The Philippine version of Playboy magazine recently launched local star and theater artist Aiza Marquez as their covergirl for May 2009. I was fortunate enough to be invited at the launch party at a local hip bar called Zenses, because aside from being a composer and arranger, I also blog about some events.

It was not so long ago though (early 2008), that I worked with Aiza for a local stage musical adaptation of the Anton de-Saint Exupery’s The Little Prince. She was one of the lead actors playing the role of the Rose, in the Little Prince’s home planet. I was the musical arranger for the entire play. Read more.

So you’re buying a violin, but you have no idea how to choose the right one. Let me help you with that. Aside from being a composer and arranger, I’m also a violinist, in fact I hold lessons to select students here in the Philippines.

Now before you jump the gun and buy that shiny red violin, think again. There are a handful of factors which you must carefully consider before purchasing a violin, and physical appearance alone doesn’t quite cut it. I’ve enumerated them for you. I asked my colleague, violinist and blogger Liza to give some of her opinions as well. See the list after the jump! Read more.

Here’s a repost from my old blog. Written back in 2007, this is one of my favorite music articles that’s why I’m publishing it again. I interviewed my friend and one of the best singers and songwriters this country has, Noel Cabangon.

Before Bamboo sung the lines of the song Tatsulok, it was first written and recorded by Buklod with Noel Cabangon. His song Kanlungan became a phenomenal hit after it was featured in a McDonald’s ad. He is one of the most prolific songwriters we have today.

Image courtesy of Clickthecity.com

His songs reflect the Filipino society yesterday, today and tommorow. I give you, Noel Cabangon! Read more.

I’ve been getting lots of inquiries from friends both pro musicians and enthusiasts on what sites are good sources for sheet music. My colleague, musician Earl Drilon suggested that I make a blog post about this since it can benefit a lot of readers.

I’ve long ignored this topic. As a composer and arranger, I rarely need sheet music of existing songs and pieces since I mostly create my own music. Sheet music is mostly needed by session instrumentalists who usually play music-on-demand, such as members of cover bands who constantly need to update themselves of the latest hit songs.

And so, I did some rounds in Google and here are some of the notable FREE sheet music sites I’ve seen. Read more.

We continue the discussion of Digital Audio Workstations (DAW). Last time I discussed some DAWs that I recommended for the PC. This time around, we’ll talk about the Mac. Most industry professional composers and arrangers prefer a Mac over a PC, it’s not different here in the Philippines.

Macs are usually more stable, and with stability comes reliable data integrity. You wouldn’t to accidentally lose those 16 bars you just recorded when the system crashes do you? Read more.

Back in 2007, I worked with popular Filipina singer and actress Shaina Magdayao. I co-arranged for her the Avon Naturals jingle for a live performance. Along with my role as arranger, I also supervised her during the recording.

Photo credit: Metro Magazine

I think she was only 15 or 16 years young back then but she already had a mature singing voice. Read more.

Here are some basic recording tips for guitarists who plan to record their guitar tracks. As a Filipino composer and arranger, I’ve also recorded live guitar tracks from time to time. Though I’m admittedly not very technically proficient in guitar playing, I’ll share you some of my knowledge on how to make your guitar recording sound professional.

Read more.

A Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) is your basic software for recording, editing and mixing audio data in your computer. I am no real expert in detailed, bit by bit specifications but I do know what works for me and majority of digital musicians out there. Mostly by trying out the softwares myself and reading online.

I’d like to classify the DAWs in two categories, PC and Mac. Read more.

Every country has symbols. Symbols are permanent representations of ideals. It is absolute. Deliberately changing these symbols without that country’s mandate is illegal is and considered disrespectful.

Flags, for example, are the most common symbols of any country, an absolute representation. Displaying the flag incorrectly is punishable by law in most countries. Another absolute symbol is a country’s name. Though varying with translations, the flow of the name and the essence remains the same. You don’t call my country Milipphines, it’s Philppines. You don’t call it Unheard States of America. You say United States of America.

The same principle applies with our National Anthem. It is a national symbol. An absolute symbol that must not be changed because it represents the ideals and hardships of our forefathers. What Martin Nievera did is disrespectful to all Filipinos and our mother country. He bastardized the Philippine National Anthem for selfish reasons, to show off to everyone how highly he thinks of himself, that he thinks he is “better” than any Filipino. How you say? Read more.

Creating an online portfolio is integral to promoting your music online. As a composer and arranger in the Philippines specializing in online promotions, I made it a point to make a serious online portfolio via my website.

Why should one make an online portfolio? It’s the fastest way you can direct a possible client asking for samples of your work, without having to meet personally. In lieu of that, I’m going to share with you the basic tools which you can utilize in building your portfolio.

The first tool I’ll discuss are online music players. Read more.