Interview with Bode (updated version): i-bands.net exclusive!

Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2005 5:39 pm

Straight guitar talk with the doc

HE has done sessions with Ning Baizura, Anwar Zain, Misha Omar, Awie, Amy Mastura, Gary Chaw and Elva Hsiao. And not too long ago, he was called in to do a guitar solo on a song for Malaysian Idol winner Jacklyn Victor's debut album.

But unless you're a guitar freak who hangs out at indie music sites on the Internet, you wouldn't know who Dr Tengku Ahmad Shahrizal bin Tengku Dato’ Omar is. This ear, nose and throat specialist at a local hospital is something of a guitar hero — he's definitely one of the most fleet-fingered axemen you're ever likely to hear, although he'd be the last to admit it, and he's pretty uncomfortable with the "shredder" label that's often slapped on him.

A technically accomplished and diversely knowledgeable musician who also plays piano and drums, Bode, as he's known to friends and his fans, is held in high regard by young electric guitar players obsessed with "shredding", the speed-crazed pyrotechnical style of guitar playing inspired by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, John McLaughlin, Ritchie Blackmore and Al Di Meola that flourished in the '80s with the arrival of flashy stage-stompers like Edward Van Halen and Yngwie Malmsteen.

He's a regular poster on the message boards of local independent music sites like i-bands.net and JamTank, where he dispenses sage advice and incisive critiques on guitar technique with the clear-eyed precision that's of a piece with his clinical training.

More importantly, Bode, who's in his 30s, represents one of a growing number of young professionals who've found a way of balancing their passion for music with work and family.

Describing himself as "happily married to my beautiful wife and blessed with three angels", this unassuming doctor with a busy schedule has somehow kept his love of music alive through his occasional studio stints and a when-time-permits collaborative project called Bode's Noise Box with such musician buddies as Azlan Abu Hassan, Azman Abu Hassan, Anwar Hassan and Azlan Yusuf.

Finding time for music can be tough, especially when there's a constant stream of patients to attend to and when you have to present lectures on top of that, but as the articulate Bode reveals in this interview, as long as you stay plugged in, the spirit of music will keep surging in your bloodstream.

Q: You're in a line of work that keeps you busy most hours of the week; how do you find the time for music these days?

I get asked that question a lot, and actually, I have yet to find an answer to that one! Even when I was a medical student, music-related activities were done on "stolen" time. The most time that I could afford to spend on music was probably around 10 hours a week, and only rarely.

Nevertheless, with that little time, I managed to squeeze writing, recording music and performing live. However, nowadays, due to an increasingly hectic schedule, the only time that I get to pick up any instrument at all is during studio sessions. In between sessions, all the instruments are left to gather dust, unfortunately.

The guitar is a challenging instrument to master, and a guitarist needs to play and practise regularly to keep his/her skills from disintegrating.

As for me, the time to play/practise is close to non-existent and I find it extremely frustrating since I know for sure that I am not anywhere near my best proficiency when recording for sessions.

But I don’t believe producers who hire me should lower their expectations and standards just because I’m a full-time doctor rather than a full-time musician. I owe it to them to deliver the goods at the highest standards which is expected of a session guitar player.

Q: When you were first starting out as a guitar player, did you ever think of becoming a full-time musician? Were your parents supportive?

I started formal organ lessons at the age of nine and only started teaching myself guitar when I was 15. Even in those early days, I was really in awe and truly mesmerised by keyboard and guitar virtuosos -- Jon Lord and Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple were amongst my earliest idols -- and my passion for mastering those instruments was very strong.

But somehow, the idea of being a full-time musician did not really occur to me. Being a virtuoso like my idols was more a dream rather than an ambition. But that dream certainly kept me going for a long time!

Yes, my parents were very supportive and they went all the way to support my musical endeavours. They gave me a rich musical environment to grow up in, plenty of encouragement and gave me all the instruments that I need to pursue this hobby.

Q: Why did you decide to study medicine, and when you were in college in England, how did you keep your passion for music alive?

