Fil-Am Drummer Susie Ibarra on Modern Drummer December 2010

Being a Filipino drummer, it gives me a great sense of pride to see eclectic Filipino-American drummer/percussionist Susie Ibarra on the cover of the December 2010 issue of Modern Drummer magazine.  As far as I know, Susie Ibarra is the first MD cover artist who is of Filipino descent.  I don't think there are any other Filipino drummers before her who made it to the cover of this prestigious drumming publication.  I've learned about her cover appearance and feature early last month, and since then I was excited.

Finally, I was able to get my copy early this week.  The first thing I did was to go straight to the pages of her MD feature and scan through the interview and find references of her Filipino roots and heritage.


"That (a track on Drum Sketches) was recorded in the south of the Philippines at the Shariff Kabunsuan Festival, on the last day during a fluvial or boat parade.  All of the provinces in the area compete for a cash prize.  They decorate their boats with multicolored flags, and there are thirty people on each boat playing kulintang ensemble gong music.  They come down the river with this massive sound.  You have different gong ensembles crossing the river, producing waves of sound."


"When I first took him (her husband, Cuban percussionist Roberto Juan Rodriguez) to see the parades in the Philippines, they reminded him of his native Cuba.  He related as a Cuban artist in the way the interlocked rhythms worked, especially with the bass gong.  It added that Cuban drive to the music."


"We (Susie & husband Roberto) both come from dance cultures.  Filipinos and Cubans love to dance.  Rhythm is in the community --- in Cuba, if you want to learn piano, they put you on drums first --- and that explains why in Cuba and the Philippines they have such a deep pocket and culture of rhythm."


- Susie Ibarra, Modern Drummer, December 2010


She also cited the albums Pakaraguian sa Maguindanao: A Celebration of Kulintang Music And Dance by Danongan Kalanduyan & Palabuniyan Kulintang Percussion Ensemble, and Asibang-Lan, Pinukpok, Balbalan, Gong, and Percussion Music: Ang Musika Ng Mga Kalinga Music From The Kalinga in Northern Luzon, Philippines by various artists as among her favorite albums.  I wonder where I can find these albums.  It's also cool to see some Filipino names & terms printed on an international drumming publication.

Admittedly, I have yet to listen to Susie Ibarra's numerous recordings, which are hard-to-find and not easily accessible on this side of the world.  I only get to hear some audio samples and watch some of her videos posted on YouTube.  Yet I am in great admiration of Susie Ibarra's works and her intention of celebrating her Filipino heritage by incorporating some of our indigenous instruments and rhythms to her music.  Her intention of introducing and educating her audience to Philippine rhythms and ethnic instruments should be given recognition. 

Applying our Filipino indigenous rhythms and instruments to modern styles of music is something that I would love to do someday, as documented on my blogs about the Filipino ethnic instruments workshop I attended last July*.  While Susie Ibarra may be applying it through jazz and world music, I am hoping to find a way to incorporate it with modern or contemporary musical styles.  It would be great if it can be done in a mainstream or pop setting, so that it can reach an even greater audience.

Susie Ibarra is a talented and creative drummer, percussionist and rhythmatist who, as Modern Drummer described it, "extends beyond boundaries, beyond cliche, and beyond a common understanding of what a drummer's role is and ultimately can be."  I do hope that she would conduct shows and an educational seminar here in Manila in the near future.  And I do hope that more Filipinos would recognize her.  Susie Ibarra is proud of her Filipino heritage.  And Susie Ibarra is a world-class artist whom we Filipinos can be proud of.


* My Filipino Ethnic Music Instruments 101 Experience - Part 1 (July 21, 2010) & Part 2 (July 24, 2010).

Check out Susie Ibarra's website, which is cool because there are several photos there which reflect her pride of her Filipino roots.

On Punctuality

Punctuality:

• The characteristic of being able to complete a required task or fulfill an obligation before or at a previously-designated time. "Punctual" is often used synonymously with "on time." (Source: Wikipedia).
• Acting or arriving exactly at the time appointed; prompt (Source: thefreedictionary.com).
• The quality or state of being punctual; strict observance in keeping engagements; promptness (Source: dictionary.reference.com).

