried lily flowers and a sprinkle of oil fried and green onions before serving to the saliva drooling customers.

A bowl of heavenly 'Dian Bian Ngu'.

'Dian Bian Ngu' with all the goodies!

This shop is already in existence even when my mom was a kid. According to her, a bowl of ‘Dian Bian Ngu’ would only costed her RM0.20 back then. Well, many people have seen how it’s done, and open shops and claimed that they are having the original recipe. Saw the same thing in Astro in China. But this shop has been around for so many freaking years. I remembered it costs me around RM0.80 per bowl when i was still studying in the nearby primary school.

This shop has been in existence for more than 30 freaking years!!

My dear dear and I ate a bowl each. Tapao another rm5 back home and finished all at home again as well. that’s what I normally recommend to my friends especially those coming from abroad. Kompia, kampua mee, stired fried noddle (chao zhu mian) and 'Dian Bian Ngu'.

Trying to find myself some nice kampua mee seller here in Sibu but have tried two stores and they all ain’t worth my effort to blog them. perhaps i will do more once i found a good one later.

We went to the pasar malam that night as well, in search of my favourite meat 'pao' and we found a store selling 'You Chan Kueh' (Kueh with fried onions) with mixture of diluted sweet soy sauce and onions which makes it sweet, heavenly flavoured and a perfect match for the 'kueh'. This is my old time favourite.

This whole bowl of 'You Chan Kueh' only costed me RM1 nia.

Trust me! it tastes a lot yummier than its look.

Da Niu having a hard time deciding which one to bite first. Pao or 'You Chan Kueh'?

Da Niu decided to do both at the same time.

The kueh (obviously made from rice starch as well) are formed in small plates and sold at RM0.50 per plate. The sauce mixture comes free with a generous amount. You may even have enough left over for the your facial treatment according to some secret Chinese herbs recipe. Perhaps!

Da Niu Found New Usage of Coke

Browsed through some websites over the last few days and found this. I was astonished at the ignorance of the local sex workers over self protection. Can't blame it on them can we?
hmmm....bath in coke would be cool!!

Remembered when i was back in Form 2 and Form 4 when my science / biology teachers would do whatever they could, to deliberately skip lecturing the chapter on human reproductive system as they would be too shy to discuss such issues openly. Speaking of 'SEX' would be considered as a Bizare thing back in a small town like Sibu. Nope! Not even for educational purposes. We used to do self 'studies' to 'sexplore' the taboo of sex. Of coz, some may 'sexplored' too much with disastrous sexperiments which ended up in pregnancy. Not to mentioned endless hours of frustrations trying to memorize the terms in Malay, processes and fucntions of male and female genital structures. Kinda boring if you may ask! And mind you, Pervert!! We don't have internet back then and thus, we may not be as creative as in searching for 'Karma Sutra' as what kids would do nowadays. Hopefully, such situations have changed where with more open minded (daring) teachers, teaching such topics properly with youngsters benefited from such lessons. Perhaps the Malaysian Health and Education Ministries should conduct surprise visits when teachers are delivering lectures on ahem! ahem!

Officers from Education Department spot-checking on teachers delivering proper lectures on Sex!!

Can't help but to end this entry with a joke.

Ah Beng, who has never been taught on 'human reproductive ssytem' is about to get married on the following day. He nervously approached his mother to consult her on the process. Being too shy to tell it to her own son, her mother said "Aiyaa!! Simple nia lah! Just use your hardest part of your body to knock hard on the part where she wee-wee (urinates)"

Ah Beng happily getting married with Ah Lian and anxiously waited for their first night. Finally on that special night, Ah Beng's mother getting worried and decided to eavesdrop on them.

Curious in-laws

Suddenly, Ah Beng yelled after a lot of bangings.

Ah Beng: Mom! that hurts!!

Ah Beng's mom: Son! that's right! Keep going!!

After a while with more bangings, Ah Beng yelled again.

