Zubir Said - Early Years

Early Years

The eldest child in a family of three boys and five girls, Zubir Said was born on 22 July 1907 in Bukittinggi in the Minangkabau highlands of West Sumatra, Indonesia. His mother died when he was seven years old. He attended a Dutch school but had no interest in academic studies. His involvement with music started when he was introduced to the Solfa music system by a teacher. A primary-school classmate subsequently taught him how to make and play a flute, and in middle school, he learned to play the guitar and drums from fellow students and the keroncong group he was involved in.