Reeds

Rean here,

The sound of woodwinds depends significantly on the reeds you use.  The workmanship as well as sensitivity to the environment affects the quality of the music that comes out from your saxophone.  It is important that reeds are chosen and stored well.  A good piece to use would be rico plasticover reeds tenor sax at m123.  Being plastic cover, these reeds are less sensitive to environmental factors.  As such you don't need to worry about changes in the quality of sound when you play in a desert or humid rainforest setting.  

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Once Upon an Ever After - April 24, 2014

Rean here...

Recital season is fast approaching.  For our 2014 show,  Acts Manila affiliate schools are having "Once Upon an Ever After" as theme.  It's all about fairy tales and stories this round.  Already started work on my Lord of the Rings Concept revolving around the interesting character of Galadriel.  Instead of the having purely a Celtic-Nordic mythology base as Tolkien originally created,  I will also be borrowing from Greek Mythology as seen in the works of C.S.Lewis.  So you'll be seeing Dryads and Naiads in Lothlorien.

I will be working on music tracks in the next few weeks so I guess it's time to bring out classic fl studio 10 for this work.  I typically buy tracks and edit them to highlight specific moods I need for my choreography.  I also work on improving the sound quality so it complements with my choreography.  This is not to mention the need for me to comply with the time requirements of the overall production. On the back of my mind, I play around with how to create a "polyphonic" quality to the movement of my dancers as a whole while I work with the music.

With such an exciting show on the horizon,  wouldn't you want your kids to be part of it? Check out www.actsmanila.com to find a ballet location in Metro Manila,  Cavite and Laguna closest to you. If you have inquiries about our locations in Sta. Rosa and Binan, Laguna do call or text me at 09083020319.

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Post VMA Thoughts

Everything that could be said has probably been said. Disgust. Shock. Pity. If shock was the intent then it was a success. Jimi Hendrix touting his guitar on a hendrix fuzz face mini would be put to shame with the kind of display that went on. Where's the great music? or the awesome lyrics? Have we gone so low as to give awards to the most shocking video performances rather than celebrating talent and creativity? Where's the music that will remain long after the songwriter is gone? Makes me wonder what they will do next time to electrify the audience.

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Here comes the rain again...

After a week of rains, it's still not over. There's still more. :( Many friends of ours have lost a lot of stuff due to the floods and the rains - ruined cars, laptops, appliances, some newly renovated homes (probably with custom flooring or custom floor mats) all submerged in the floods. A sad state indeed. And it gets worse every year. Gone are the days when the sound of the rain was soothing and relaxing.

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The Voice of the Philippines

Interesting...

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The beat of a different drummer

Had an opportunity to hear my good friend's son play the drums during Sunday's worship a few weeks ago. It was amazing to hear him play as he hit those drums and made them sing as if they had a voice. Never mind if it overpowered the singers at that time – sort of like an art preamp moment right there. It was so good I couldn't help but smile. Hope he plays more often in our church.

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Music

Rean here...

When your talking about music, today's contemporary tunes a heavily dependent on percussion.  Most often that not, you hear a song with heavy drum or percussions.  If you're a musician playing for a wedding or a birthday, you would not always find a drum set.  So how do you go about playing a popular beat? You don't need to use the beat on your keyboard, you can always bring a Meinl cajon to give you the beat you need.  

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Baby

Rean here...

A friend of ours got married a last February.  A couple of days ago we learned that she is pregnant.  Upon getting the result of their pregnancy test, the couple was a bit skeptical.  This prompted them to get another test that later confirmed they were in the family way.  We are so happy for them as the lady is already in her 40's.  We continue to pray for the health and well being of the baby and the mommy.  I guess they'll be bring out Cusano cigars in the next few months.

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Rock

Recently my son had me listen to a rock version of The Phantom of the Opera. Until a few months ago, I didn't realize the virtuosity needed to be a great rock musician. It's not just about checking out PRS Guitars at guitar center but its about hours spent mastering how your fingers attack the fret board. While I'll probably still go for Classical music, I now have a high respect for Rock musicians who are serious in their craft.

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Road Trip

Rean here...

Today we drove off to Alfonso, Cavite to have a wonderful lunch at Sonya's garden.  While the food was superb, it was the trip back that was horrendous.  It took us more that two hours to get back to Sta. Rosa, a trip that would normally take 45mins to 1hr.  At one point, a car broke down loaded with a family from a weekend road trip.  Seeing those kids makes you think of going down, grabbing your socket holders and helping to get their car going. That is, until you remember that you've got your own grumpy kids and a grandma to worry about.  I guess the Tagaytay area is not the same as it used to. 

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