What it takes to be a musician

It's been a long time since I last visited this blog site because I've been busy for this past couple of months at work and on my band. What I love about being a band member is going to places I have never been to like recently, we've been to another island for a beer plaza, a gathering where the audience are drinking beer while watching us perform. There are times they are also allowed to sing with the band if they want to as long as the band can play the song piece.

Above: At the top load of Jeepney going to Pioduran port where we ride a boat to Claveria, Masbate.Below: On a boat to the Island of Rapurapu.

Being on a group of musicians or in a band is not an easy thing to do. If you are employed in a company, they require you to work 8 hours or more in a day like 8am to 5pm. In a band, you usually work at night during performances until dawn, lucky you are if the management wants to close early.
Like call center agents, you work at night and rest during the day. In my case, I work during the day and this 'band' thing is just a sideline at night, it's what we call another "income generating activity". Sometimes I have to take a leave of absence just to perform for a festival or party. The good thing here is that you are paid higher than your salary, for just a few hours of performance. So its worth my absence, not bad at all.

My band Devils Lake (above) performing on stage back to back with Rhymics Band (below).

Maybe if given the chance to work abroad in a band I will grab that opportunity because I really want to go places and meet different people, know their cultures and beliefs like we Filipinos. I want to experience living in a different location, different seasons, and adapt to their climate. I always wanted to do something different but I do not expect these dreams will happen, I think I'll have to wait for the right time. But, like I've said, if given the chance now, why not?

Devils Lake enjoying the wonders of nature.

My group is good in terms of camaraderie and sound chemistry though we're not that really good at all. Even the best bands or the most experienced bands tell us that you cannot please everybody. Every place and everyone in there has its own song favorites and that's the challenge every band must face; you must know what the music people wants to hear from you and you should play that to them so they will love you and praise you for that. Otherwise, they will hate you or make you feel like you don't belong here, or go away, leave now.. something like that. But because of that, it urges us to practice more and learn new songs, songs that we're not able to play, songs that people love, their favorites, old and new.

I'm not that good in playing musical instruments, but I tell you, I can play piano/keyboard, drums, guitar, bass, flute, harmonica and percussion instruments. I don't know how to read notes on a piano piece, and never studied music. I can sing also but my voice doesn't seem to follow the tone I want to express.That is why I'd rather be silent at the corner than ruin the feels of the music. Am I really a musician? You tell me.

What it takes to be a musician

Unknown Saturday, June 10, 2017

It's better than never.

We challenged ourselves on taking the risk by joining in some competitions and prove that we have somehow improved in our musicality and chemistry as a group. Some place here on our area has this baranggay fiesta celebration wherein one of the highlights of their week-long celebration is the battle of the band. So we practiced hard, selecting and choosing the best songs to play on the competition and practice again and again until we got it all right.

Bonot Barangay Fiesta 2016 Battle of the Band Champion: Devil's Lake Band

Our main goal was to play the song neatly and accurately as the original song was. We performed just as if we were practicing, not much of showmanship and show-off the song like the original artist's performance.

To our surprise we got the judges heart! There's this feeling inside you that you cannot explain well when you're the champion. Even the cash prize seemed to be a bit low, winning boost your pride showing everybody that even without that high-end musical instruments, you can play the music with your heart and sound like the original.

There's no harm in trying, nothing to lose but the time and effort for practicing and working harder to make your music much better and better, experimenting what's good, better and best.

Bigaa Baranggay Fiesta 2016 Bigafest 2016 Champion: Devil's Lake Band

It's better than never.

Unknown Sunday, November 13, 2016

Song Composition

I didn't know how young I am when I started to love playing musical instruments like flute, harmonica or guitar. All I can remember was when I was in primary grade, I already know how to play several of these instruments even though I don't know how to read notes. Just listening to the tone and then play it the same way I listened to it. My father bought me a ukelele (just the local one, made of pieces of wood and four nylon strings) and taught me how the fingers will be in place to make the tune sound like the major and minor chords of the standard keys. I learned a lot on that and then I level-up like I can now play acoustic and electric guitar, bass guitar, keyboard and drums. Thanks to the people and the community around me when I was growing up because they contributed a lot on my learning process. These includes my family, the school (where I joined a choral group, a drum & lyre group, and friends with much interest to guitar playing), my church community (choral group) and now at my work (band member).

It was in college days when my friends and I where having a jamming session with a guitar and a beat box, and after one of them finished singing a song started to ask why not make a group and show our talents to the public. Everybody agreed to the idea and I was assigned to handle the drums. I was very excited. This is my first band and I have to review my knowledge on drums because playing it on the church is with a little difference with the common songs played on the radio and MTV's. Not all drum beats are the same. Some are fast, some are slow. Some are easy on listening but a lot difficult when you play the beat on actual drums.

We joined several band fest. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. Then comes a time where one of us needs to quit. Our bassist was called by his employer to report on duty. He was a seafarer. Our vocalist followed, entered the army with the same reason: work. We're disbanded!

Our vocalist and I did not wasted our time to find replacement for our two members, because I find it hard performing with other musicians. As time passes, I tried other musical instruments to play. My brother bought himself an acoustic guitar for his birthday. A friend of mine sold his keyboard to me for he doesn't know how to use it. I and my brother is sharing the same room so we played together very often.

The company that I work with has this chapel where mass celebration is held. They purchased an acoustic guitar to be used by the choir. I was chosen to play it during the holy mass. Somebody asked me if I wanted to join a band group because they needed a bassist. I then said I'll try because it's not really my forte, but I can play the bass. We practice after work. There was a time I mentioned that I had a keyboard at home, and he said that they also need a keyboard player, so there I was.

We performed on several occasions, parties, birthday celebrations, anniversaries, festivals. There is this time that we joined competitions like battle of the bands. Unlike the other, performing on competition is a mixture of embarrassment and excitement specially when the host announces the winners, you know how it feels, right?

There is these competition that I was challenged by writing a song about our cultures. Never did I do writing a song my whole entire life. How to compose a song? How will I start the lyrics?

I started researching for a topic, in my case, for the history of our place, the people, the cultures. When I learned about it, I re-write the vital words needed for the song, I thought that making the lyrics rhyme like a poem will make the musical arrangement and timing a lot easier to divide. First try, not good. Lot's of words, I have to make it short and simple, summarized. After I was contented with the words, there is another problem how to apply the music, what key, what genre?

Reading the lyrics I wrote gives me the idea of making the music like a native one, a local tribe, like western style so I end up with folk song style of music. Like I said a while ago, I do not know how to read notes and make musical pieces, so what I did was write the chords of the song on top of the lyrics (like the one they do with the chord songbooks). The problem is the tone, but given the chords, I come up with the melody which is not far from the chords. I then recorded the melody of the song (because if you don't, it will be mixed-up on your mind and mislead you). After that, I shared the recorded song to them to familiarize and make riffs and styles and ad lib. Then together, we played the song repeatedly, while sharing ideas, adding styles, adjusting the correct timing. We end up with a good song, we are all happy, because like me its also their first time making a song. You too can do it!

Song Composition

Unknown Monday, August 29, 2016