Music is A Language: My Experience in Ghana

Douglas with a copy of High Life Time 3

Ebo Tylor receiving an exemplary award

There's so much talent in Africa that I think if we had the right civilization to utilize it, there is no continent richer than this cradle of mankind. Two weeks ago I was privileged to attend ACCES conference organised by Music in Africa hosted in Accra Ghana. Chale (Ghanaian icebreaker term for Friend),there is music in this continent, and there's so much authenticity in West African bands that one can only admire. What is taking so long for the society to embrace art as a legit profession and a source of income? Why are we forcing ourselves to be aligned with the Western Style and  end up revamping the cliche of  'Starving artistes?' Right from the first performance on the night of 28th November 2019 by the legendary Ebo Tylor to the last night epic presentation of the Mokoomba band from Zimbabwe, I am still nursing the imaginations that this conference brought my way with the likes of FRA Band!

Yaa Yaa with the writer after a short interview

Yes, I mean it when I say nursing because consumption of works of art for me happens consciously unlike food where I delegate the duty to my enzymes and intestines. I could only but admire the high level of competence that was graced by great communication skills (non-verbal) among the players on stage.The drummer, guitarist, singer and/or the violinist knows exactly where to stop, start and continue! Without Music Sheets! Oh, that we would mimic this kind of collaboration, teamwork skills and trust in our endeavors as young Africans in the daily struggles for change in this continent. Wouldn't Africa be miles ahead?

As I observed the bands play, I imagined the hours of practice invested in the works. I wondered whether or not these young people have 8-5 jobs and doubted if that excellence can be achieved by occasional meetups where someone comes only at convenient times. Then it dawned on me that all these bands were international stars and that means a 'formal employment' might not be their cup of tea. They would be branded incompetent and lazy. These are people who have gone against all odds, and decided to work on their brands and it's no wonder they are shining. I hope you as my reader (not just musicians) are learning something about success.

Kyekyeku

During the day, there were a lot of workshops and seminars that at one point made me struggle with choosing what to participate in. When I mentioned above that the musicians play so well from memory and not sight reading, the point has nothing to do with them not valuing education. In the main hall was John Collins, a Ghanaian of British Decent and Kyekeku (Pronounced as Checheku), a renowned guitarist and a band leader enlightening us on the history of Music in Ghana. I have to confess that that was the first time I came across the term High Life Music. I was appalled by how a 'normal' guitarist can be so rich in history, understanding music theory and customizing it in the African context. I am more confident that Africa is rich! The discussion and the short presentation of the early music in the country was enticing enough for me to purchase the 600 page book (The most Expensive text I've ever bought) by John Collins entitled "HIGH LIFE TIMES."

A moment with Ghanaian Promoter, Katinkah

Partners such as Boom Play, Appraise music store helped enlighten us on the marketing strategy for musicians. Theirs was a general call that live streaming is a disruptive business technology that every musician needs to be aware of, if indeed they want to succeed commercially. When was the last time you bought a CD, or as a musician, how are the CD sales so far?

Ladies and Gentlemen, brothers and sisters, chale, I fell in love. I fell in love with Yaa Yaa's music! I have to confess that sometimes I feel that I am the odd one out. I get an invite to a big event (Well not so big as I am yet to be that famous here) and all artistes have come with playbacks which they sing along and act like DJs. You know, that feeling you get that you are the odd one out and since our audience is okay with that, your performance looks like one from Mars if not Pluto. As a string player, you play carefully because if your string
happens to snap, none of the artistes will come to your rescue. Wasn't it fun when this happened during the performances and the lead guitarist asked for a nother guitar while his was being tuned and trust me, except for music nerds like me, no one could notice.

Yaa Yaa on stage

YAA YAA(BertherBridget Kankam), comes on stage and introduces the percussion with her majestic art on the tom drum. I saw great energy especially when she psyches her team in dancing to the original compositions that everyone would join in regardless of whether or not you know the language. We had a chat the following day and something struck me. Well, not all, but for a few that I've met, when an artiste gets to perform in such a high end event, they at most have a minute for you, and sadly, it's normally, "Hi, I'm good!" I managed an interview with Yaa Yaa and there's so much wisdom that I will share in an exclusive post to come.