Ah Beng: Mom!! It's bleeding!!

Ah Beng's mom: Right on! Son! Push harder!!

After a while, with a loud yell, "AAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHH", the room fell into complete silence.

Ah Beng's mom getting worried, rushed into the room and only to find his son fainted in a pool of blood with deep cuts in his head. Furiously she asked Ah Lian what she has done with Ah Beng. And this is what Ah Lian said.

"I don noe leh! He came into the room, turned off the lite, and start knocking his head (the hardest part of his body) against the toilet bowl (the place where girls wee-wee)."

Stop having 'Sex' in the toilet!!

Da Niu's Christmas / New Year Greetings

Season greetings from Da Niu

Would like to wish all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year ahead. Guess this is gonna be the shortest entry as compared to my previous entries. Hmmm....come to think of it, may be I shall do a review at the end of the year. (which is just a few days away anyway!) Flipping through my planner, many things have happended throughout the year. Some good, some bad. And yes, I am still sitting here waiting for the confirmation. Apparently the boss who's gonna tele-interview me is back to USA and according to Mr. K in KL, he's having poor line / reception back in where he stays. Texas!! Country side i supposed. All I can imagine is large meadow with bunch of cow boys and tonnes of oil rigs in Texas. Damn! Guess I just have to wait till he comes back next month then.

Ooopss! that hurts....

Da Niu’s Dilemma

When I read Kenny Sia’s “Kuching & Perth Dilemma” few weeks ago, I was having a nice laugh at the kind of shitty situation he’s in. Guess what, I’m in the same shitty situation now!

Da Niu enjoyed himself while reading kennysia.com

Joined my present company in year 2000 and I have been stuck here for the past 6 long years. Have always been thinking of moving along ever since 3 years back for many many reasons. I don't want to bore you with all that. Butt is getting very itchy and restless i supposed. Have subscribed to 2 local newspapers ever since. Chinese papers for general info / gossips and English papers specifically for jobs. Applied a few, attended a few interviews, depressed with the results/offers at the end of the day. I have been wondering all these while, why is the economy so bad when the beloved politicians in the West Malaysia is yelling growth in developments and appreciation of RM. Subscribed to 'Job Street' and even wrote a letter to them, complaining less opportunities here in the East Malaysia as compared to the West.

3 weeks ago, as I browsed through the newsletters from 'Job Street', a vacancy caught my eyes. “Regional Quality Manager”. Well! What the heck! Doesn’t cost me anything to apply anyway. With a click of the mouse button and my e-resume and application were sent to the advertiser in a split second. 2 hours later, a man by the name of Mr. K called up.

Note: Names have been changed for privacy purposes

Mr. K: Can I speak to Da Niu please?
Da Niu: This is him.
Mr. K: We received your application. (Geess..that’s fast for a response!!) and we are calling to see whether you would be interested to work in KL?
Da Niu: Huh? KL? Errrrrr……Nope!! (I answered lam-shi-ly)
Mr. K: Oh Ok! Thank you.

Put down the phone and quickly forgot about the phone call. 2 days later, Mr. K called again.

Mr. K: Da Niu please!
Da Niu: Yeap! What’s up?
Mr. K: This is Mr. K again. I was wondering whether you would be interested to work and base in "CHINA"?
Da Niu: CHINA?? Hell! Nope!
Mr. K: hmmmm……Oh Ok! Cheers!

Again! I put down the phone and minutes later, my current big boss, called me to his office and gave me one hell of a screw and a nice spicy, arse firing Cha kueh "TIAO"!! Geeess…I swear! My backside is still fuming when I dragged my sorry arse out from his office 2 hours later. Perhaps because of that and partially out of curiosity, I made a call to Mr. K.

