After taking early dinner on Oct. 22, 2016, I noticed a rainbow and took a photo of it at the parking area for F & B Manager Mervin Lee Cuyugan, Sales and Marketing Director Mr. Muneyuki Joraku, mine, Chief Engineer Tony Penas, Executive Chef Jim Chen, DOB Michelle Liao and GM (General Manager, not Grand Master) Masayuki Kawaguchi.
(Photo by Roberto Hernandez)
RAINBOWS SONGS ---
"Over The Rainbow" and
"Rainbow Connection"
DURING my first year of playing the Yamaha Baby Grand Piano at Branding Iron Steak House of The Plaza Restaurant in Makati, Philippines in 1982, I was requested a song "Rainbow Connection" by 2 young Filipino ladies.
They don't like to leave until I played it. They thought that I know every song that they will request. At that time, my repertoire of songs is just more than 30 international songs, mostly from the 60's and 70's.
I feel so embarrassed for not playing it as I don't have an idea of how it sounds, or the melody of that song.
Until one night where my cousin Pablo 'Pabs' Dionisio, who is my co-bed spacer in a house in Mandaluyong City, left his transistor radio playing in the late night while I'm already sleeping. The Rainbow Connection song is playing in the FM radio station and I listen to it very intensely trying to get the melody.
But listening to a new song once is not enough for me to remember its melody but at least I have an idea now how it sounds.
I keep buying "Jingle" song hits because they put the chords accurately in every song. Even with the optional / which means the next chord or letter after a slash has to be played by experience musicians/guitarists. It's okay for lesser experienced musician to skip the notes/chords after a slash but if you are a musician with an ear longing for the right chords in each of every chord changes, you'll follow those optional but satisfying to musicians and fellow colleagues.
When I have the time to get the chords of the song "Rainbow Connection", I noticed the complication in its key of F and the one step higher (F#) last part of the song. Honestly speaking, it's one of the songs that I cannot play accurately if I'm not looking at the chords.
The "Over The Rainbow Song" is very popular even to kids. There's a time about 4 years ago that my former employer of 11 months, Yuriko Irikedamoto, was a guest at Palau Royal Resort's Waves Restaurant with Bonapart Ocampo, a cook/bartender at her chain of restaurants with "Dragon" on its name --Dragon Tei (the original), Teppan Dragon and Donburi Dragon.
They are sitting in front (left side) of the piano. Then, a guy with a group of guests requested "Over The Rainbow", and I sang it. A day later, Executive Chef Masaki Horie castigated me again for singing. Since my second day of working at Palau Royal Resort (June 02, 2007), Horie seems to be my nemesis in every aspect of music--Don't sing/play Japanese songs, Taiwanese songs, Palauan songs, don't let guests play the piano, don't play guests' requests because they might sing with it. Failure to do so will result in punishment.
I will be punished for doing my job entertaining guests? I have a good sigh of relief when his contract was not renewed and was replaced by another Japanese but the opposite of him -- Chef Kunii, who even clap very loud to get the attention of other guests to clap, too.
Sources: Music and Me by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
March 15, 2012 -- April 18, 2013
http://palau-chess.blogspot.com
April 25, 2013--December 25, 2016
Chess and Music (Perfect Combination)
The Beginning of Chess in Palau
By Roberto Hernandez
Soon to be published as a book
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