Guitar, Me & My Concerns

Hello,

It's been a while right?

Tonight, I'm thinking of talking about guitar and me. And my concerns.

Not that many people know that apart from me loving drawing & painting, I have a thing for musical instruments as well.

It started with the recorder, obviously, since that's the only instrument all of us had to learn during the primary school. You know that we learnt all the boring songs right, haha. So when I first heard one of the boys played Januari by Glenn Fredly (I was 11 years old), I was mesmerized, like, ''Oh, we can play other song too on the recorder?''

I rarely listen to music back then but I think I've heard it in the radio. Those days without internet and all, I didn't have the resource to search for that song, to listen to the full song. So what I did, since I want to play it so much, I relied on my ears and memory. I did try and error on what I've heard from that boy. And with that effort, I succeeded, albeit it's only the chorus.

Years by years, I played the recorder based on what I heard. I never truly learn to read music sheets, only trained my ears. After all, it's only for fun.

After recorder, I got interested in the piano. I know I can't afford the piano, so I will secretly play the piano in the main hall of my hostel (Kolej Tun Syed Nasir), during lunch hour, or in the evening around 5pm. I remember how my fingers were shaking whenever I put them on the keys haha. I just love the sound of piano. Since I never learn how to play, or even research on how to start playing the piano for beginners, what I did was relied on my ears again, and try and error which keys I thought fitted. And with one hand of course. One key at a time, but of course the sound made me relieved somehow.

So, after I graduated, and started working, saved up some money, I learnt about purchasing online at Lazada hahaha. I don't know why, but I suddenly want to try the flute. So I bought the one from China, and to my dismay, it sounded exactly like a recorder. Maybe something to do with the G key? I don't know. Flute is hard to learn at first, since I need to position my lips accurately to blow off the air into the hole. So by time, I got bored.


So after a while, I thought about learning to play the guitar. I don't remember how I suddenly interested in playing a guitar, when before this I never was even a tiny bit interested in it. So on December 2016, I purchased my first guitar at Lazada around RM145. The brand is Mukita. I learnt how to play it by the internet and youtube. First, I learnt about whatever it is that made the guitar, eg. the strings, the fret, capo, tune, strumming pattern, etc. I installed an apps and that apps really helped me in learning the chords. So I mastered the 4 basic chords, and learnt how to read sheets. Sometimes when they are new chord I don't know in a certain song, I will looked it up and learnt it specifically. Like the Am, Dm, E, F, Em7, etc.

Now it's 2018 already. I am still a very newbies in playing guitar, but I can play some songs now, provided I have the lyric in front of me haha. I actually really hope to play guitar well, and someone to teach me. Frankly, there are some times that I really want to give up since some chords are really hard and I wasn't sure if it is the right sound or not.

But, I remember somewhere I read, "Don't say you are not skilled at something unless you tried it for hundreds time".

So, that was my journey on my music instruments experience.

So, my concerns are?

I know there is a fatwa that said Music is Haram, and playing some music instrument especially those with strings is Haram. Yeah, we can't seems to sit well with that fatwa considering that we Malaysian Muslim has been with Music the longest that I know. We were born with it. It is really hard for us to accept it. When will we be? My interest for music instrument, can I really suppress it one day?

I don't listen to music song much. What I'm interested in are just the melody and music instruments. I am aware of the fact Muslim woman are not supposed to sing in public, especially in front of ajnabi, so I'm holding to that until now and forever. But how about playing the music instrument?

In order to be a good muslim, what should I do?

I might have to think through on why the heck I love the music instrumental so much. I felt that it is one of my achievement in life, to master something I never thought I can.  It feel like a life challenge, to be able to master one music instrument at one time. But, what good it brings me? Ermm releasing some stress? Some may say, read the Quran. Stay with good pious people. Learn about Islam more.

Now I think I'm a really bad person for having interest in music intruments...

Hope Allah will guide me to choose which one is good for me. Whether to stay with my hobby, just for personal satisfaction, or to release it in one go... If I'm gonna get married one day, will my husband be pleased with this hobby of mine? Urmmm~

But for now, I'm just going to play by myself or in front of my siblings~

Bye~