Da Niu: Mr. K? Da Niu here! (Ahem! Polite way!) I was wondering whether the position is still vacant?
Mr. K: Yeah! Yeah!
Da Niu: Just between you and me, what is the chances of me securing the job huh?
Mr. K: With a glance at your resume, I would say you are the best candidate for the job among all other applicants. (Geess..I was blushing at the other end). Or else we wouldn’t have called you twice.
Da Niu: (Pretend to be dumb) Ohh! Like that ah! Just out of curiosity, what is the remunerations like huh? (I asked reluctantly! In actual fact I was only asking to test my current personal market value.)
Mr. K: Errrr…. In fact I am not suppose to tell you! (Ok! Ok! To all the readers out there, please don’t tell anyone about this conversation / blog ok? Especially not to tell my current and potential employers. Promise?) With your experience, I would say errrrr……somewhere around RMXXXXX.
Da Niu: (Speechless, Jaw dropped) Errrr….A month? (Shaky voice)
Mr. K: Yeap! (My freaking god!!! I have only thought about earning that figure when I retired or running my own business at the age of 60. This is like running my own business; minus off all the financial/business/sales headaches. And damn! I swear! This is 3 times at least, comparing to my current earning! Upgrading from a 4 digits earning to 5 is a huge leap for me. I’m bedazzled!)
Da Niu: (Act cool). Hmmm….in that case, anything else you would like me to forward to you. (voice still shaking).
Mr. K: Yeap, your full resume with your picture. (I still cannot understand this! Companies employ people based on their capability or physical appearance?)
Da Niu: OK! Right away. Thanks

Put down the phone, emailed my resume with my photos attached. Not hearing from Mr. K for another 2 weeks. Getting worried, I called Mr. K for updates and according to him, his boss has went to freaking Europe for Christmas holidays. Damn! That was only 11th December and still another freaking 2 weeks away from Christmas and his boss is already on leave. Geeeess! Guess I have to wait for the answer or perhaps information on my first interview after Christmas then. I supposed the passport size photograph of mine, must have scare the shit out of him and his director and i would stand no chance at all even for the first round of interview.

Yesterday, out of the blues, received a call from Mr. K and confirmed that his boss is gonna called me from USA for the tele-interview! Hmm.... I thought he said he went back to Europe. My gosh!!!! The boss himself will be calling me from the other side of the world just for an interview over the phone! Damn proud lah!! In fact he’s gonna call me this Friday.

At the same time, all kinds of thoughts shot to my mind. What if I really get the offer? Surely I’m gonna have bigger exposures / experience with better prospects not to mention the salary and trainings. Definitely a plus points to be added to my personal resume. Being a Regional Quality Manager, I would need to move to KL. Will be required to travel to 6 countries in this region frequently to overlook all quality issues and operations. But at the same time! What about my beloved dear dear wife? My baby (hatching soon)? My family? My cars? My house? My scouts? My rovers? My rover council? My friends? Lately my harmonica class for the rovers which supposedly gonna kick start in January? My personal lessons from the harmonica master? (have been trying to find a harmonica master over the last few years and failed. Found one last Saturday eventually) and the most important of all, my life here in KUCHING!! If I am still single, I wouldn't have think twice if offered! But now with all the commitments? Sigh! Ha! ha! perhaps you may say I think too much! Siaw ah? Have not even attend first interview already day dreaming liao! But to think of it! What if I really get the offer? I'm confused! All of a sudden!! Any advice?? Anyone??

Da Niu is seriously confused and downing in the pool of guilt.

I have been to many places and Kuching is still the best place to settle down and have family! At least that's what i feel. All this while I have insist to settle down here in Kuching even since I was 19 and was studying here in Kuching. Now that I have to leave all these, in pursuing my career. Not that i am gonna stay in KL for good! I recogn i would only be there for 5 to 10 years max. But that really SUCKS man!!!

Life sucks!!