A group of guitarists and 
composers/producers consulting

 This post won't mean a thing if I don't talk about the respected legend Obrafour when it comes to rap music in Ghana. His original name is Michael Elliot Kwabena Okyere Darko.  Prior to his coming, we were in a workshop with producers. This was a continuation of the presentations each one of us was giving on our works. I got to showcase my piece on forgiveness which you can get by clicking on the link Msamaha This was termed as very emotional by the audience among whom was a lead HipHop Producer, Mr. Koffi. One can only wonder the power of music. That the mind can decipher a psychological piece even without words is just a miracle. That is when I got to learn a lot on film scoring that has been part of my desire for as long as I can remember. BY the way, some days to come I will be starring! Now, people were not ready to break for lunch lest they miss a seat to hear Obrafour. 

Time elapsed, entered a short man, with a hat covering clean but very dark long dreadlocks almost reaching his waist. The room became frighteningly silent and he began to talk. Now I am fond of writing the main points from speeches; it turned out I was going to be writing everything! With the release of yesterdays Wajinga Nyinyi by the Kenyan rapper King Kaka, now I know that RAP just means Rythmic African Poetry as defined by Obrafour.  Never had I heard a successful rapper speak in a humble manner, attributing his success to God and when asked how he manages to write epic pieces he said; 

I am a student of the Bible. My mother brought me up training me in the fear of the almighty God. I took that up. In my work, I reckon that I am speaking to families and so, dignity is important, I need to inspire generations (Paraphrase).

Douglas in ACCES studio on collaborations

This popped  open a section in my mind that was blocked years ago as I joined High School. I composed a lot of songs and some of them were pieces for rap. Sadly, none of them got an extra ear because the role models I'd have wanted to look upto were just profane. Either about sex, alcohol or drugs. If you are in Kenya, find out hip hop artists in Kenya around 2004 and beyond. Since then, I wouldn't listen to a Hip-hop piece until after campus but still, getting my hands on writing rap gave me chills. Maybe, it's time!
As always, making friends is a good thing to help one appreciate diversity. The show was over and I had friends back where I was staying. The names I remember( I am poor with names at first instances) are Maiu Pachamama and Ibrahim. Perhaps because they were my company at the beach. The photos below include them and a few others at the residence.

The writer at the Ghana
Academy of Arts and Sciences

 I am sure, those who know me have been wondering how I got there, because Ghana is miles away. My gratitude goes to Music In Africa for giving me the opportunity to participate and Prince Clause Fund for facilitating my travel and accommodation. Thank you for reading!

The writer is and artiste at and founder of Dowe Music &Arts as well as the pioneer of Art4Leadership.

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Take Off I

Lake Como at night

Como is a beautiful place. Well I know that's an understatement but what can one say? Normally, a city with many big buildings and substantial traffic is accustomed to noise, rowdiness leave a lone carelessness.  The same is not true about Como. The hills that surround Lake Como with their natural flora and fauna from which exude the God given fresh air demand calmness in return for the serenity they offer. And the people there have danced to the tune of mother nature. You will see trees around every building, including the famous Como Cathedral with it's incredible Gothic design. I'm told it was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Checkin in at Como City

Ladies and gentlemen, may I indulge you in this and other upcoming episodes of my journey to Italy attending the World Manufacturing Forum under sponsorship of Africa Innovation Leaders. I have been in this fellowship since last year and last month was the end that resulted in the above opportunity.

Lake Como from Cernobbio 

The forum took place in Cernobbio which is one of the towns around the lake. Right from the first speaker to the last in the Entrepreneurship session, the overriding theme was Collaboration. There was a constant reminder from everyone of them that if we are to succeed in the nex revolution, we must come and work together. Africa, Europe, Asia, America and the Arctic were all recognized as part of the globe that will neccesitate change. Stay tuned for some of the great quotes we got.

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WAKE UP! IT'S MORNING

Bishop TD Jakes Addressing Entrepreneurs 

“I hear people from outside talk about opportunities in Africa more than I hear Africans talk about opportunities in Africa…the globe today is ready for your Idea,”

NunuNtshingila, the Regional Director Facebook Africa pointed out this truth during SOAR AFRICA 2019 as she stood up to address enthusiastic entrepreneurs.

