Peer Validated

Pictured: Fisher Price 2-in-1 Bach ‘n Rock Guitar $19.99

Please, for as long as you’d like, be as ignorant as I may be while I attempt to review this wonderful song in story…

There is a man somewhere in Indonesia, a member of the Abung people(real), sitting in his rocking chair and playing his guitar. He’s not necessarily the most skilled player in the village, but he really enjoys the basic sounds as they unwind from his instrument. As he’s playing, he turns his chair around to face the window and look into the night sky. In turn, his fingers begin to move and he starts in on a song that’s he’s never heard before. The melody is fairly simple, note after note plucking into a walking line, and holy shit! The sky is playing back! She’s pretty good too, and he thinks to himself, ‘this is it. This is the song that is written about in the ancient scrolls, the song that my people depend upon. This song will free my people from the curse of the Doiong(fake, I‘m pretty sure. I just made it up, so…). ‘But I can not sing,’ he says, ‘for I do not like the sound of my voice, Sky.’ And Sky says back in her sweet, somewhat masculine voice, ‘it’s okay friend. Join me in this engagement and I will summon Sun to rise and fry the Doiong.’ So, the man played and somewhat unconfidently sang with Sky until the morning came and Sun rose, at which point, like every day in the history of mankind before that, the Doiong did not fry. But it was a pretty damn good song, so not all is lost. The end.

Stambul Achmad - Stambul Naturil

Stambul Achmad is from Lampung, Sumatra. He plays a solo-guitar style called gitar tunggal on the song Stambul Naturil, usually performed at domestic celebrations such as weddings and/or birthdays. Cool, huh?