MAMA TREBLE CLEF STUDIO endorsed Mr Razak Rahman (leading saxophonist in Malaysia) to become Malaysia Jodyjazz ambassador and spoke person.We welcome him to our big family and is our honour to have him to join our company as ambassador.May his courage will motivate and cheer up our local saxophone industry.looking forward to make his first music video with MAMA TREBLE CLEF STUDIO.Thank you Mr RAzak Rahman!

INTRODUCTION Guitars come in all different shapes and sizes, forms and colors - and is arguably the most personalized musical instrument of all time. They also come in all sorts of price ranges as well, depending on the player, experience and budget. Today's review will take a look at the new range of guitars from the brand Jaxville; Demon, Hades, and Zeus. Basically a guitar catered to the entry-level market, each guitar is adorned with high-quality airbrushed images which make for a stunning display on stage or in the studio.

OVERVIEW The Jaxville Custom Series II guitars are distinctive designer guitars with a penchant for the stage. There are 3 "themes" to choose from: "Demon" showcases a red-and-black theme of flames, "Hades", named after the Greek god of the underworld depicts a shadowy figure in the moonlight, and "Zeus", the King of Gods, has lightning bolts splitting the guitar apart. Each guitar is finished in hi-quality gloss finish, with matching headstock and neck. All guitars are based on a Fender design, with three single-coil pickups and a rosewood neck, 22 frets each. The review unit was packaged with a 10-watt amplifier, a soft case and an instructional DVD.

FEATURES Construction: Bolt-on Body: Basswood Neck: Maple Fingerboard: Rosewood Hardware: Chrome, covered Controls: 1 Volume, 2 Tone, 5 way pickup selector switch Frets: 22 Pickups: S-S-S Bridge: Synchronized Tremolo Pickguard: Black Finish: Hi-gloss Each guitar features a 5-way selector switch, two tone controls and one volume control to shape your sound. Every inch of the guitar is coated in shiny, gloss black with no wood to be seen, augmenting the guitar's stage appearance. The pickups emit a glassy, clear tone as expected from a single coil; rhythm playing and accompaniment work very well on the guitar. When put through an overdrive pedal, the guitar responds like a Fender Stratocaster, making it suitable for rock and even country playing. The neck is in the shape of a soft "C" neck reminiscent of a Telecaster; this guitar would be suitable for players who are comfortable with their thumb on the back or side of the neck. The guitar is slightly on the heavy side, perhaps due to the full gloss finish but in no way does the it affect the guitar's playability and balance. As for the supplied amplifier, it does a good job of a first practice amplifier to learn the basics on, but will surely need to be upgraded once the player reaches a certain skill level. The included DVD is informative and runs through many beginner issues, and is of a great help to those just starting out.

CONCLUSION After spending some time with these guitars, it can be said that the Jaxville Custom Series II guitars are truly catered for the entry-level player who is looking for a different axe to try out. The eye-catching design will surely attract the attention of those who want to stand out, and considering the market pricing of the guitar, it looks like a great bargain. The Jaxville guitar comes in a package as well, alongside an amplifier, soft case and instructional DVD. The guitar plays well, stays in tune and sounds decent. If you're looking for something unique and different for a first guitar, by all means go for it!

INTRODUCTION The drummer's world is an interesting one, with many choices. From pedals to sticks and heads, stands, gloves and all sorts of accessories, we're pretty much spoilt for choice when it comes to things to hit. One such example is the practice pad - basically a rubber pad on a solid surface, practica pads come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. The Cherub DP-900 Electronic Drum Pad is a new offering by the manufacturer Cherub. Basically an electronic practice pad, it incorporates many features for the student and professional alike, making stick practice and rudiments entertaining and effective, all in one package.

OVERVIEW The drum pad is basically a single unit, combining a metronome, rubber pad, speakers and a sensor below the pad. Made out of black plastic, the yellow rubber pad makes for a striking contrast and it is lightweight enough to be carried to school or classes. The unit has a small screw at its base for use with any standard cymbal stand which allows it to be mounted. There is also a volume control for the metronome, a headphone out jack and several buttons to control the LCD interface. FEATURES The Cherub DP-900 Electronic Drum Pad comes with 2 built-in features; a metronome and a "train" mode (you'll understand when I go through it). The metronome feature is basically what it is, a metronome so you can practice in time and tempo. The BPM is adjustable from 30 to 280, and you can select quarter notes (crotchets), eighth notes (quavers) sixteenth notes (semiquavers), triplets and a bunch of mixed articulated notes. The beat can also be selected from 0 (no strong beat) to 11 (11/4 time signature for the more, um, rhythmically-insane).