Friends and co-workers know how particular I am when it comes to time.  Other than the fact that I'm a drummer & that makes me a natural timekeeper in music, I consider myself quite sharp when it comes to punctuality, especially at work.

Why am I like this?  First, being punctual is in my system.  Back in school, I rarely come late for classes (except on some of my college classes which were tolerant of attendance, or when I can afford to come in late).  In my professional life, I rarely arrive late as well, and I owe my sense of punctuality to Artistation, my former band's management.  Boy, are they strict with their rules and regulations, especially when it comes to following schedules and calltimes.  Or else, it will mean a pay day deduction for tardiness.

And second, being punctual has become an integral part of my character.  It reflects my discipline, my diligence, my maturity, my professionalism, my being responsible.  That's why whenever I'm late for work (which rarely happens, thankfully & unintentionally), I usually feel bad about it because I feel like it reflects certain character flaws or something.  Bottom line is, it simply makes me feel bad.  I don't like it when I come in late, whether it's for a show, a rehearsal, a meeting, or whatever professional event.

For me, one great benefit of being punctual is it gives me ample time for preparations.  It gives me time to do all these things --- set up my gear, do some soundcheck, tune the drums, warm up, have a meal, listen to music in my iPod, review some music, relax, save some of my energy for the gig, and get myself in the zone.  In case something goes wrong, like technical issues for example, there will be enough time to fix or solve the problem.  Plus, after all that & when there's still enough time, I can still have some moments to hang out with bandmates and friends who show up at the gig.  I can imagine all the tension and the rush I need to go through if I arrive way past the calltime.

One thing I don't understand is how or why some colleagues of mine have become habitual latecomers.  In fact, even some of the most seasoned pros in the scene are infamous for this bad habit (and I urge aspiring young musicians out there NOT to follow that bad habit).  I would understand if they'll be coming from somewhere, like from another job or session.  I also understand that there are some elements which are not under our control, such as the unpredictable weather and the ugly traffic here in Manila.  I can tolerate it when we'll be late for just a few minutes way past the calltime.  But if it's waaay too late, that's a different story.

The one thing I don't get is why some people don't make an effort to come on time?  I mean, how difficult is it to follow calltimes, schedules, and deadlines?  If you know that you're quite far away from your destination, or if the weather's awful and rush hour's coming, then why not make a diligent effort of hitting the road earlier than your usual travel time?  Traffic and the weather have become some of the easiest yet lousiest excuses.

And how about those types who are frequently late for no reason at all?  What in the world are they up to?  Why can't they simply follow schedules?  Do these people need personal assistants or secretaries to remind them of the time?  Or are they just plain lazy and irresponsible?

Having the sense of "Filipino time" is an infamous flaw in our society.  Fellow Filipinos, let's not tolerate this.  We should correct this bad habit.  We don't want future generations to follow this lazy habit.  What if someday, our kid will come up to us, and ask us why we're not following our schedules?  And what if our kid will say, "I don't want to come to school on time, because there's nothing much to do during opening ceremonies and homeroom periods"?  How are you going to respond to that?  Let's not pass this late habit to our children.  Let's be good examples to younger generations.


Punctuality matters.  If you're guilty of this, what are you gonna do about it?  It's about time...

Van Halen - Right Now

I want to share with you the music video of one of my favorite Van Halen songs.  I share the same sentiments with the guy who uploaded this video on YouTube.  I hope somebody from the Van Halen camp doesn't ask me to remove the embedded video from this site.  No doubt, this music video has become more relevant than ever, especially in today's trying & complicated times.  The song & the music video speaks for itself.

Right Now is from Van Halen's Grammy Award-winning 1991 album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge.  Its music video won 3 awards in the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards, including the award for Best Video Of The Year.  As far as I'm concerned, this is one of the best music videos ever.

Van Halen is one of the greatest hard rock bands of all time.  I love their style of rock music, and I admire the musicality and creativity of the Van Halen brothers.  Eddie Van Halen is a monster on the guitar & keyboards.  His elder brother Alex Van Halen is one incredible rock drummer.  Plus he's got some swing underneath all that sheer power.  I love the feel, wit & gusto of Van Halen's music. 

Copyrights, 1992 Warner Bros. Music & Van Halen.

On Competence and Excellence

After all the drama that happened early last week in our country, plus going through my personal reflections on some of my thoughts and observations, I decided to write this blog about competence.

