(1418) MUSIC AND ME (June 29, 2017) JEFF RAMOS --INTERESTED IN PIANO-GUITAR LESSONS

                        JEFF RAMOS --
                       INTERESTED IN
            PIANO-GUITAR LESSONS

                  My wife Flor Miranda-Hernandez and I have a 22-day vacation from June 02-23, 2015 that we spent mostly in Hagonoy, Bulacan my home province. Flor’s cousin Tess Alvarez, also known as “Bunini” as her nickname, invited us for a reunion with their relatives in Imus, Cavite. They haven’t seen each other for more than 30 years.

                We rented a van for 3,000.00 pesos ($30.00) and we picked-up Flor’s sister Marivic and her son Harold Kyle on our way to the secured house. It looks like an ordinary house but inside one of the rooms are very expensive furniture and fixtures that almost all of us inspected the rooms and have photo session while inside.

                I and Welhem Ramos Belgar stayed in the garage where the food is prepared and we are just talking. Later after a sumptuous lunch, Jeff Ramos had a conversation with me regarding teaching him piano and guitar. I gave him my card earlier and he saw that I teach privately piano, keyboard, guitar and chess. I told him that we are just on a 22-day vacation. Because of the distance of his place and my province, it’s impractical to teach him even once a week.

                I remember teaching the 2 daughters of my cousin Celerina “Ka Rina” Dionisio Jumaquio in mid-80’s once a week, the distance is not that much because I can teach them in the same day and I can have a short 2 or 3 days visit to my parents, which reside just a few meters away from their house. At that time, Ka Rina and her husband Rading are in Japan as entertainers (duo). They’ve been there more than a dozen times in the same hotel.

                They told me once that they earned more than their salary doing extra job in the kitchen of the hotel. When I was in Japan with First Quarter Band in April 04-Sept. 28, 1982, I also earned extra by playing the Yamaha grand piano on Monday evenings, the day off of our band and the lady pianist of Celestial Bar at Hayashida Hotel in Kagoshima City, Japan. Our daily schedule there with Jane Ramas, our singer, Matt (bass guitar), Toto (drums) and Frankie Ganalon (lead guitar) is 12:00nn-12:30 (half hour break) and 1:00-1:30pm. At nighttime, it’s 7-7:30; 8-8:30 and 9-9:30.

                My schedule at the Celestial Piano Bar is the same as our evening schedule. During breaks, when my band members are having karaoke singing and drinking at bars nearby, I will go there and socialize/drink with them and go back 5 minutes before my playing time. I will stay with them after my final set. One night at Celestial, a guest requested Italian song “Volare” and put a music note of that song at the piano stand. I was not able to play it because I’m not a sight reader—or a musician that can play musical notes on the spot.

                When I was in Bahrain, that song is also popular there and I was able to get the lyrics of that song listening many times to cassette tape that I recorded in following the radio program every Friday afternoon-- “Million Sellers” where they broadcast the records (45 RPM) that made a sale of a million copies from 1920-1980. Now in Palau for 25 years, I can sing and play that song without looking at the notes.

Sources: Chess Mate by Roberto Hernandez

               Tia Belau Newspaper

               December 29, 2002 -- September 09, 2017

               Chess and Music (Perfect Combination)

               The Beginning of Chess in Palau

               By Roberto Hernandez

               Soon to be published as a book

               Music and Me by Roberto Hernandez

               Tia Belau Newspaper

               March 15, 2012 -- April 18, 2013

               http://palau-chess.blogspot.com

               April 25, 2013 -- September 09, 2017

              The History of Chess in Palau

              By Roberto Hernandez

              June 09, 2002 -- September 09, 2017

               

                 

(1373) Music & Me (4/23/17) Dionisio Family-The Most Influential Family to my Music Career

THE FAMILY THAT SINGS TOGETHER, STAYS TOGETHER
     The Dionisio Family--All 10 of them can sing, with 7 that can play at least one musical instrument. The high standard and quality of their music is due to Professor Marcelino 'Ninoy' Dionisio's wizardry in writing songs, playing various musical instruments and humorous attitude in music and in real life.

            DIONISIO FAMILY --
   THE MOST INFLUENTIAL FAMILY
          TO MY MUSIC CAREER 

NEVER in my 61 years in life that I met a family of 10 that are musically inclined and bonded through music.
That's why when they joined the nationally televise show "The Family That Sings Together, Stays Together", they easily made it to the Grand Finals in late 60's and early 70's. 

There's something strange that happened in the Grand Finals... When they arrive at the studio of ABS-CBN in Quezon City, Professor Ninoy had an argument with the discrimation treatment from security personnel as they are wearing 'provincial' style clothes unlike the other grand finalists from the city.

That argument somehow 'affected' the focus of cameramen during their performance. The security personnel somehow collaborrate with the cameramen not to do their job when the Dionisio family will perform.