SOAR AFRICA is a platform for African Leaders to get peer mentorship, knowledge sharing and executive engagement that embraces servant leadership. 5^th-6^th September 2019 mark the inaugural dates for the event that has been the talk of the day at least by many in the country for the past one month. The event brought together admirable leaders not only in the business world but also from the Public as well as the Spiritual aspects of life. 

The main speaker being Bishop TD Jakes from the US, the audience were surely blessed by his colleagues of the day including Strive Masiyiwa, Joshua Oigara (KCB), Sylvia Mulinge(Safaricom PLC), CS Fred Matiang’I to mention but a few.

There had been a fuss all over the media about the charges to the event but some of us just chose to focus on the main thing, which was, “SOAR AFRICA.” I was not going to afford this summit but was positive that at least I could get some nuggets of wisdom even if it meant through leaked videos or the social media titbits. 

You can imagine the joy when I got a message to express interest in attending the summit through the YALI alumni email. KCB had decided to sponsor a few of us. That is one of the mails I normally respond to first, doing the necessary before asking questions. Doesn’t Steve Covey advocate for pro-activeness in his 7Habits of Highly Effective People?

Let’s just say I had to attend this no matter the circumstances. I had been down with a fever and I once thought about cancelling my travel plan but… Years ago I read a book with a title “THE PRINCESS WITHIN” by Sarah Jakes which made me admire the man, her husband. I looked forward to becoming a resilient husband, open and honest as well as God-fearing. 

So, when an opportunity comes to hear and see the man you read on paper and/or watched on electrons, what more can one ask? The fact that he is a man of God showing the world that business can be clean and money after all was meant to serve man and not the other way is inspirational and maybe for once…I had to pause because I think the statement needs its own sentence break.

For once, young Christians (and even believers of other religions) have evidence that being religious is not a license to foolishness and poverty as it is always shoved down our throats right from primary school by some who believe in nothing. 

According to TDJ, the success of a nation is like a table. The four legs are Entrepreneurship, Religion, Political Leadership and Technology. Knock any of them off and there you have a crisis. He advocates for an inclusive society where children, the youths and the elderly are part of the cake baking process.

I could see the passion he has for Kenya and the longings for the rising of the black continent. We danced to the beat led by the stamping of his foot encouraging Kenyans to start marketing their products.

“Success is no longer a local Idea…business is a brand. A brand is a promise…a promise is built on trust. Make it easier for people to trade with you…It is not about who’s next…find people who do what you can’t…collaborate…” 

A few months ago, during the National Youths and Devolution Summit, the speakers emphasized on the need for young people to advance from noise to voice. TDJ called on Kenyans to channel their energy into marketing their products because,

“We (outside Kenya) need your products, we need your music, your normal to us is amazing…the wind is right for your dream…wake up! Wake up Kenya, it’s morning!”

To sum up this write-up, my salutation goes to Joy Wachira, the founder of SOAR AFRICA for dreaming big and helping us get the motivation we needed to forge ahead. To KCB and the Yali Fraternity, one day books will be read as people overseas will be looking for the formula that made Africa arise, these titles shall be remembered.  Meanwhile, let me finish reading my copy of SOAR authored by Bishop TD Jakes. You can order it online at Amazon 

A section of young Entrepreneurs after the summit

Dear reader, thank you choosing to read this post under Art4Leadership with sponsorship of Dowe Music &Arts. We endeavor to highlight the positive change taking place in Africa as we rebuke the stench of evils that thwart her progress. Please stay tuned.

The writer has sole responsibility for the post.

Douglas Ogutu is a gifted 

musician and writer

 at Dowe Music & Arts

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Does it Matter Only when it is "Explicit?"

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A LETTER TO YOU

Retrieved from Pratisthamishra

RE: 14^TH FEBRUARY MEN CONFERENCE AFTERMATH

The above matter refers.

