ano po bang pedal ang recommended ipartner sa Boss metal zone? by epamolarcoiii

hmmm… depende sa tugtugan nyo. maybe an EQ set to ‘flat’ with the level slider above zero to raise the volume a bit for solos

If you could only have 3 guitar effects forever, which ones would you use? by Beramonde

A good distortion or overdrive, and a good delay, and i’m happy :) though my current pedalboard has six boxes (three distortion/overdrives and three delays, all set to do different things) it’s basically just a distortion/delay set-up :)

Hi sir Francis, this is Rommel of CAPO.(if you can still remember our band.)All your inputs worked for us. By the way… We can’t classify our music to a specific/standard genre. More on fusion of different styles po kasi. How/What do we call that music?

Hmmm… i dunno, it’s R&Bish pop i guess. you have really nice songs though :)

You’re a Porcupine Tree fan right? have you heard The Incident? What do you think of it?

I have it but i haven’t listened to it straight through yet; haven’t got much time. but the first four cuts are definitely up there with their best work :) i love PT

Francis. it’s me your fan Chris (the guitar player fan who talked you about Clapton and Van Halen, etc’s). It’s been along time since I’ve chatted with you. Question ko lang. I need some tips in slaving amps to get a “brown sound” in a cheaper way. I’m also going back with my analog pedals that’s why I’m tone chasing for a brown sound-like when I’m playing. Can you advice some good amps besides Peavey,Marshall, and EVH Fender, so I could get a decent VH sound? - Chris

i’ve never tried slaving amps together; i only have one anyway. slaving two amps for that ‘brown’ sound isn’t cheap! ;p my cheap advice is: shop around for an all-tube amp with amp distortion that you’ll be happy with, and get a booster or an overdrive for more gain. what Van Halen did in the early days to his amp was actually dangerous, and we now have amps that can replicate the process safely. i tried the Peavey 5150 before, which EVH designed but i didn’t like it at all. i love VH’s early sound, and i sought that as well. maybe i should’ve tuned down to E-flat and used a phaser with the 5150, but even then, i’m no VH-level genius ;p I’m sure EVH and other peeps can make that amp sound great, and maybe you can, but i can’t.

EVH himself in interviews has said that you should know what tone you seek, and it should be in your head and fingers. i love his tone, but faced with the equipment he designed to get that tone of his… well all i can say is it didn’t work for the mortal that i am.

you can get an imitation of his sound with a cranked modern amp i guess but to get his actual tone… you have to be him ;p

Im used to guitars w/ humbuckers as pickups but lately Im planning on using single coiled ones like Telecasters.Its really different for me but I know Im just not exploring its potential.Any tips so that I wouldnt just limit my self to what i was used to?

just embrace that clear single coil sound, and all will be well :) and be prepared to re-assess your technique: single-coils are unforgiving and naked. a bum note is a bum note :)

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ano ang pinaka masasabi mong guitar cover mo na kuhang kuha mo at pinaghirapang aralin?…(instrumental only)

Wala ;p noon pa mang mga panahon na hindi pa ako marunong mag-gitara, napabaon na sa isip ko na ang Pilipino ay magaling mang-gaya. madalas ko marinig nuong ako’y musmos pa: bakit ba tayong mga Pilipino ay napakahilig manggaya? kaya’t nung naging seryoso ako sa pag-gitara, iniwasan ko iyon. may panahon na pinag-hirapan ko matutunan ang mga istilo ng mga idolo ko tulad nina Eddie Van Halen, at Yngwie Malmsteen, at yung ‘Far Beyond the Sun’ ay nakuha ko dahil may nagbigay sa akin ng instructional tape na ‘Note for Note.’ pero napansin ko na ginagaya ko lang ang mga idolo ko… tinig nila ang lumabas, hindi akin. kaya’t kung may natutugtog ako na masyadong katunog nila, maski na nakakamangha, binibitawan ko. mas mahalaga ang malaman ko kung papaano nila gawin ang mga bagay kesa gayahin lamang sila ng lubusan. kumbaga ganito: ‘sa kordang Em at C, ganito ang gagawin ni Van Halen, ganyan ang gagawin ni Clapton, hayun ang ginawa ni Malmsteen, heto ang ginawa ni Metheny… ano kaya ang gagawin KO?’ paano kung… paghalu-haluin ko? maski pangit ang nagawa ko, basta hindi ko masyadong kinopya sila, ok lang. mas tatanggapin ko na maging pangit na ako, kesa maging magandang loro nila. gayunpaman, hinahanap ko pa rin ang aking sariling tunog at tinig sa larangan ng pag-gitara at musika.
teka, dumugo ilong ko hehe