Lately, we Filipinos are receiving plenty of bashes and criticisms from the international community.  And many of us Filipinos have been sentimental about these issues.  We've been thinking so much about the "only-ifs" and "what-might-have-beens".  "If only the authorities played it smarter with the hostage crisis negotiations..."  "If only the police were better-trained and better-equipped..."  "If only Venus Raj was able to nail an impressive answer to a seemingly simple yet difficult question..."

I assume that we have imagined ourselves on similar situations, thinking of what we could have done if ever we were in the middle of the action.  If we were in charge of the crisis management, what could we have done to prevent matters from getting worse?  If we were asked the same beauty pageant question on the spot, what could we have answered?  Let's ask ourselves as individuals (not only as one Filipino race), are we capable of handling these situations?  Are we going to prevail and conquer the odds, or are we going to break under pressure?

The competence of the Filipino people is in question.  

First, let's define competence.

• The ability to perform a specific task, action or function successfully (Source: Wikipedia).
• The state or quality of being adequately or well qualified; ability (Source: thefreedictionary.com).
• The quality of being competent; adequacy; possession of required skill, knowledge, qualification, or capacity (Source: dictionary.reference.com).

Now, let's apply all these with our daily lives.  At work, in school, on activities we're involved in...  Let's ask ourselves, are we competent?  Or if we think or feel like we're not, are we doing anything to make ourselves competent?

I'll connect it with my job as a professional musician.  Am I competent, or at least making myself one?  Am I doing actions or activities which can lead me into becoming a better musician?  Am I showing care, discipline & professionalism in my craft?  Am I being a good example to people around me?  Am I being persistent and diligent?  Am I still practicing and looking for ways to further improve and develop my artistry and skills?  Am I pushing myself to become the best I can be?

Reflect on your work, your performance in school, or whatever activities you're involved in.  Ask yourselves some competence-related questions.  It doesn't matter who you are or what you do.  Whether you're an executive, a manager, a teacher, a janitor, a chef, a public servant, an athlete, an artist, or whatever profession there is...  Are you competent?  When you claim that you're doing your best, are you really doing your best?

We should take note that being competent is different from being competitive.  The latter involves rivalry, such as sports and in some business matters.  In the music world, for me, there's no need for competition in the arts.  There may be some competition ongoing, such as record sales and winning fans' hearts, but these are lame, as far as I'm concerned.  As a musician, I'm not aiming to outdo or outplay my fellow drummers/musicians.  I am aiming to play to the best of my abilities, continue to improve and develop in order to express myself more effectively and convincingly, and to make the music a much better, more enriching, and more inspiring experience to the player and the listener.

Among my inspirations in life are successful people who work hard and give their best in their chosen field or specialization.  They may be athletes, inventors, innovators, or artists.  They are people who never rest on their laurels, and they always strive for excellence.  And more often, these role models don't do it just for competition.  Their competence is for the sake of maintaining their standards, or better yet, for continuous improvement. 

I also have a huge admiration for races or cultures who are competent in various fields.  I admire the engineering and design prowess of the Germans.  I admire the discipline and the technological advancement of the Japanese.  I admire the persistence and the flood management of the Dutch.  I admire the sense of precision of Swiss manufacturers.  I admire the musical innovation of British and American artists.  These cultures have found excellence on different fields or specializations, and kept themselves competent through the years.

It isn't so hard to believe that we Filipinos have the talent and the skills.  But, are we honing these talents and skills?  Are we investing our time and effort in making ourselves more competent?  Do we possess the right character and/or attitude?  Are we instilling the right values to people around us and to the next generation of Filipinos?  All the senseless blaming, unreasonable finger-pointing, the crab mentality, the "pwede na yan" (that's good enough/that can do) attitude, and all the negative traits should be corrected.  Enough of these bad habits, for if we continue to do these, this nation has nowhere to go and we'll remain in mediocrity.

This blog is a call to change for the better.  Enough of the mediocrity.  Let's strive for excellence.  Let's make ourselves competent.


Highly Recommended:
The Philippine Bus & Miss Universe, by Daniel Wagner, 8/25/2010. 
Why there’s hope and the ‘Pwede na’ mentality, by Erwin Oliva, 8/30/2010.