Da Niu, the Harmonica playing begger

Harmonica - An instrument, also called the "mouth organ", which consists of reeds in a casing which channel the air blown into the instrument through channels and out holes on the side of the instrument. The harmonica was invented in 1821 and is used mostly in folk music

It has been a while since I last played the harmonica. In fact that was freaking 18 years ago. You see, back then I was just an ignorant 14 year old kid and dying to learn guitar. Guess the rock star in TV show must have got me and I always think that playing guitar and singing love song will always impress the girls. But then I hesitated to join any more music class due to my phobia and bad experience left by my first music tuitor.

I had a really bad experience earlier when I was only 8. My sis used to go to piano lessons back then and I was really annoyed (errr......amazed) by the way she plays piano at home. So the little boy thinks that playing piano is cool.

Yeah! Yeah! Little boy thinks piano playing is cool!!

I started asking my mom to send me together with my sis to the piano lesson. On the first day, I learned how to write stupid musical symbol. Damn! I don’t even know what it’s called. On the second lesson (each lesson lasted for 2 long hours) I learned to write this symbol thing AGAIN!!. On the 3rd lesson, there is a fierce looking old hag (errr...i think she's around late 30s, but to me back then, very old liao) giving me a book and asking me to play. Poor me. I barely know what the notes are. Anyway, it’s just a stupid ‘twinkle twinkle little star’ I was playing and I was scolded so badly and repeatedly that I memorized the keys and played the tune after many times being whacked by the ‘teacher’ on the same day. Finally she released me from her grips after she has done enough torture to my brain with a cheeky smile on her deformed face.

The old hag finally released me after she's having enough fun.

From that day onwards, I swear to GOD, Amen! That’s it. No more music lesson for me. Enough is enough. A boy’s gotta do what a boy’s gotta do.

Then again, when I was 14, there are music classes, teaching people how to play guitar and harmonica in church. (I’m still a fun loving Sunday school going boy back then ok?). Told my mom that I wanted to join the guitar class. Seeing my friends plucking guitar chords was too much to bear for a little boy like me. And yes, she enrolled me to the class happily, only to find out later that she has enrolled me to the freaking HARMONICA class. Damn!! Playing harmonica is really so not cool at all. The first impression that jetted to my mind was, Geee! If I don’t get a job later in life, I can still be a harmonica playing begger in the streets. (Oppss! Sorry to all harmonica fans! I swear, previously all street walkers in Sibu play harmonica). Sigh!

Da Niu happily playing his harmonica for a living.

Mom happily bought me a China made ‘Hero’ harmonica with silver cover which costed around 6 bucks back then and i have to drag my sorry arse to the first class.

I'm not surprised to find only 3 of us in the class when more than 60 people turned up for the guitar lesson next room. What an ironic sight. In fact I was thinking to myself, "see lah, see how long can this class stands"; while giving others a sheepish smile. 2 guys and a girl with the tuitor (Mr. Mao Wei De) Well, being an obedient boy back then, guess I would just have to stick with the class then. Mr. Mao started to lecture us some basic rules on the maintenance of a harmonica, played a tune with his harmonica and leaving all of our jaws dropped in amazement. Then he started with the very basic thing; playing from 1 (Do) to 1 (Do). Basically, playing harmonica is all about sucking (drawing would be a polite word to use) and blowing (mind you! All dirty minded cheeky bastards out there!). That was easy for me. I can do that. So I formed my lips into a small kissing shape of ‘O’, blew into hole no. 8 and Voila! I played my first ‘Do’. Then I drag my harmonica with the subsequent ‘draws’ and ‘blows’ and completed my Do to Do. No sweat! Oh boy! I was overjoyed with the achievement.

Now put the harmonica in your mouth and play 'Do'

Playing harmonica is never an easy task. Mr. Mao once said, "besides learning the playing tehniques, you still have to learn Qi Gong, as you got a lot of sucking and blowing to do". Wait a minute! I thought i was going for my music class, not the martial arts though!! Well! He succeeded in scaring the living daylight out of us.