First, I render my apologies for not attending the men’s conference as I had a function dubbed “Touch A Soul” reaching out to children abandoned by some of you. I am writing to find out the outcome of that meeting. Days have gone since then and I submit to you that all is not well. We are headed south. We have left our place, fellow man.

I rarely watch TV but man, the news all over the place is not good. Fellow man, you take a woman out, enjoy the bliss, then when she notifies you of the new development; your phone loses network, your car develops engine problems, you get a new job in another city and you continue with your life? But why, why couldn’t bar this that if zipping up was a goal too far to reach?

I feel you man. Yours is a divorce case. Well, painful it was. However, those bundles of joy (I mean children) had nothing to do with you two before you started whispering sweet nothings, borrowing airtime for chats and meals at big hotels. They are missing you. The mother is busy covering up your absence with a flashy life style she can afford, thankfully for her unwavering determination. I hear them-children giggle with plastic joy, while the suppressed subconscious mind is screaming in my ears, “Could you be our daddy?” Man, where are you?

I am your daughter’s teacher. I am your son’s mentor. That's fine. But Man, you’re still alive and you are just there to let them see a father figure in me? Fellow man, when I read the episodes, watching the interviews with the children on celebrity status and I don’t see you even on the footnotes, it breaks my heart. That another man can access passwords to your daughter/sons’ phone at the tender age, you left him to be the one showing him/her what site to and/or not visit while you wine and dine doesn’t disturb you? Like for real, fellow man, we can do better. So, you are comfortable flipping through your memory, remembering 9 months after the notification a child was born and through the years you’ve never even talked…

I’m talking with you man. I know you pledged to be responsible. But the law leaned against you. Things are changing. Go back. Demonstrate you can. Your child needs you. Not your money, s/he needs your breath, the knowledge on how you keep calm even in drastic situations. Fellow man, I was hoping this was the content of the men’s conference in February. I think I was wrong. What did you dudes resolve?

My daughter is overseas. We (son and I) await her. When she comes, I will teach her. She won’t live by the phrase “What a man can do, a woman can do better…” what does that even mean? I will teach her to be the best of herself, compete with herself just like her brother is learning now. I will teach them both, that a man can not live without a woman and yes, a woman cannot live without a man. That it is fallacious to claim that, when one has a boss of the opposite gender, not to say a caretaker at home. “This world is full of double standards,” I will let them know. That when you educate a woman you have not educated the whole world, neither can one boast of having sound leadership by exalting a man alone. “Both you my son and daughter must be educated, trained, and mentored equally,” they will hear from me. That no one is weaker.

 Fellow man, well, I may not be present physically everyday due to my hustle: however, I want them to know that I am present.

Lastly, fellow man. I hope you join me in this pledge. I pledge to be a father when I become one. I pledge to be actively present. I pledge to let keep my child out of the quagmires of my relationship, wisely showing her why I had to choose the present life style. I pledge to be there and provide guidance, my child shall learn pertinent things first from me, not some other son of man. This I believe, is Art4Leadership

N/B: I am married and armed with the following truths:

Divorce doesn’t have to be drama.

Children should not suffer for my lifestyle.

I will do my best to keep it that way, but I am not immune to a break-up. It’s just by grace.

The opinions expressed in here are solely owned by the writer.

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FEEL THE BEAT: ART4LEADERSHIP "03

Our third edition was entitled MZALENDO which is a swahili word for "PATRIOT." It was a wonderful event bringing together young people over a conversation about Patriotism. We are grateful to our Speakers: Ms. Shikoh Kihika, the founder of Tribeless Youth and the NakuruYouth Bunge President Mr. Philip Ng’ok. The duo challenged the bright minds to take initiative realizing that the change Africa needs is within us.

The event started with a performance from Dowe Music Band with patriotic music from iconic legends like the late Oliver Mtukudzi. The audience would later on be treated to an own composition that left everyone pledging to stand for what is right and promote Nationhood.

During the panel discussion, Ms. Shikoh maintained that the youths need to read the constitution not only to demand for their rights but also to be able to fight for the less fortunate. In the same vein, Mr.Ng’ok called out for Servant Leadership attitude as well as the love for one another as Citizens.