Being a doctor has always been my ambition and my other passion although I had to make sacrifices to realise it. Studying medicine in England was a great privilege for me in so many ways. Looking at it from just the musical point of view, England is definitely one of the musical hubs of the world and the country is definitely bustling with musical activity across all genres.

The plethora of live performances, be it in stadiums or small jazz clubs, and the opportunity to be exposed to a wide range of the latest musical equipment served as a potent stimulus to fire up my passion for music. In addition, events such as the British Music Fair gave me the opportunity to try out a wide range of the latest gear.

The experience of playing together with British musicians to British audiences also helped me to widen my musical perspective.

Q: Did you ever get to meet any of your idols while you were there?

I was fortunate enough to shake hands with Gary Moore and Tony Iommi and also hang out with Vinnie Moore after one of his equipment demos. I also managed to catch almost all of my guitar idols' live performances there.

Q: Could you describe your guitar style for people who haven't heard you? Who were your major influences when you were starting out?

There are several contrasting sides to my guitar playing style. I can safely say that rock and blues are my comfort zone, but I do dabble in several other genres such as jazz fusion.

All of my music, downloadable at i-bands, would give a rough idea of the different styles I play in... from the aggressive and hard hitting Shyboy (a rearrangement of Billy Sheehan's original done with the Mr. Big/Niacin/Talas bassist's permission) through the more melodic Moon, to the fusionesque Success? and the mellower Sacrifice, for instance.

Among my earliest major influences were Ritchie Blackmore, Edward Van Halen, Gary Moore, Michael Schenker, Larry Carlton, George Benson, Jake E. Lee, Randy Rhoads, Neal Schon and Vivian Campbell.

Later, I started to be influenced by the next generation of guitar heroes such as Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Greg Howe, Tony McAlpine and Paul Gilbert.

Q: What about you guitar collection and equipment? Are you satisfied with the gear you have now, or are you one of those players who're perennially in search of the perfect tone tool?

Yes, the search for the dream guitar tone ended in 1993 when I got my main axe from a second hand shop in Sheffield. This guitar is believed to be one of the first prototypes which was made for Steve Vai in the mid-80’s which later spawned the ever popular Ibanez JEM range of guitars.

My other guitars are a worn-out Kramer Striker (which is on temporary retirement due to a cracked body as a result of Floyd Rose abuse in the 80’s!), an Ibanez Roadstar (my very first guitar) and a customized neck through body San Dimas Jackson (which was a gift from my dear friend Ismadi Ismail).

My backline setup is simple: a Peavey Profex pre-amp/multi-effects, and an Alesis Midiverb III which then feeds a stereo signal to two Laney Linebacker 50 amps. All switching is done via a MIDI foot controller and a couple of continuous controllers provide real time MIDI control of selected parameters.

I wouldn’t mind having a bigger rig which could pump out more volume, but in terms of the quality of the tone, I’m pretty happy with my present setup. It’s extremely versatile, can be pretty loud and the whole rig still can be squeezed into a car.

Q: You do session work off and on, and I understand you played guitar on a track by Malaysian Idol winner Jacklyn Victor's new solo album. What was that experience like?

I was elated to have been called by Azlan Abu Hassan to do that particular session (track titled Padamu Permataku) for many reasons.

First, Jaclyn is an amazing singer and I have the greatest respect for her talents. Another interesting point is that I have been a fan of that particular song since as far back in 1993.

I first listened to a very early version of the song back then at the time I first met Azlan Abu Hassan in the UK. I’ve always wanted to play on that song since then and at last, it happened 11 years after that!

I will forever be thankful to Azlan Abu Hassan and Azman Abu Hassan to have picked me up from nowhere and let me create my own humble little niche in the music industry. I have learned so much from them all these years through these sessions.

I’m also lucky to have been given pointers on the "metaphysical side of the guitar" by my friends Sham Kamikaze and Man Keedal.

Q: Do your plan on putting out recordings of your music on CD someday?

