Category Archives: guitar

If I ever won the lottery

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…one of the first things I’ll do is buy my husband any guitar he wants.

We were at the Cultural Center last night for the last concert of the guitar festival (Abet conducted the UST Guitar Orchestra for the first time), and there were guitar merchandise everywhere, from guitars of all price ranges to instruction books, CDs and DVDs, emg pickups (I think), and strings. There were guitars on display, and some of them cost hundreds of thousands–so much more than what I earn in a year. Oh, how I’d love for my husband to have one of those!

Now, about my Abet, he is the least materialistic, most contented, and most practical person I know. Sure, I know he’d love to have an instrument of high quality–as any serious musician would–but he understands that those guitars are way beyond what we can afford at this point. And instead of wasting his time pining for expensive guitars, he concentrates on making his current instrument produce the best sound it can.

This saddens me a bit because I know that his guitar right now is not at par with his skills. His playing is top caliber–his mentor Ruben Reyes has taught him well, and he works really hard to keep improving.

I know that Abet will get to have his nice instrument someday. He deserves it. We all know how good karma works. He’ll probably have to win it himself in some competition, there’s a much bigger chance of that happening than me winning the lotto.

Our First Duet

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 Abet had this bright idea to have a first duet instead of the traditional first dance — him on guitar, me on cello. It’s mainly because he absolutely refuses to dance. I didn’t want to do it at first because our musical skills are not at par. Abet is a national champion (he won the NAMCYA for guitar in 2005), while I studied cello until Suzuki Book 3 (a children’s method). He practices six hours per day while I practice… once every six months. :P But then again, why not?  I haven’t seen it done before, most of my friends have never heard me play, and it will be oh-so Abet and Dea, so uniquely us. After all, it was music that brought us together.

I chose the piece we played, Salut d’Amour, op. 12 by British composer Sir Edward Elgar. It means ‘greeting of love.’ It’s a piece originally for piano and violin which Abet arranged (and super-simplified to Dea-level) for guitar and cello.

I was nervous about it, but Abet told me to just enjoy the moment, and I did. Even as I heard my notes go flat and my strings screech against my bow, I enjoyed it. I had fun, can you tell?

I am so glad that we got to do this. Our duet is one of my favorite wedding moments. I’ll forever cherish this comment left by my friend Bunny on my Facebook:

Most of the time that you were playing, I was watching how Abet looked so admiringly at you – and not at his guitar. Ikaw na, Dea. Ikaw na. =D

May this be the start of a lifetime of making beautiful music together.

*first 3 photos from my friend Maedeleine Chua’s Facebook, last photo by Mimi+Karl

Meet my favorite guitarist

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…who also happens to be my favorite boyfriend:

My officemates asked me if I have any videos of Abet playing, and I remembered this video that one of his teachers uploaded on YouTube. This was taken several years ago when he was still as student, before we got together. He looks so young here, but his playing kicks ass.

My officemates became instant fans after watching this. I’m president of the fans’ club, of course.

I’ve always loved ‘em musician boys. :D Being musically-inclined is what gets me most attracted to guys (that, and perfect teeth, good skin, and good English). And while I could probably be been happy with someone who can at least carry a tune and know the difference between an oboe and a double bass (given that he has perfect teeth, good skin, and speaks good English), I end up with an excellent musician- -who teaches music for a living! How cool is that?

Abet doesn’t need any kind of gayuma or maxoderm or potions on me, he just whips out his guitar and starts playing, and I’m all over him!

My guitar man

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Abet playing Elegie by Kaspar Mertz

Abet didn’t qualify for the final round of the competition, but I’m still the proudest girlfriend on the face of the planet, and I’ll always, ALWAYS be his #1 fan no matter what.

I’m proud of my baby for giving it his best shot, for his grace and poise, and for seeing this not as a set back, but as a challenge to do even better in the next international competition. He’s actually practicing as I type. ;-)

I’m grateful to him for the opportunity to be in Thailand for five whole days together, just the two of us. This competition was a perfect excuse to travel, and we’re currently having a blast!

Life as a Classical Guitarist’s Girlfriend

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I was chatting on Facebook earlier with a high school friend whom I haven’t been in touch with in a long time, and we discovered that our boyfriends are both classical guitarists/guitar professors. Pretty soon, we were talking about what it’s like to have a musician for a significant other. I found it hilarious that her boyfriend played for her Agustin Barrios-Mangore’s Julia Florida before they got together–just like Abet did to me before we got together! So now we know… that piece is the secret weapon of guitarists! :D Listen to Julia Florida being played by David Russell on YouTube and tell me if the piece doesn’t make you fall in love.