The live audience were rooting for the Dionisio family as they didn't see the cameras angles while inside the studio. During their performance, there is only one time that cameramen have a close-up shot of one of the member of Dionisio family -- Pablo or "Ambo".

I have seen their performance on a black and white television and also noticed the 'laziness' of the cameramen in doing close-ups of every member. It seems like they just put a tripod and left the cameras on 'permanent' mode.

While the rich families shots and focus/close-up shots are varying. Inside the studio, the audience is rooting for the Dionisio family. When they announce the winner (rich family), there are groans of disapprove from them.

They are wearing provincial costume because they sang "Tiririt ng Maya" (Twitting of Maya bird) and "Oh Holy Night", where the intro and coda (end) of that song were originally composed by Professor Dionisio.
Every Christmas season, I'm using that intro and end of Oh Holy Night during my performances, whether live or during caroling.

The eldest among the 8 children of Prof. Ninoy and Nana Conching is Loving, who is also one of my guitar teacher. I am the godfather of his only child (daughter) Leonor. He is many times champion of "Hamon sa Kampeon" (Challenge the Champion) using "pito" (pipe/quena). He is also a B flat clarinet player in a marching band. He teaches "Rondalla" or a group of school kids playing banduria, octavina, guitar, bajo de arco, drums and marimba.
When we personally able to make a bamboo flute, that's the start of my rapid progress in guitar.

 FOR THE COMPLETE STORY ABOUT THE BAMBOO FLUTE, THIS IS THE LINK:

http://palau-chess.blogspot.com/2012/04/music-and-me-4th-issue-tia-belau.html

Celerina, or Ka Rina, is also one of my guitar teacher. I learned from her the instrumental song "Forbidden Games". To be able to use their guitar for practice, I used to fetch water first for their consumption and getting the water from pump well. 

Ka Rina used to tease her dad by putting down his pants when he's not looking. The professor dad tolerated this joke as it produces loud laughter not only to me but also to other relatives.

There's a very sad incident that took place while they are in Japan. Prof. Ninoy passed away when they just arrived in Japan for a 6-month music stint as duo. Her mother, brothers and sisters decided not to inform them about the death because they just arrived and they know Ka Rina would never let her dad be buried without her presence.

When they arrived in Philippines after finishing their 6-month contract, Ka Rina's first person to ask for is her dad. When she learned about the passing away, she cried for hours but later understood why they didn't inform him of his passing away.  

She and her husband has been a duo in Japan for 17 times. While they are in Japan in late '80's, I teach their 2 daughters piano once a week. I have to travel more than 2 hours to get there.

 
My experience with Ka Ella (Marcela Clemente Dionisio) was when she, her husband Ka Pong and me were applying for trio position in Japan in late 1980's. They've been to Japan also for many times but not as many as Ka Rina and Ka Rading.

Our prepared song then were "Fernando" by Abba, Hot Stuff and I forgot the others. After the audition, we proceed to their relative nearby. We just walk. To my surprise, there is a piano in the house. Ka Ella and Ka Pong told the old lady there that I am a pianist and she asked me if I know the song "Always". I know 2 "Always" songs, one is from 1925 and the newer one is in the 1990's by Atlantic Starr. 

Of course I played the 1925 because she is old enough for that song. Ka Ella and Ka Pong were very much surprise that I know that old song from 1925!

The Good Thing about Live Music

May 14, 2011 at 1:59pm

I still remember in the '70's, during a party or family reunion, a beautiful lady in good looking dress is singing while the guests are eating. She's so good that people think that they are just hearing a stereo music playing. And when she finished singing, few applauded from the crowd. But when my cousins (Celerina Dionisio-Jumaquio and Marcela D. Clemente) sing live with only guitars, the guests stop eating and listen to their music. One of their favorite is "Chiquitita". And there is a loud applause after they sang. It also happened to me while I'm playing keyboard then at Image Restaurant here in Palau. Some guests think that I'm just playing along with a CD but when I finally convinced my boss to buy an acoustic piano, I really enjoyed playing live music to our guests. Till now at Palau Royal Resort.

Among my music students in Palau, Philippines, Bahrain and Japan, only Shane Abellera (Filipino-Taiwanese) knew more old songs than all of them combined! This is the result of modern technology of learning old and new songs online.



Sources: Chess Mate by Roberto Hernandez
            Tia Belau Newspaper
            December 29, 2002 --April 23, 2017

            Chess and Music (Perfect Combination)
            The Beginning of Chess in Palau
            By Roberto Hernandez
            Soon to be published as a book

              Music and Me by Roberto Hernandez
           Tia Belau Newspaper
           March 15, 2012 -- April 18, 2013
           http://palau-chess.blogspot.com
           April 25, 2013 -- April 23, 2017

           The History of Chess in Palau 
           By Roberto Hernandez
           June 09, 2002 -- April 23, 2017