Online guitar
My guitar is my bestfriend. With it, I could just strum away my worries and boredom. I play it in my room, our living room, kitchen, balcony, and had I not joined a group of online musicians called the Gitarizta Family, a group of overseas Filipino workers who perform with their guitars on the net, my faithful six-stringed confidante and I certainly wouldn’t be heard as far as our doorsteps.
In the virtual society, hundreds of gifted musicians are heard and only through this virtual setting that the musical jargon is colossally delivered across the world without being burdened by commercial shackles. Despite rumors about how Kuwait is divorced from music and that I am unlucky enough to get a dose of raw Kuwaiti musical heritage performed live, I luckily stumbled across video clips of some of the finest local independent artists in Youtube who wear and share their passion for arts and indeed make online music their sanctuary from social confinement, where they are less slanted or ridiculed by local critics.
Gitarizta Muse 94
Young amateur Kuwaiti musicians are living proofs that Kuwait harbors pure-blooded talents more than it does cold-blooded wastas and stereotypes. Their guitars breathe Kuwait’s soul, inspiring and mending cultural divides, and spreading their rich culture with the help of their musical instruments. It’s an online collaboration of flamenco guitar and innumerable genres, like rock, acoustic, ethnic, R and B, ballad, etc. They are performed live and transported globally through the Youtube in channels like charbelnakozi and Alikingkw, almost competing with Hazar Bassam of Iraq (BBC file video March 16 2009) and Sungha Jung guitar child prodigy of Korea (Star King Korea 2008). Of course, they are not that famous compared to local and international artists, but their excellent performances show how talented they really are. They are young and vibrant and ready to serenade the world with their love songs.
Listening with genuine enthusiasm, the music of Kuwaiti acoustic guitarists is rich in distinct rendering and it has become predominantly popular among Western and Asian audiences alike. Most of their compositions are essentially patriotic and symbolic of the Arab society, with lyrics that are free-stylistic and suitable for the more liberal generation of youth. The themes convey vivid social realities; from the simple lovers’ vows to local traditions, they are weaved into a song. I have once pondered at the frightening thought that the acoustic guitar is losing its charisma by the advent of more sophisticated audio devices. But when I listened to these amateur musicians singing their hearts out with the aim of inspiring their listeners and expressing their love for music, I realized that guitarists in this part of the globe is not a myth after all.
Despite racist commentaries flung from everywhere and that there is a risk of putting their raw musical ideas in public, where they could easily be stolen, Kuwaiti musicians never stopped struggling to make themselves heard and bravely demonstrated their passion in playing their guitars to reach out to those who are willing to listen.
Songs of Kuwaiti acoustic guitarists are distinguishable in a single note. Their tunes are original and simple. Believe me, I could even relate to some of them as their lyrics are poetic and sincere. Numerous organizations have been promoting music across the country and only a countable few continue to patronize each of their own preferences in this category. But what is also distinctive of contemporary Kuwaiti songwriters and their compositions is that they are deeply attached to patriotic values and that they have their own share of modern ideals. Even though some claim that music in this part of the globe is tainted with cultural division and hostility, and is usually seen as a vehicle to social opinion and rebellion, I still think it is due time amateur musicians begin dusting off their guitar cases and grant their instruments the right to inspire future Santanas of the country, not only in the virtual scene, but in reality as well.
