The ATC...part 3

Our friend from Myanmar, the music teacher, was introduced to us. I asked him," Would you like to join me in a song from Myanmar?"

"Yes!", he said.

So, without telling him a thing, I strummed and sang this Burmese song with no reference to any book.

Apo gi oh ka kon kon

Ma ta ba ne oh

Nau ga ni ga tau sa mon

Kyi ah chi pa ron

He knew the song too! And we sang with the others.

He then said he would like to try a native folk song to be played in the Key of G. Testing out the chord of G, C and D7 with him, he did that number with very great emotion. All of us enjoyed that soulful tune very much.

Btw, this is one of the ways I used to learn songs. Get the oversea chaps to sing, then I listen carefully and if I like the song, they will only be too happy to teach you. That was how I learnt so many native songs from Vietnam to Mongolia.

But to learn in this fashion, without a tape-recording and with my lack of formal music training to write the scores down, meant I MUST BE ABLE TO DOWNLOAD THE TUNE INTO MY HEAD ! AND TO BE ABLE TO RECALL IT...10,20,40 years later!

Fortunately, unk Dicko has been greatly blessed with this facility.

Next I asked if there was anyone from Laos or Cambodia present.

"Yes!"
Out stepped these 2 gentle young men from Cambodia.

I offered,"Shall I also sing you both a Cambodian song which I knew from the '60's ?"

" Yes!"

And unk Dicko obliged them with...

Chap chap ma lai [ a Cambodian song]. I sang the full version of the song. Surprised looks all round!

This song has a very catchy beat too and in no time at all, everyone was clapping to the wonderful rhythm of the tune.

The 2 guys sang a Cambodian song with each group singing one verse in their own lingo.

Really good singing!