A presentation from the youngest guitarist-Kyle stunned everyone and when asked how he managed to learn the instrument and could play effortlessly, he said, “Just feel the beat.” 

This in my own opinion is a great insight about life in general. One needs to study how systems work, in order to either fit in or course a change. Dear reader, do you want to bring about real transformation? You’ve got to do some study, listen, read and observe, in Kyle’s word, feel the beat!

Then came the opportunity hour! Various scholarship opportunities were broadcast with fellows and alumni sharing tips on how to make applications. Among other institutions represented were YALI RLC, Mandela Washington Fellowship (which is on course currently until 3^rd August 2019), Chevening which was represented by Mr. Stuart Kasozi from Uganda, Emerging Leaders Foundation represented by Anne Kinyua, Cohort 6 Alumnus. The Kenya National Library Services was represented by it’s ICT officer Mr. Joseck Olala who shared a number of authentic courses offered at the Library free of charge.

Now you know, you don’t want to miss the next event which will be announced here in due time. Stay tuned and be a good citizen or at lead, Mzalendo!

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Last week ended well with performance from Douglas, the CEO Dowe Music & Arts performing at the 2^nd Youth Symposium on Devolution. The conference dubbed, “Putting Youth at the Center of Devolution” saw young people from across Kenya and with diverse backgrounds learn a lot on matters governance.

 Ms. Caren Wakoli, the founder of Emerging Leaders Foundation emphasized the need for Kenyans to reconsider strengthening the family bond as a move towards sound leadership. She decried the erosion of morality in society and encouraged youths to go for value based systems rather than circumstantial decision making that influences Africa’s Constitutional Amendments.

Hon. Eugene Wamalwa, the CS for Devolution enlightened the youths about their rights within the counties and the country at large. He stressed the issue of citizens putting leaders on the spotlight with regards to the responsibility given during and after the elections.

All in all, it was a wonderful two day occasion with everyone pledging to move from just being sounding bells but being the real voice of change in a tag named: From Noise to Voice. The songs Say No To Poor Leadership and Carry On Africa graced the occasion leaving the participants with something to ponder. Here is what the event hosts talked about the performance. Authentic Music Appraised

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Lead Where You Are

What comes into your mind when you here the word Leadership? For many, it’s a figure of someone in a top position privileges, capable of issuing commands and one who stands aloof from the common man. They imagine of a commander, and the ones being led as subjects. This, however, is not the case for youths in Nakuru county. Last week the 2^nd of May 2019, we had a great event at the Kenya National Library as our Art4Leadership Episode II of the year. If you are just reading this blog for the first time, this is musical concert in which we invite professional speakers from various spectra of life to inspire youths towards positive social change. In January, we tackled a topic on Education for peace where our guest speaker was Mr. Winnie Machila, the Head Teacher at Milimani Primary School. You can read about the event here: African Dream

Joseck Addressing Youths

The facilitators for the last week’s event were Mr. Joseck Olala a YALI Alumnus and ICT Officer at the Nakuru Knls and Dowe Music & Arts director, Mr. Douglas Ogutu. The eagerness in the faces of the youths and their timely attendance as well as their abundance is enough to tell you that young people long for a better Kenya, if not Africa at large. The event, themed “LEAD WHERE YOU ARE: The Africa We Want” was graced by Dowe Music Band with the main song being “The African Dream.” This song is not only easy to sing a long but thought provoking through it’s proactive message. Written in the first person, listening to or sing this tune especially the chorus challenges one to reflect on one’s actions and pledge to do what is right. Here are the words of the chorus in Swahili:

Nitatenda mema (I will do what is good)

Nitahesabika (I’ll stand to be counted)

Eh Mungu wangu (Oh My God)

Nisaidie (Help me out)

One can see from this words that the listener is being called to action. The call is for one to shift the paradigm from just delegating responsibility to those in positions of power but realize we all have a role.This tied in so well with the messages from the Speakers. Youths were taught on the effects of poor governance and shown the benefits of sound governance. It was made clear that our actions for or not voting directly affect our lives since governance holds all sectors of livelihoods be it health, economy, infrastructure, education etc. 