How do you explain your own guitar sound?

i don’t know… i don’t really have my own sound yet, i think. maybe i do, but whenever i hear myself, i can tell where my influences show. i’m too close to it to be objective about it. i know what i like to sound like though, and i prefer a warm sound overall.

i am a girl, but i love joe satriani. which of his songs do you like best? by aiyaboi

ah, a girl who likes bald men is a blessing for shiny heads lol! i like the entire ‘Not Of This Earth’ and ‘Surfing With The Alien’ albums, specially the song “Lords of Karma”. the ending melody that fades out is simple yet majestic :)

HI Sir Francis..I just want to ask some tips on tweaking my Squier Bulletstrat, what should I do with the bridge, the strings and whatsoever about it..or some references on it..(sorry for the long question..) Thanks!

the first thing you have to check is the neck, if it’s back-bowed or warped/twisted. its best if i can see it, but start there :)

Is there any dealer of Gibson guitars sa atin ngayon? ihave been looking around pero wala ako makita, i wonder why?

I think it used to be distributed by Yupangco. why they don’t anymore, i have no idea

What setting should i use to take pictures on concerts, events, or any low-light situations?

i’m assuming you’ll be shooting things or people that move. concert lighting is erratic, so there’s no ‘universal’ setting really but start with an ISO setting of 400; that way, you can set the shutter speed where it’s not too slow (unless you want some blurring), and you do need to set your f-stop to the widest opening available on your lens. of course higher ISO settings also result in more noise, and less crisp details. try to get a fast lens (f1.4, f1.8, f2, f2.8) too; they tend to be more expensive but well worth it. you can probably also set your camera to ‘shutter priority’ and leave it a 1/60 and let the cam make the necessary exposure adjustments, although i would encourage you to just do things manually and make all the adjustments yourself.
try not to use a flash by the way. ask permission if you can from the show’s producers, but generally, using a flash during a concert is a real no-no. it results in amateurish photos that lack depth and nuance (specially since most amateurs use strong flashes so they can get their memorable snapshot) but also it’s irritating and distracting for onstage performers and performances. it’s actually rude. trust me; i know ;p

oh that’s so cool your dad is a semipro. mmm I know what you mean about the basic photography course. I took one last year and mostly all I learned was the same as you stated, along with how to handle criticism from my professor. thanks for reply :) by honeyinthetummy

i learned the technical stuff from the thing that every camera owner has but is hardly given attention: THE MANUAL ;p

who is your favorite cartoon character?

GIR from ‘Invader Zim’ :) i also think Ponyo is rather cute :)

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Question by Paolo Arciga

http://heyheyscenesters.tumblr.com

Awesome question! :) well…this guitar was a birthday gift to me by my beloved, and for that reason alone, it is way more than awesome :D It just happened to be a really good instrument as far as i’m concerned :D

but as for other people…I believe it’s because many guitarists are wary of the technology behind it. ‘Modelling’ they call it, and yes it’s an analog/digital hybrid. it’s quite understandable: piezo pickups normally used for acoustic guitars plus a digital modelling engine equals a Les Paul or a Strat or a Tele or a Martin acoustic? “Yeah right…! What? You need software to change the ‘pickups?’ That’s digital, it’s shit! Paul Gilbert doesn’t use it, and neither would I!”

and for most guitarists, it pretty much ends there. i know that’s how I felt. (cont’d…)

if you could have only one guitar, what would it be? why?

The Variax because it has a lot of different guitar tones, and it makes my projects faster to do :) it’s practically limitless. i’ve always wanted a Coral electric Sitar but can’t afford one, but there it is, modelled within the Variax :) a turn of the knob and i have a virtual Les Paul. it’s really amazing but i think few people take it seriously because it’s not a ‘real’ Paul or whatever. but it is quite an amazing guitar :D

prior to the Variax, my Hamer Standard, with it’s Seymour Duncan 59 and JB pickups, was my ultimate guitar. the pickup combination is classic, and having both pickups on produced a nice nasal tone.

sir kiko,uwi ka naman sa lipa..lapit na fiesta dito,hehe..anyway,what can you say about elegee custom guitars?have you seen and played one?

