Guitarist Balawan makes a name for himself

DENPASAR, Bali (JP): A blend of various music -- rock, pop, jazz and traditional Balinese gamelan orchestra -- makes the newly released solo album of guitarist I Wayan Balawan unique.

The CD record, titled Balawan and produced by a recording company in Germany, consists of 17 compositions of diverse musical origins. Apart from western music, he also highlights the tunes of Balinese gamelan such as in Putri Centing Ayu (Princess Centing Ayu), 1000 Temples and Bird Song.

"Music is a gift. It is an expression of life. An image of the soul. I don't consider my music as belonging to any particular genre. Throughout my life, I've been influenced by many different styles of music. I've listened to and played classical, rock, pop, jazz and traditional Balinese gamelan music. Maybe you will be able to hear some of these influences when you listen to this recording. But whatever you think of it, whatever it means to you, I just hope you enjoy it."

Listeners might assume that in producing the record, Balawan was assisted by other musicians or helped by sophisticated technology. In fact, the musician who has mastered the intricate technique called tapping, which enables him to produce different timbres in a very brisk tempo, plays nearly all the tunes himself.

Sadly, this extraordinary music piece is not yet available at record stores in the country as the German producer wants the records to be directly imported while Indonesia wishes to buy the license.

I Wayan Balawan, who can play any kind of music, is said to be one of two musicians to have mastered this tapping technique. In this technique, the left and right fingers play the instrument independently -- like writing in English with the left hand and in German with the right.

American musician Stanley Jordan is the world's other guitarist who has mastered the tapping style. Jordan presently teaches musical therapy in his country.

Rock musicians here use a simpler tapping technique where the left fingers hold the guitar while the right ones play the instrument by touching it. Balawan's technique is more sophisticated since both his left and right fingers play independently, making it possible for him to create colorful sounds in brief moments with his electric guitar. The technique also makes it possible for him to improvise, making the audience feel they are listening to a piano recital.

Rare talent

The 28-year-old Balinese guitarist's remarkable talent has made him popular and be invited to play in various music festivals for solo performances.

Besides touring Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya and Bali, he represented Asia last year, along with a Japanese musician, in the East Meets West International Guitar Festival in Germany, earning him overwhelming acclaim from other musicians, critics and the press.

This prestigious event entailed invitations to different German cities. This was when he met the German acoustic music record producer who asked him to play solo for the album.

For the coming year, the son of I Wayan Regug and Ni Wayan Sunti, looks set to have a tight schedule. For a year, starting September, he will be traveling across Europe, Japan and the United States for concerts and to promote his CD.

"I've signed contracts for at least 15 concerts," said the owner of 18 guitars.

Learning to play guitar at eight, Balawan joined a rock band when he was at the sixth grade. In senior high school, his fascination with piano melodies inspired his interest in jazz.

By the end of 1980s, he started experimenting and learning the tapping technique. He felt satisfied because the tunes produced by the tapping technique resembled those of the piano.

"I didn't know then that there was another musician who could play the same music ... I wasn't informed of Stanley Jordan then," Balawan said.

After high school, he continued his studies at the Institute of Music in Sydney where he pursued a one-year certificate program. His talent prompted the institute to offer him a two- year diploma program.

After graduating from the institute, he was given a scholarship to further his studies. But he did not yet take it because of his lack of interest in orchestral arrangement. "I have no talent or interest in dealing with many people. So, I haven't taken up the scholarship offer yet. But the school's head told me that anytime I wanted to, I could further my studies there for free."

Instead, he chose to continue with stage performances and his experiments.

"I want to keep on performing and developing my skill in music. I can only do so through stage shows. The more I practice and perform on stage, the more skilled I will be. It's the only thing that gives me satisfaction," Balawan said.

His latest album, the second after Globalism, was released at the end of 1999. In his first CD, he performed with Batuan Ethnic Fusion, a group he set up early in 1997.

The popular dancers and traditional musicians in his area, Gianyar, inspired him to establish the group. He then tried to combine his modern music with local tunes with the help of several band players and five gamelan musicians. Now, in its performances, the group plays modern music with a Balinese touch.

"But my principle is to play music before the right audience, like those in jazz cafes. A star-rated hotel has been asking me to play there but I have turned it down because I think its audience is not right for me," said Balawan, who sharpens the sensitivity of his fingers by playing guitar three hours every morning.

Now the guitarist is creating a two-in-one guitar with 12, instead of six strings. "Sometimes I feel like I can't completely express myself with six strings, that's why I am trying to double them (the strings)," said the man who vows to make music his career for life.

With the increasing demand for his shows in other countries, the musician does not rule out the possibility of living abroad.

"If I were given a good opportunity to express myself and my music there, I wouldn't mind giving it a try." (Alpha Savitri)