–=-=–

Our online conversation reminded me of this blog post I wrote on September 2007, written a month before our first anniversary, I’ll repost it here for posterity:

Some anecdotes from the past 11 months:

  • I now know what PIMA stands for, and what fingers they correspond to. As if I care.
  • I know all four members of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet by face. I can’t even do that for any string quartet.
  • I can impersonate Odair Assad. Maybe even Pepe Romero if I try hard enough. Yep, I know who they are.
  • I find it disturbing to watch him file his fingernails with utmost intensity. I feel like he’s going to pull out a magnifying mirror any minute and then tweeze his eyebrows. This still needs some getting used to.
  • The nail of his right thumb needs to be a certain shape and length for him to produce his ideal sound. I have taken it to myself to memorize how that nail is supposed to look, lest he get frustrated. I have even taken high-resolution close-up photographs for reference.
  • I can hum/sing the orchestral part/accompaniment of Joaquín Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez.
  • He gave me the best birthday gift ever, on the day before my 24th birthday, the NAMCYA Concert of Champions. It was a moment I’ll never forget–Abet alone with his guitar on the stage of the CCP Main Theater, a larger-than-life sepia photograph of him slowly descending from the ceiling as his recorded self-introduction was being played back, which went, “Nais kong pasalamatan ang aking inang si Carmelita at ang aking kasintahang si Dea. Alay ko sa kanila ang aking tugtugin ngayong gabi.” I would probably have fainted if not for the reaction of the audience. ;-) He then played Barrios’ La Catedral and Koshkin’s Usher Waltz flawlessly.
  • A common message I receive:

    Mahal, bukas na
    lang ako tatawag,
    ha? Napasarap
    ensayo ko.

  • I have mastered turning pages upside-down. Sometimes Abet plays sitting on the bed facing me, with the sheet music between us facing him, so the music is upside-down from my perspective. I’ve gotten used to this arrangement, I don’t know if I can still turn pages right-side up.
  • He counts with his fingers the American way, i.e. thumb is 1, pointer finger is 2, middle finger is 3, etc. I think it has something to do with the PIMA thing.
  • He influenced me into loving four of the most popular musicians ever–The Beatles!
  • If I had a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup for every time I’ve heard him introduced as “si Abet, yung nanalo sa NAMCYA” or something along that line, well, I’ve probably had a lot of Reese’s by now.
  • He randomly checks the fingertips of my left hand to make sure they’re rough and calloused. He claims that he can tell if I’ve been practicing based on how rough they are.
  • He also does these random musical tests. One time, a drum corps passed us by, and he asked, “Anong metro ‘yan?” Or the time he asked what interval the ding-dong of the elevator was.
  • One time, we were arguing, nagpapayabangan kami, pataasan ng ihi ba. And when he was already hopelessly losing, he desperately cried out, “E bakit, marunong ka bang mag-Aranjuez?” Grrrrrrrrr! Get over it, that is so 2005! That was when I realized that it is possible to be annoying and adorable at the same time.
  • He was once in love with a girl named Mimi, and his ex-girlfriend that came before me is named Lala. Therefore, I have given myself the new nickname Dosharpdosharp, just to complete his A Major triad. Both our initials are A.M. after all.
  • A message I received yesterday:

    I love you so much,
    mahal ko. You’re
    the most precious
    gift He has given
    me, more precious
    than music.

    ‘Kung di pa ako matutunaw niyan, ewan ko na lang.

My best impulse buy ever…

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which was also the most expensive, was worth every single cent.

I just bought a guitar.

It’s not for me, of course. It’s for Abet. There’s this guitar lent to him by his friend Joseph who is based in China. Abet’s been using it for several months now, and he really loves the sound of this particular instrument. Now, with musicians like Abet, finding an instrument that one is really kasundo with is no easy feat. It’s akin to finding a girlfriend or boyfriend. He is partial to the sound of this guitar and wanted to buy it months back, but the owner wasn’t selling.

Last week, the owner offered to sell him the guitar, but Abet declined. He said he has other expenses to prioritize; he has a trip to Bangkok (short-term) and our wedding and beyond (long-term) to save up for, and that guitar wasn’t in his priorities right now.

Of course, I couldn’t let that offer pass up, could I? It would just absolutely break my heart–and his, for sure–if that little piece of plywood spruce and glue and varnish would be sold to someone else. So I did what any supportive girlfriend would do: I e-mailed Joseph and offered to buy the guitar behind Abet’s back. It cost as much as our budget for one person for our 6-day/5-night trip to Bangkok with accommodation at a 5-star hotel this June. Pikit-mata akong nagbayad, and I paid for it as soon as I could before I could change my mind.

