[1][2] As an infant, he lost all the fingers on one of his hands; subsequently, he became a self-taught valiha player.
[4] As a teenager, he was teased by his peers for his interest in playing the valiha, an instrument that usually requires extensive use of both hands.
However, due to his handicap, he developed a unique musical technique and style.
[4] At this time, there was no method of obtaining formal instruction in playing the valiha.
Rajery worked to solve this problem through his authorship of the book The Secret of the Valiha, which also included a system of musical notation.