Youths participating in the discussion

Mr. Olala reminded the youths that the constitution gives them a right to public participation, questioning actions of the elected leaders as well as demanding that they deliver what they promised. He emphasized that we all must in one accord Say no to PoorLeadership in word and action.

 The second speaker, Mr. Ogutu talked about Servant Leadership. He enlisted qualities of a good leader as expressed in the image below from his presentation. Of the 7 characteristics, “Self-Awareness” came out as the most critical.

“When you get a position to lead, you give the people a chance to know you. They can relate with you easily if they have no difficulty understanding who you are. It becomes a tragedy when you don’t know yourself in the first place,” He said. From the discussions with the attendees, it became clear that poor leadership spearheaded by corruption in Africa is an enormous problem to even think of tackling it. However, they all agreed that it is not impossible. They pledged to be “bold enough to fight patiently even if we ourselves don’t live to see the fruits.”

One of them said, “We have to develop a long-term strategy, not limiting ourselves to election time periods.” It was Impressive seeing such a discourse led by youths themselves. Indeed, it is noble to fight for something that will outlive you. Thank you for taking time to read and hopefully this will spark hope and a desire for a greater Africa than we have now. To listen to the recorded version of the theme song of the day click this link.African Dream

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WELCOME

We are patient. We value potential yet we know it remains that way until it's uncapped. That's what we do. No matter the reason for your music learning. Be it professional or just fun, we tailor the lessons to what you want. Check out this example of our student, see if you can join us today. If the answer is yes then call +2547308274 today or email info@dowemusicarts.com

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Don't We Need Each Other?

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Theatre Unplugged

It was a pleasant opportunity to grace Nakuru Player's Theatre Unplugged program. The baby program spearheaded by Mr. Wanyama is geared towards bringing together the artistes within the county. Evidently, as seen from the various speeches during the send off ceremony of a fallen budding Icon- Christonimph, it is only through embracing one another that art can actually grow. This program should hence be encouraged not only for performers to showcase their talents but also an involvement of county government officials, professionals in diverse fields to inspire competency and growth is paramount. There is just as much talent as can feed this country if well harnessed and encouraged. Below are a few photos of Dowe Music Team performing at the theatre.

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How Much is a Guitar?

Retrived from Aruna Musical Store

"Hello sir, I want to buy a guitar, I was wondering if you can help me choose the best..." This is the message I hear quite often from guitar lovers ranging from admirers, beginners, amateurs to experienced players. My first question has always been, "What do you want to use it for?" In this post, we'll look at recommendations of the ranges that you can consider before purchasing a guitar. Disclaimer, when it comes to prices, you are free to do as your pocket allows but if you're like me as in you like counting every single coin and ensuring none goes to waste, this post will help you. I will categorize the prices basing on the levels of guitar players:

Admirer's Guitar 

Souvenir Guitars
Image c/o shutterstock.com

Just like we have people who love watching the Rugby sport but cannot stand the imagination of injuries the players go through leave alone playing the game itself, the guitar has more admirers in the world than aspiring players. In this category, the features of the instrument are more aesthetic than musical. The user goes for color, shape and the general appearance as opposed to sound quality. 

Have you ever visited a friend and found a guitar hanging on a wall and you know very well they can't even tell how many strings the guitar has? Well, that is what am talking about. Most of these are usually souvenirs for birthdays, anniversaries of some sort and so forth. If you plan to buy such, I bet the smaller the size the better. Budgeting from $50 (Ksh. 5000)  can get you a good colored guitar. You don't have to worry about which musical shop to get it. Supermarkets all over the place can sort you out. One more thing, the brand doesn't matter as long as you got the right color for the occasion.

Beginner's Guitar
You have been searching for a music tutor for long and someone just hinted to you about Dowe Music and Arts and how their trainers handle students with utmost excellence and expertise not to mention respect. After a tune or two they showcase you get convinced that you should give it a shot but you must buy the guitar first. Which way to go? There is a wide range of acoustic guitars that you can get from the market. By acoustic I mean those that don't have Pre-amps to connect to a PA system. At this stage, you want to focus on ensuring you have a good grip of the guitar itself. Trying to play on PA at this stage will horrify not only whoever cares to listen but yourself as well. So, let's begin where we are. What is our budget recommendation? $80 (Ksh. 8,000) and above will solve your current problem friend.