An interesting feature is the "train" feature; this mode calculates each beat on the head - sort of a stick meter to measure your speed. In this mode you can select up to 4 different times (15 seconds, 30 sec, 45 sec and 60 sec) and the timer begins after the first stroke registered. This is an excellent way to train your sticking and even makes as a challenge among friends or students! My personal record stands at 254 beats in 15 seconds (which would average out to 1,000 beats in a minute) - a long way off from Mike Mangini's record of 1,247 in a minute!

CONCLUSION

The Cherub DP-900 Electronic Drum Pad is indeed an economical way to build up stamina and speed

at the drums. For the student, this is an invaluable practice tool that every serious drum

student should own; for the teacher this serves as a mobile, portable practice surface that

can be taken from class to class (might even create some rivalry among students...!) and is

worth at least taking a look at to augment their teaching material.

The Cherub DP-900 Electronic Drum Pad can be purchased at Mama Treble Clef Studio located at Lot 3015, 3rd Floor, Endah Parade, Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur or visit their website at http://www.mamatreble.com.my for more information. Now go hit something!

The song "Rasa Sayang" is a folk song in the Malay language, familiar to all, yet is the subject of much debate and discussion. Writing this from a Malaysian point of view, anyone who has spent their childhood growing up in Malaysia surely knows the song. The lyrics are as follows;

Rasa sayang, hey!,

Rasa sayang sayang hey,

Hey lihat nona jauh,

Rasa sayang sayang hey!

Buah cempedak di luar pagar,

Ambil galah tolong jolokkan,

Saya budak baru belajar,

Kalau salah tolong tunjukkan.

Pulau pandan jauh ke tengah,

Gunung daik bercabang tiga,

Hancur badan dikandung tanah,

Budi yang baik dikenang juga.

Dua tiga kucing berlari,

Mana sama si kucing belang,

Dua tiga boleh ku cari,

Mana sama abang seorang.

Pisang emas dibawa berlayar,

Masak sebiji di atas peti,

Hutang emas boleh dibayar,

Hutang budi dibawa mati.

The structure of the song is a "pantun" (pronounced parn-toon) which means a rhyme in Malay. Basically the first verse is a sort of chorus which is repeated after every pantun, each spanning 4 sentences (in this case the pantuns used are some of the most popular Malay nursery rhymes).

The song itself is in the public domain as a traditional song and does not have any copyright, no estate, no composer - which is where the controversy begins. As of recent the origins of the song have come into dispute, with Indonesia claiming that the song originates from their country and Malaysia claiming that the song is theirs. To be honest, as my teacher said, Malaysia is the fusion capital of the world when it comes to music. From Javanese to Indian, Arabic to Chinese, Malaysia is probably the only country in the world to have such a diverse and rich cultural background. Our wayang kulit and kuda kepang, while similar are actually two very different cultures. The rhythms used in Indian music here vary vastly from the ones from India, and even the Chinese culture here is very different, down to the architecture.

It is entirely possible that the song might have originated anywhere - it could have been a Javanese folk tune, a Thai folk song, maybe even from Burma or even India - who knows, really! It is also highly likely that the lyrics have been changed, the structure and ryhthm have been changed and that the song could be entirely different altogether, over time, handed down to generations. The song enjoys equal popularity in both Malaysia and Indonesia and is taught in elementary schools and kindergarten in both nations - I believe that it's an amalgamation of both cultures and we're all brothers and sisters, really. Why the dispute is beyond my comprehension!

Having said that, this is an original arrangement (yes we own the rights to this particular arrangement - it originates from Malaysia!) by the jazz-fusion band JUNK. This is a fusion of Afro-Cuban, Funk, Javanese and Malay styles all in one. Enjoy our work!

Hi all! It was our great pleasure to have met the great guitar luthier, Mr. Manuel Rodriguez Jr. in person! All the way from Madrid, Spain, Manuel paid us at Mama Treble Clef a surprise visit as one of their distributors in Malaysia. Manuel Rodriguez - or MR as it is affectionately known among musicians and guitarists - have been making guitars for over a century now, and make some of the world's finest handmade Spanish guitars to critical acclaim by players and luthiers alike. During his visit, Manuel discussed the aspects of choosing a good classical guitar, quality of the material and wood, different methods of handcrafting, and even regarding playing and music education. Pictured is Mr. Manuel with some of our teachers and discussing everything guitar! His stories are legendary; from starting up from a tiny guitar manufacturer to a giant corporation in Spain, we hope to be able to visit his factory one day.