Certainly. But with the hectic schedule, only time will tell.

Q: Are your children musically inclined? Do you encourage them?

Very much. They pretty much listen to whatever is playing at home. I let them listen to whatever music there is in my collection and encourage them to play any instruments in the house.

Both my six-year-old son and four-year-old daughter are whizzing through their piano classes. My son loves Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai and my daughter loves Mozart.

They've got their own PC and they've got mp3 and video playlists of Daddy's music that they enjoy listening to.

Q: What have been your most fulfilling achievements in music so far?

It is an honour to have been able to record with many high-profile local and international artists such as Ning Baizura, Anwar Zain, Misha Omar, Awie, Gary Chaw and Elva Hsiao.

I am also psyched that the song 'Moon' was chosen to be included in the playlist for Guitarist Radio (www.soundclick.com), a US-based Internet radio station featuring selected independent guitarists from all over the world.

And it’s even more thrilling when one of the featured guitarist on the radio is one of my idols: Reb Beach of Winger/Dokken/Whitesnake fame. We’ve also received Best Guitars and Best Production awards from the US-based international site Garageband.com (www.garageband.com).

Q: Some of your music is available on the Internet. How has the response been from Web-surfing listeners? Also, do you think the Internet empowers indie musicians? If so, how?

We’ve got our music on Soundclick.com, Garageband.com, mp3.com.au (an Australian-based international site) and i-bands.net. The response that we’ve been getting locally and internationally is very encouraging.

For some reason, our music is much better accepted overseas than locally. We got to the No. 1 spot twice this year on the Instrumental Artist chart of mp3.com.au, and some songs have been hovering in the Top 40 for quite a while.

The Internet has definitely given independent musicians a great avenue to be heard beyond geographical barriers. It also has enabled musicians from different sides of the globe to do collaborations which would have been impossible in the past.

Q: Are there any little-known or indie Malaysian musicians and bands
listeners here should be aware of?

There are a lot of relatively unknown independent acts out there who deserve to be heard. The ones I can think of right now from the top of my head are Call The Paramedics, Virus Sound, Kluk Kluk Adventure, Izuan Hafez, Ridzi and Lucy In The Loo. I’m sure there are a lot more I have missed. You can check out all these artists at i-bands.net.

Q: Who are the musicians who have made a lasting impression on you?

Gary Moore, Edward Van Halen, George Benson, Larry Carlton, John Sykes, Steve Lukather, Michael Landau, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen, John Williams (the British classical guitarist), David Foster... the list goes on and on, but I will stop there!

Q: Who are the players guitarists should be listening to for ideas
and inspiration these days?

There are so many great guitarists in so many genres, so it would be difficult for me to mention only a select few. But if we’re taking the rock genre specifically, Steve Vai is already well known for pushing the sonic limits of the guitar beyond previously set barriers. Other rock guitarists who have re-written certain rules on the technicalities of guitar playing are Greg Howe, Richie Kotzen and Nuno Bettencourt.

In the field of fusion, Allan Holdsworth has been around for decades, and yet his playing is still considered surpassing way beyond the current standards.

Q: What advice would you give young musicians with demanding day jobs struggling to keep their passion alive?

It’s important that you have like-minded friends to communicate with to stop the passion from dying. Try not to be too detached from music for too long, and never stop listening to great musicians who would always re-ignite your love and passion for the art.

Bode’s Noise Box music can be sampled on the Internet at the following sites:

http://www.soundclick.com/bodesnoisebox
http://www.i-bands.net/audiovault/bodesnoisebox
http://www.mp3.com.au/Bode'sNoiseBox/

Author's links:
RS / synthdude

Ridzi · Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2005 3:02 pm Post subject:

Alan Holdsworth is the man!!

synthdude · Joined: 06 Dec 2004 Articles: 5 Comments: 0

Here are four tracks by Allan Holdsworth that display his otherwordly guitar music: Click on the photo

The Real Allan Holdsworth.com