Acoustic Guitar
Image c/o melbournemusiccenter.com.au

Amateur's Guitar

Guitar with pick-up Image c/o ebay.com

This belongs to people who have been playing the guitar for say two years (notice I said playing not owning). Chances are they have started having a clear picture of the notes on the fret-board and are not slaves of the Capo. I mean, they use it when they want and not as an escape from the barre chords. Though not  yet veryclear, they can a tleast discover the key in which a song is being played and can tune a guitar without dependance on electronic tuners. They own the above Beginners guitar. 

 If the above guitar is in good condition, get a gadget called Pick-up and mount it on the guitar just near the sound box opening. The pick-up acts as a pre-amp for converting analog signals from the guitar strings to digital to be sent to the PA. This should cost between $20-50 (Ksh. 2,000-5,000) inclusive of a cable say five meters long.

Semi-Acoustic Guitar
Image c/o audiomart.co.za

Alternatively, one can decide to buy a semi-acoustic guitar. At this stage, chances are that the player still has little or no gigs at all to enable them purchase a higher quality guitar. This means you have to outsource money elsewhere. Most people on such a lean budget as I was then decide to sell the beginners guitar (of course at a lower price than they bought) and top up the savings to buy a semi-acoustic guitar. Where are we at? Now that you've began to enjoy your own guitar playing, it's time to let the world feel a taste. Your budget needs to upgrade to something like $150 (Ksh. 15000). At this point we start mentioning brands like Yamaha, Fender. Sadly though, you may only afford the Gibsons which has some good invigorating sound vibrations.

Professional Guitar

Yamaha SA2200 Semi Acoustic Guitar
Image c/o rimmermusic.co.uk

We call you a professional guitarist because you are no longer confused with the music theory rules/rudiments. In fact, you are outgrowing them to a point where their boundaries make sense but not enough to limit your exploitative fingers. You bend a few like using a Major Chords where your teacher said you shouldn't. Yes, you can run a number of scales beautifully to any given song or create a chord pattern given just a monotonic melody. The point is, you find no problem understanding this paragraph.

Unfortunately, sometimes you may reach this level but your pocket is still at the admirer's level. I once attended a christian mission where we were amazed that there were three old acoustic guitars but the players distinguished them as Lead, semi-acoustic and Bass. In essence, for a professional guitarist, you can turn any of the above into what you want. However, some audiences are very judgmental. You don't want to lose your show just because of your stinginess. Get a good guitar, with a guitar case that takes care of the instrument well. You should be ready to spend $300 (Ksh. 30,000) and above for the guitar alone while the case chops $30-100(Ksh.3000-10,000) depending on whether you want a bag or a wooded/metallic case.

Electric Guitarists

Lead Guitar Image c/o jiji.nj

Bass Guitar
Image c/o stagefrontmusic.co.au

These are majorly the bass and lead guitars. There are also acoustic electric guitars. For these, we not only mention Yamaha, Gibsons and/or Fender, rather, we work ourselves out to purchasing them since our ears have precision to understand what sound we want. Budget? Anything less than $200 (Ksh. 20,000) will not serve you for a desirable duration. Remember, the reason I have placed this category here is that the players are assumed to have basic music theory and have good musical ears. It will be a bit problematic to learn these if you don't have the basics. However, nothing is impossible in this world. Also, these guitars come with the budget of a PA system. So unless you are buying for a church/band which already has the PA, realize that your budget can not be any less than $50(Ksh. 50,000).

Conclusion
  As stated earlier, sometimes it is your pocket that speaks for you. However, as you can see, you can not start from the last to the first. Life itself doesn't work that way. Even if it does, no one wishes it does. Hopefully, this post will help you in purchasing your next guitar.