Lest you guys think that I’m Abet’s sugar mommeh, let me say that I paid for it from our joint money. I did some quick calculations and realized that we can afford the guitar. I know I should have discussed such a major purchase with him before I made any decisions, but if I did, he would have hesitated and talked me out of it. He’s as worried about our wedding and our post-wedding finances as much as I am. Besides, his face was priceless–just priceless!–when I handed him the deposit slip today. I didn’t tell him what I did, I just let him figure it all out. He actually teared up a bit, much like how my sister May teared up when Abet gave my family a beautiful guitar two Christmases ago. Oh, he was so happy! It was all worth it. Honestly, I was a bit worried about how he might react. I did have to promise him that I won’t ever do something like that again, though. I won’t, I promise. I don’t think that will be allowed once we’re married.

He was so happy today, he gave me impromptu guitar lessons. I think it’s about time I learn–the guitar is half mine, after all.

*EDIT*
The boyfriend had a violent reaction to this blog post. It’s spruce daw, not plywood. Foyn. :P

Pepper Lunch

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Until this afternoon, I was probably the only Chuvaness fan in Manila who has not tried Pepper Lunch yet. The first two branches (Rockwell and Shangri-La) aren’t too accessible to me. Luckily, Pepper Lunch opened at Alabang Town Center two weeks ago. I dragged Abet and May there for lunch today.

Pepper Lunch
May’s Beef Pepper Rice (P198)

The dish is served on a patented cast iron heated to 260 degrees centigrade and stays hot for up to 20 minutes. The meat is raw when it arrives: you’re supposed to cook your meat on the plate, mix everything up (there’s special butter and sauce in the middle of the plate), and drizzle the food with steak sauce (Amakuchi – Honey Brown or Karakuchi – Garlic Soy).

Pepper Lunch
Abet’s Shimofuri Pepper Steak (P610)

Just look at that pretty chunk of beef above, doesn’t the marbling look good? We couldn’t talk to Abet after his dish was served, he was too busy enjoying his steak.

Pepper Lunch
my already-cooked and already-mixed Chicken Pepper Rice (P198)

I enjoyed everything about my Chicken Pepper Rice, and I don’t even like peppercorns. I guess it made a difference that their peppers are freshly prepared each morning, with just the fragrant outer shells used. Their honey brown sauce was just to die for, May and I practically drowned our food in it.

I can’t believe it took me this long to try Pepper Lunch. It was worth queuing for more than 15 minutes to order and smelling like our food afterwards. With the ATC branch nearby, the only thing that’s keeping us from dining there more often is the price. Don’t get me wrong, the food was worth it, but Abet and I shouldn’t be spending so much at this point. Still, I’m dying to try the salmon chicken rice and the hamburger + cut steak combo. Next payday, perhaps? I just need to make sure we don’t go there during lunch time.

–=-=–

Abet took me to the Pluck and Struck concert at the Insular Auditorium in Alabang last Saturday evening. It was my first time to watch Abet’s professor and mentor, Sir Ruben Reyes, in concert. He played Brouwer’s Concierto Elegiaco and I was in awe: he really is the best. Perf de Castro performed one of my favorite pieces in the whole world, Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez, and I was utterly disappointed, both with the guitarist and the orchestra. What a bummer. Jovianney Cruz’s Liszt Piano Concerto no. 1 was fantastic, so it was still a good concert overall.

–=-=–
While waiting to meet up with Abet last Saturday before the concert, I caught this nice old man playing the grand piano at the Commerce Ave. part of ATC:

I was looking at shoes at VNC (great stuff there, by the way) when I heard “I Wish You Love” playing from outside the store, and I just had to follow the music. A small crowd had gathered to listen to him play standard tunes. Lolo was really good–he took requests–he must have been a hotel or bar pianist in his younger years. I have a video of him playing “That’s All.” It was a nice treat to hear good live jazz music when I least expected it.

–=-=–

Abet and I watched Marley and Me on DVD–Marley looks exactly like our Labrador Retriever, Django! We were cooing during the movie. I wish our dog lived with me instead of with my boyfriend–I only get to see him on weekends–but I don’t think I can handle all the feeding and the cleaning up.

–=-=–

I’m drinking chocolate Vodka Mudshake as I type. Good stuff.

I hope y’all had a good weekend.