From holding firearms to traditional musical instruments

Such is the life of Muhammad Shakir Ahmad from Kampung Tanjung Inggeris, Langgar, here, who left the military service to pursue his passion in the making and selling of traditional musical instruments.

He is not just good at making Malay traditional musical instruments such as the Kedah drum, rebana, and classical flutes; like the Kedah flute, the Kelantan flute, and the bamboo flute, but also skillful in playing them.

“My passion for traditional musical instruments started when I was in school. After finishing school, I became a member of a traditional musical group and at the same time, learned the art of making the instruments.

“When I was in the military service, I also participated in the orchestra and we had performed at numerous events,” he told Bernama here recently.

He said he was stationed at the Sungai Besi Air Force Base in Kuala Lumpur for seven years before he finally decided to resign in 2014 and to seriously pursue his ultimate passion and became a full-time traditional musical instrument maker and entrepreneur.

The decision was also made so that he could take care of his mother here.

Muhammad Shakir, 32, said he had learned the art from several masters and experts to make quality musical instruments that produce better sound while maintaining the traditional designs and elements.

“One must know the type of suitable wood to use to make a flute, for example, to ensure that it produces good sound, and to make one flute, it will require a combination of several types of wood to generate different sounds,” he explained.

Muhammad Shakir, who now owns a workshop here said orders for his traditional musical instruments had been on the upward trend lately mostly from local enthusiasts, and also from those in Singapore.