The writer is 

a guitar trainer at 

Dowe Music & Arts

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Touch A Soul: 2019 Valentine Edition

Touch A Soul Banner Made By
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Dowe Music & Arts Team with the children

With all the fuss on social media about the men’s conference on Valentines Day, we at Dowe Music visited beautiful souls in one of the slum areas in Nakuru. Located off town just near the Lake Nakuru Game park is a home with a courageous woman. Elizabeth (a.k.a Mama Ng’endo) is a lady full of compassion and love for the less fortunate. She houses sixteen abandoned children by either irresponsible beings of a human or because of the cruel hand of death.

Soon after our expedition at the coast last week, we embarked on a fund drive to facilitate the visit. Well, before I delve much into this, I must mention that this visit became more relevant because of the Human Centered Design approach we applied. By Thursday, earlier week, we had not yet found a suitable orphanage to visit. Bu suitable I mean a place where we would get all the children at the same time. Most of them had some children in boarding school.

I was privileged to participate in the MWF 2019 interview. It happened that the panelist came late. Instead of each of us minding our own business and rehearsing what to say as it always happens in most job interviews, I told the group of five sharp looking ladies and one Gentleman to turn the chairs around. We did our introduction and that’s how I knew Susan.

Susan

Susan is a soft spoken lady graced with empathy for the underprivileged. Despite having growing up in a middle class family and currently having a good job (Things I came to learn later after the visit), one can only wonder why and how she has a heart to take occasional visits to Mama Ng’endo and do shopping for the children. It was after everyone had shared their stories that I told Susan about my interest in her visits to the home.

For the past one year, I have come to appreciate the power of story-telling and connecting with people. Little was it known to me that the lateness of our panelists (We all know that it is not in an American to be late) was a divine chance for me to make contacts with great change makers. Thankfully, I have contacts of all of them: Orpah, a volunteer with G-Unite, Sakuda a founder of a High School, Birir a fellow Yali Nakuru Alumni and the founder of Go Green and Linda.

Back to the top story. We did chat with Susan and on asking how we might help the home, she had every detail on her fingertips. Normally, we always think of bringing clothes and sadly (or is it fate), those that are torn and want someone to take them instead of turning them into dusters. Susan gave me a list of things that the home was in dire need. On top of the list was that there’s a need for well- wishers and sponsors to help Elizabeth educate the children. Well, this would be beyond our scope as our company has barely broken even and it’s still taking off. However, what if by you reading this story you can give it a shot. You can get our contacts at the Dowe Music &Arts website.

Reaching out to the current class of students, they suggested a budget so we can do a one-month shopping. I was so excited for a bout ten seconds then a thought came. Who was going to foot that? These young people? Long story short, we set a target which was surpassed by about $20 (Ksh.2000). We are grateful to everyone including friends of Dowe Music &Arts (Those who are neither alumni or current students) for the support you gave.

Elizabeth "Mama Ng'endo at her home,
Sewage Area, Nakuru

We arrived safely on Thursday evening, 14 of February.  Mama Ng’endo gave a story that made all of us appreciate life. Her husband was brutally murdedered in 2007during the Post- Election Violence. They found his lifeless body lying in a trench. Well, I have been preaching peace and singing about it for long but for once I felt a deeper unction to do this more and more.

She picked up herself and thought about life and what lessons God had for her in the new status of widowhood. A thought of taking care of orphaned children came in. Being a Christian, she thought so little about her meagre resources and how she would cater for the children. Elizabeth narrated how sometimes she wakes up to a toddler as young as a month old abandoned at her doorstep. This was so heart breaking especially as I remembered Susan telling me a testimony of how a child was almost dying of malnutrition and now she was a bundle of joy, months later, in the hands of Mama Ng’endo!

After introduction and short speeches from both the visitors and the host, we had an awesome moment of acoustic guitar music. Our repertoire was graced with Paul Clement’s Amani, Angel Benard’s Siteketei and Kuliko Jana by Sauti Sol. This was the first for one of our students. As we went back to office, Ms. Waigi had a comment to make.

 I didn’t know it’s this nice to help someone less fortunate…thank you so much for organizing this.

Touch a Soul will be here again in a year’s time. Remember, at any point in life, there is always someone less privileged than you. Dare to touch a soul!

The writer of this post is the founder of 

Dowe Music & Arts and the 

frontier of Art4Leadership. 

He is a Yali Alumni based in Nakuru.

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