You must perfect the art of Qi Gong before you start playing Harmonica

In fact, being one of the 3 pupils who graduated (Serious! I have a cert to prove), definitely I left my guitar learning friends in green pools of envies and jealousies as I am among the only fews who can play harmonica.

From there onwards I started to feel the fun and joy of learning an playing harmonica especially after a new song was learned. As the harmonica is relatively convenient to play. Basically you just stick it into your mouth and "breath" regularly. Ha, ha, ha...sounds like the routine briefings by the air stewardess on the breathing apparatus right? Back then, i would practise my harmonica every once in a while. Open my music note and trying to perfect the art. Music note for harmonica (numerical) is rather much easier to understand and learn as compared to those written in "tau geh". Just hope that i didn't scare or perhaps annoy my neighbours with my midnight harmonica recitals when i was having insomnia.

Here it goes again! The neighbouring "siaw lang" is practising his wolf howling, freaking harmonica again!!

Later on I corrected my perception on beggars playing harmonica and amazed seeing people playing Mozart with harmonica. Chromatic harmonica to be specific. Well, I’m not into blues and jazz with harmonica. Sorry folks! That kinda music make any sense to me. What I would enjoy best is still playing all the folk songs and the Ah Mah’s Chinese love songs from the 60s or perhaps 70s.

Throughout my life, I have collected many different harmonicas. Mainly from China. I used to have an octave harmonica from Hohner where you have higher pitch on the upper holes (reeds) and lower pitch at the lower holes (reeds). Dad got me that as a sourvenir when he went to Taiwan. Since it’s gold in colour and with a curved structure, I would happily refer it as the banana harmonica. Lost it somehow when we moved around after i finished my form 5. When i tried to search for it again in the open market, geeeees...60USD. My holy MF goodness!! Only then i realised harmonicas from Hohner is freakingly Expensive!!

My first "banana" harmonica!!

It’s kinda hard to get different variety of harmonica, especially when you’re living on Borneo island. Therefore, it never stops amazed me when I bumped into some really long harmonica in a musical instrument store behind kotaraya when I studied in KL. Well, couldn’t afford it back then. Buying one would mean spending 2 to 3 months of my allowance. Only after so many years, i realised there are so many variety harmonicas. For instance, Chromatic harmonica, Diatonic harmonica, 10 holes (blues) harmonica (obviously for the blues and cowboys), tremelo harmonica, octave tuned harmonica, bass harmonica, chord harmonica and cutest of all, a 4 holes (key chain) type harmonica. Bought myself a VCD on harmonica playing by Mr. Chong Ah Kow (the President of Malaysian harmonica society). Oh boy! You should really see how that Ah Pek plays. Simply just stuck the his cute little 4 holes harmonica into his mouth and played wonders. Needless to say, I am bedazzled again! This Ah Pek is doing wonders with his harmonica in fact he's the Champion of the 2nd world harmonica competition in Germany 1989 and he has been organizing many classes, talks and even many international harmonica competitions here in Malaysia. In fact, he is doing so good that he even recorded his own CDs / VCDs and even own a harmonica shop (Harmonica World Sdn. Bhd.). Malaysia BOLEH!! ... Gees! Don't even know when i would get a chance to record my own CD.

Mr. Chong Ah Kow posted in 2nd Asia Pacific Harmonica Fest in Taipei.

Come to think of it, playing harmonica is pretty simple though. But to master it, its gonna take some time. I won't say it's difficult though. Normal beginners would learn to play a single tune on a single harmonica. Novice like me, have learned to play 2 tunes concurrently (using tongue). Pretty basic though! But grandmasters / experts like Mr. Chong Ah Kow (KL Ah Pek) and Mr. Zhen Xian Wen (Kuching Ah Pek) can play 3 to 4 tunes all together concurrently with his single harmonica. Geess... These Ah Peks kick arses man!! Should feature them in "Majalah 3" if not "Ripley's Believe it or Not".

Special features this season.