My Filipino Ethnic Musical Instruments 101 Experience, Part 2: Hands-On

While legendary Filipino singer-songwriter Joey Ayala's workshop in the morning was profound and rich with insights (as documented on Part 1), the afternoon session of the indigenous Filipino musical instruments seminar was the fun part.  Malou Matute and Grace Bugayong conducted the afternoon session, which was somehow a crash course on ethnic Filipino musical instruments.

Both faculty from the UP College of Music & veteran musicians, they taught us about the general history of these instruments, how these are played, and shared to us some homegrown rhythms.  What's great about the seminar is a collection of ethnic musical instruments were brought in.  Some belong to Bread Of Life, while some were brought in by the guest speakers.  Each instrument was demonstrated and shown to us how to play, and we were given the opportunity to go hands-on later during the activity.

Indigenous Filipino musical instruments are mainly classified in two categories: the Kalinga (North) and the Maguindanao/Muslim Mindanao (South).  Some indigenous instruments can also be found on several places around the Philippines such as Mindoro, Palawan, and the Bicol region.

The Kalinga instruments from the Cordillera Autonomous Region are mostly made out of bamboo.   Some of these Kalinga bamboo instruments include the saggeypo (6-piece set of pipes), bungkaka (buzzer; used for driving away bad spirits), patteteg (leg xylophone), tambi (parallel-stringed tube zither), tongatong (stomping tube), patangguk (quill-shaped tube), and the kulitong.  Kalinga solo instruments include the kullibaw (jew's harp), and tongali (nose flute).  The Kalinga's most valued instrument, the gangsa (flat gong), is not made of bamboo.  The gangsa is made of brass/bronze, and it can be played with a stick or with bare hands.

Ms. Matute and Ms. Bugayong taught us the Kalinga's Ginallupak rhythm through the tongatong.  A transcription was shown to us, which involves six players, each with a tongatong of different size.  A bungkaka, which has a thumbhole to change the sound, can also be used for the Ginallupak rhythm.  The transcription was made for modern-day educational purposes, while indigenous people know it by heart, and it is passed on through generations.

The Mindanao/southern musical instruments are used by 5 different ethnic groups in Southern Philippines - the Maguindanao, Maranao, Tausug, Samal & Yakan.  They may use the same instruments and rhythms, but there may also be slight differences in the instrument's names & how they use their ethnic rhythms.  The main instruments in a kulintang ensemble are the kulintang (set of 8 knobbed/bossed gongs), agong (big wide-rimmed high knobbed/bossed gong), gandingan (set of 4 narrow-rimmed knobbed/bossed gongs), babandir (narrow-rimmed low knobbed/bossed gong; the timekeeper), and the dabakan (single-headed goblet-shaped drum).  There's also the saronay, which is a smaller version of the kulintang, and is suited for kids and students.

Four Mindanao rhythmic modes were taught to us - the Binalig, Sinulog, Tidtu & Tagunggo.  The Binalig ( 1 - 2 & - 3 - 4 )is used on festive occasions.  The Sinulog is similar to the Binalig, but calmer and more meditative.  The Tidtu ( 1 - [2] & - [3] - 4 ) is a syncopated rhythm which is comparable to the patterns used on dance songs by Ne-Yo, Sean Paul, and other R&B/hip-hop artists.  Ms. Matute & Ms. Bugayong cite the chorus on Vanilla Ice's Ninja Rap ("Go Ninja, Go Ninja, Go") as a reference to the Tidtu rhythm.  The Tagunggo ( 1 &a - 2 &a - 3 & - 4 ) is used during healing rituals.  We were also shown some transcriptions of these Mindanao rhythms, applied on the kulintang ensemble.  Again, the transcriptions are made for educational purposes.

The most fun part of the seminar is the hands-on session, when we got to try playing the ethnic instruments.  I was able to try the dabakan, jamming on a fast Tidtu pattern with Joey Ayala on the babandir, Grace Bugayong on the gandingan, and Malou Matute on kulintang.  I easily pickup up the Tidtu, and am I glad that I've worked on my paradiddles (the Tidtu stick pattern on the dabakan goes RLL RLL RL, with the Tidtu accents on the right hand).  I even got to try the Ginallupak with a group using a tongatong, which is quite tricky because I have to keep pace with the rhythm and my co-players while making sure that I'm playing my tongatong correctly.  The tongatong should be played with a slight tilt, it shouldn't be bounced on the surface, and the player should be aware with the opening (ring) and closing (damped) of the hole.  Once the whole group got the Ginallupak rhythm right, the melody and harmony of the 6 tongatongs made sense.