In a small town in La Mancha, the region that inspired the epic Spanish novel "Don Quixote," a third generation guitar-maker is struggling to secure the future of his business.

Manuel Rodriguez III owns the century-old family business of the same name, heir to a tradition of guitar manufacturers which dates back to 1905 when his grandfather gave up fishing in Cadiz to dedicate his life to his musical passion. More than 100 years later, Toledo-based Manuel Rodriguez and Son is still making handmade guitars and exports 90 percent of its production to 120 countries. Many of its finest guitars have found their way into the hands of famous musicians, world leaders, Nobel Prize-winners and royalty. Over the years, the production process developed by Rodriguez's grandfather has undergone some changes, and while made to order and top range guitars are still totally hand-produced, the workshop now employs some mechanical processes to make production safer and more efficient. "There used to be a lot of accidents. If you see anyone in the town missing fingers or even a hand you know he worked here," went the saying. Still, the workshop requires 60 percent manpower to make its guitars, and the global crisis of the last few years has forced the business to adapt to challenging market conditions. Spain plunged into recession three years ago after a decade-long property and construction boom collapsed. Tight credit and falling demand for luxury goods forced the number of workshops down to six from 40 or 50 in just two decades. Financing can be tricky in such conditions, even for an established company with a good balance sheet, Rodriguez said. "If we go to a Spanish bank and say we're guitar-makers they ask if it's possible to make a living out of that." Manuel Rodriguez and Sons has had to reduce its staff by two-thirds in under three years in a country where the number of unemployed has risen to over 4 million, leaving parts of the workshop in eerie silence.

Yet some processes, such as the gluing of parts and a laborious binding procedure remain completely manual, making it easy to understand why the manufacturing time takes a month. "We're still using string to do the binding, there is no tool or machine to do that. We use a CNN Router to make the necks, that has helped to lower costs. Another approach has been to use machines to polish the varnish," said Rodriguez. Despite his strong Spanish roots, Rodriguez believes his American background -- he was born and raised in California where the family moved its business for 18 years -- gives him a different outlook. "A teacher from UCLA visiting Madrid asked my father if he would go to the States to make guitars, so without knowing any English, with just $100 in his pocket, a few pieces of wood and a few tools my father went to Los Angeles," said Rodriguez. For 18 years the family lived and worked in California, making guitars for Hollywood actors, lawyers and doctors. "It was a fantastic experience...and my time there has given me a vision of marketing and the world which is very different to that in Spain." Eventually, the family returned to Spain and resumed their craft, but the guitars did not sell. "We bought a truck and travelled around Europe with the Yellow Pages and knocked on doors to sell our guitars." Rodriguez, who has two small children, sees the future for this small family business as very challenging but he will insist in keeping the family business growing.Manuel Rodriguez Jr had give us so many advise on how to choose a quality guitar and explain to us about the art of making guitar.He told us to be very patient in running the classical guitar business.He will return to Malaysia perhaps during December 2011.We in Malaysia wish him all the best and may his business prosperous forever.God bless MR. Attached are photos of Mr. Rodriguez together with Mama Treble Clef Studio's staff - if you have any questions do give us a call and we will do our best to accomodate your enquiry. Together We make music education accessible to everyone!

*Inspired by the book by the great Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, "The Malay Dilemma".*

Whether one likes it or not, music is present in virtually every aspect of our lives. From the television, to the radio, to nursery rhymes or children chants to pick out the next "it" or "jadi" when playing group games, the fact is that we are never truly out of touch with music even if we wanted to; it is an essential part of human life. It is also interesting to note that when quizzed with the question, "What is music?", many people - some of which study music and work in the industry - are unable to give a definitive answer. Music is emotion, music is passion, music is creativity, music is art and so on and so forth. While all answers are correct to a certain degree, they are not strong enough to define the meaning of music in its entirety. Hence, let's all agree on a methodical definition of music (author is still a scientist and engineer at heart.)

