Indigenous prodigies' musical quest

The Star

a day ago

Orang Asli Seletar Peter Asiang (left), 22, and Paul Sia Yong Sin, 21, mastered five and six musical instruments respectively on their own without formal lessons.
Self-taught cousins master several instruments
JOHOR BARU: For many children, attending music school is a luxury. This is especially true for children from Orang Asli families, such as Peter Asiang and Paul Sia Yong Sin.
These two cousins overcame their humble backgrounds to not just play music but master at least five instruments on their own without professional lessons.
Peter and Paul, both from the Orang Seletar tribe, were just 12 and 11 when they were first exposed to playing music by a church member who introduced them to the guitar and piano, respectively.
A decade later, 22-year-old Peter has mastered five musical instruments – guitar, bass, keyboard, cajon, and drums.
'That first encounter changed my life as I started learning the instruments by watching how others played,' said Peter, a fisherman from Kampung Orang Asli Sungai Temun.
'Honestly, we did not know people had to go for proper lessons to learn music. We did not learn about music notes. But we somehow could find a song's key just by listening to it,' said Peter.
Paul, who has since mastered six musical instruments, including the violin, said they only had access to them on Saturdays during church services.
'We could not afford to buy our instruments and had to rely on the precious 15 to 20 minutes to use them when no one else was using them in church,' said Paul of Kampung Orang Asli Pasir Salam.
'Without instruments at home, I discovered a musical instrument app on my mother's old phone and found it surprisingly practical.
'Without it, my music might never have found its voice. Since then, we have been using apps on our smartphones to keep strengthening our skills,' said Paul, who until today still does not have the privilege of owning his own instruments.
Paul, a student at a skills institute, is also thankful to a church member who noticed their talent during a service, which made them realise they might have a special gift.
'I recall her teaching me basic chords, and from there, I started observing the sounds the piano made. Within weeks, I could already perform full songs,' said Paul.
Their talent soon drew the attention of people around them, who began inviting them to perform at weddings, festivals and church services.
Paul hopes to one day open his recording studio to produce songs that amplify voices from underserved communities.
'For now, we will focus on practising and improving our skills, as we will also be performing at several church conferences for Malaysia Day.
'I hope to pick up more musical instruments in the future,' said Peter, who is a vocalist with dreams of using his voice to uplift others.
'We're not good with words, but we can talk about the universe through music,' he said.