The whole seminar was a refreshingly profound, educational, and fun experience.  It was a mind-opener for me as well.  Once I had the thirst for knowledge on our indigenous music and instruments.  Now I can say that I am armed with some basic knowledge, and I am hoping to someday apply these to my modern & contemporary musical background & settings.  I can start with the dabakan, which is the most appealing to me among all the interesting ethnic percussion.  I should search for an authentic dabakan when I get the chance to go to Mindanao.


Additional online resources:
Indigenous Music, by Antonio C. Hila
Music of The Philippines
Tongali, Lantoy & Kalaleng

My Filipino Ethnic Musical Instruments 101 Experience, Part 1: Joey Ayala

Last weekend, I had one of the most musically enriching learning experiences.  Bread Of Life organized a seminar on indigenous Filipino musical instruments.  This was held at the Crossroads 77 in Quezon City, and it was exclusive to Bread Of Life's praise and worship artists.  It was also a privilege to learn from certified experts on this field - Malou Matute and Grace Bugayong, faculty of the UP College of Music; and revered Filipino singer-songwriter Joey Ayala, who is best known for using ethnic Filipino musical instruments with modern musical styles.

It's an honor to meet and learn from the great Mr. Joey Ayala, who conducted the first half of the workshop.  Besides his status as a respected contemporary artist, he is also an educator and an advocate on social and cultural development.  Other that the obvious reason why we were there, which is learning about ethnic Filipino music and its instruments, Joey Ayala stressed on several topics, from history to psychology to philosophy.



Here are among the many things we've learned from Joey Ayala...

• His pre-performance warm-ups - deep-breathing exercises (for "rebooting" our consciousness), lip bubbling (warms up the lips/voice), and the "inner smile" (for relaxation).  This warm-up routine may be more well-suited for vocalists, but the deep breathing exercise or meditation should be very helpful for me.  Thinking about the past can lead to anger, while thinking about the future can lead to fear.  Deep breathing should help me focus on the present.

• "The things we can do with our voice informs our musicality."

• What being indigenous means:  We ask the question, "Who are we?", and being indigenous starts within ourselves.

• The Salundiwa (pang salo ng diwa) - a "mind-mapping" thinking tool.  In one Salundiwa activity, we were asked to respectively enumerate the things that come to mind when we think about our body (listing our race/heritage), music (listing the musical styles that influenced us), and our musical goals.  Then, we were asked to connect all these listed items together.  These reflect our roots; where we are coming from.  If there's anything missing in the musical styles, then we should ask ourselves, "What do I need to research?"  In regards to the musical goals, we should ask ourselves, "What are the functions that I want to achieve?"

• Sining Bayan - "social artistry".  Four elements: sensory/physical (instruments, musical elements), history/psychology, spiritual (an element of the unknown), and myth (a calling; a sense of journey).  Art awakens our heroic/mythical sense.

• "Science is the humblest of religions because it constantly invites challenges."

• Classical thinking = function over form.  Romanticism = form over function.

• "Music is a form of data compression."  In pre-literate days, music is used as a form of communication.  Examples given were Bahay Kubo (a folk song which actually "encodes" what farmers should plant depending on the season) and Pulis Sa Ilalim Ng Tulay (its simple melody is easily remembered and passed on).

• In Filipino agricultural culture, farmers have plenty of free time.  So they had the time to carve instruments from wood.  Through the instruments, they imitate what they hear from nature, such as the sounds of birds, the wind, flowing water, etc.  Narratives are used, unlike structures on Western music.  The music is also close to Indian raga; starts slow, uses scales, then escalates using the same melody.

• "Music is a vessel to deliver the content."

• "Look at the essence/function, then look what is appropriate for your objectives."

These are just some of the things we learned from the profound and open-minded Mr. Joey Ayala.  Then he entertained us by singing a couple of his original songs, one using an acoustic guitar and another using his Hegalong.


To be continued...