Music is basically made of sound and silence. A neverending wave of continuous sound would be nothing more than noise; absolute silence on the other hand would also be a blank sheet of nothingness. We will therefore define music as form of art; an art form consisting of structured sound and silence, a pattern, a sketch. Within this different parameters be applied, known as harmony, rhythm, pitch, timbre, tempo and volume. Everything else pertaining to music can be placed under these parameters (chords, styles and genres, arrangement, dynamics, instrumentation, etc.) It's interesting if you look at it from a different angle; all noise is not music, but all music is noise - so think twice about the definition of the words "tone deaf" and "musically inclined"! If one can tell apart the sound of a car horn and the sound of water running, there's no reason to say that one cannot appreciate music, or even play music for that matter.

That said, as a musician and entrepreneur in the music industry, over the period of time working in the industry - as short as it may seem - the author has become aware of an unsettling gap between music, its perception and its education in our beloved Malaysia and other neighboring countries. Why is the music industry as such in this country despite our quality of life? Malaysia has an average education rate in the sense that almost everyone has gone to school (finishing it is another unrelated topic). Nobody ever starves to death, neither do terrible famines occur yearly, and we are blessed enough to never experience natural disasters, weekly riots and/or acts or senseless terror. Malaysia's actually quite a good place to live, mind you!

As a developed (some say developing - some say third-world depending on where you live) country one would expect that the artistic and creative side would develop as well. Sadly this is not the case. There is little support for the fine arts industry of any kind, be it film-making, painting, architecture and yes, music. When was the last time you saw a musician, one who can properly play an instrument given recognition? Can you name more than local 3 film directors? How many a time have our local architects won international awards for their buildings, yet nobody knows - and cares?

One would wonder why we are in this situation. We only have to look at our own local music student orchestra - if we were to put a comparison between us and a student orchestra from Thailand or Indonesia, it is almost pitiful to see our university orchestras struggle to compete with a secondary school band. Why is this so? Do we not put enough effort? Are we truly talentless, forever banished as second-rate artists? Before you get your pitchforks and torches ready hang on a second; Malaysia actually has some immensely talented individuals out there. Not many people know that a lot of the musicians on tour with superstar artists like Jackie Cheung, A-Mei and Alan Tam are actually Malaysians. Few know that back in the 80s we set the standard for production and created a new wave of fresh music that swept across the whole SEA region. Fewer know that we have top-level musicians of the highest caliber, playing in orchestras and conservatoires around the world, and even fewer have seen them play.

Back to the question - why is this so? Being human we naturally try to look for the culprit - and being Malaysian we naturally look for them to blame. We blame the government for not putting enough support. We blame the education system for not being up to standard, and teachers who are unqualified. We blame the media for not publicizing this, blame that, blame those and so on and so forth. Let's be frank, nobody's safe from this sort of responsibility, including the author himself. Everyone has their own part and a job to do. But allow him to share a story with you; there is this one student who has been playing the violin for almost two years. The violin has far outgrown her skill, and she definitely has some form of musical inclination that would show with a bit of hard work and dedication. So we recommend an upgrade, from a student model violin (around RM450) to an intermediate level violin (around RM2500) that would greatly increase her technique and sound production. This was met by the parents' reluctance that it was "too expensive" and the usual "not sure whether she'll continue to be interested in it" talk despite her natural ability. A week afterwards we learn that the parents bought a new BMW X6 SUV for the price of almost RM650,000! As parents who want their child to have a proper music education, they toss it aside like a second-rate subject. And then they raise the questions of "why doesn't this sound good", "why does the workmanship on this instrument look bad", why this, why that - geez, did you ask these same questions when you compared a cheap car with your BMW? The answer should be obvious!

Now this is not implying that the parents were terrible and had no vision and that anyone is to blame for this (they're actually really nice folks) but what suffers from all these silly issues is the music education industry, the musical instrument industry and the music industry as a whole. There is no definite answer who is truly at fault here, it's more complicated than just pointing fingers at different parties but one thing is for sure; if we do not correct this issue towards appreciation for the fine arts, we will never reach the next level of civilization that we dream of and yearn for - and regardless of any head start we have had in the past, the next generation of musicians will be outnumbered, outplayed, and outlasted by others before we even see it coming.

Just a thought...
-Eizaz Azhar

We would like to take this opportunity to wish all students, parents ,teachers and music lovers a Happy Lunar New Year.May the year of rabbit u will bless with health , wealth and wisdom.May all of you have a wonderful weekend and drive safely.Please be informed that our music school will be off throughout this Lunar New Year on the 2nd February 2011 (Wednesday) to 8th February 2011 (Tuesday) respectively.Classes will resume as usual on the 9th February 2011(Wednesday) , Happy Holiday!

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