Happy fiesta!!! unfortunately, i have work even on my days off from NU, so going back to Lipa is difficult, schedule-wise.

I’ve had Jon of Elegee work on my guitars and he’s really good. his Elegee guitars are well-made and Jon can make any design you like. maybe i’ll have one made from scratch someday

if you will form a collab band of your choice, who are the members taht you would pick?? :)) kiko, go back to dubai!!! we miss u here!!!! <3

Wendell Garcia or Robert De La Cruz on drums; Rommel De La Cruz or Louie Talan on bass; Diego Castillo on guitar; and Ebe Dancel or Pochoy Labog on vocals :)

Dubai? sure! just send a couple plane tix, plus accomodations at the Burj Dubai (or whatever its called now) ha! LOL! :) Dubai is a nice place, and i’m glad to have been able to visit it

hello! just curious, do you go to Conspiracy bar? i believe that’s a classic pinoy artists’ haven =)

i haven’t been there in years; yes its an artists haven indeed :) i rarely go out to tell you the truth ;p

what’s your take on lomography?

it celebrates serendipity which is rather cool. but all things considered, i still prefer actual photography. kinda like Guitar Hero vs a real guitar. i have a Fisheye but i hardly touch it. every photographer should try it though :) it is fun, which is the entire point

this was probably already asked but… what camera do you use, and have you ever taken photography courses before?

a Lumix LX3 and a Canon 5D Mark II. my dad was a semi-pro photographer, and he’s kinda back into shooting which is great. i still can’t hold a candle to his photos ;p so i kinda learned from him when i was growing up and he gave me some tips. i was a Comm Arts student for one term in college and Basic Photography was one of the subjects and while i did learn how to process negatives and deal with the darkroom and inhale the chemicals, i didn’t really learn how to shoot there. the teacher was an ‘artiste’ who couldn’t be bothered to teach the basics so he sucked. i mostly relied on just holding the camera, making mistakes, and learning in the process. Like life itself :D

hi francis! :) this is bochang, from the band Midsummer. you played our song (if i’m not mistaken)last december 2009,in your show intheraw. I just wanna know if there’s any chance that you’d play it again?what are the machanics?thanks, sir :)

Sir! nag gagawa po ako songs pero instrumentel lang siya, rock style po.kung mag papasa po ako sa IN THE RAW, mai paparinig po ba siya on air?

Yes for both questions :) just call me through the NU offices and remind me :)

what can i do to not be bored by myself?

it depends. you can put on lipstick and dance naked in front of the mirror wearing only army boots maybe. you can clean your room. or repaint the walls. learn cross-stitching. eat ice cream while standing on your head. start a private diary pretending you’re someone else. pray. meditate. study ion propulsion engine technology. write a treatise about styrofoam. look for Ramon Bautista as Diwata on Youtube. read the Bible. or the Koran. or Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha. watch  James Cameron films and ponder where Michael Bay falls short. dress up your kid sister’s Barbie dolls and pretend they’re this year’s presidential candidates. learn about terraforming on Mars. take a walk and really truly appreciate a sunset. etcetcetcetcetcetcetcetcetcetcetc ad infinitum

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you’ve been around for so long now.. as a guitarist, what is a good drummer for you?

Someone who groooooves, baby :) someone who swings, who can play in time and against it. someone who has technique, and knows when not to use it.

And this may sound strange because every other member of the band, specially the bass player, reacts to what the drums do, but a really good drummer is someone who listens back, and reacts accordingly. the drummer is the designated timekeeper, but in truth, the entire band should be the timekeeper for every song. for me, the best bands have musicians who all listen to each other, specially onstage. i love it when someone in any band hits a bum note or two, and the others react instantaneously with an accent. the mistake becomes a point of reference, and thus becomes a dynamic pivot point, and becomes an interactive in-the-moment musical tangent. more importantly it says, “Don’t worry bro, i’m listening, i got your back.” :) that’s what being in a band is all about isn’t it? :)

i’ve played with many drummers; and the best i’ve played with, in terms of having that groove and swing is Rene ‘Chong’ Tengasantos. he was the drummer of the New Minstrels in the 70s and you may have seen/heard him over the years with Joey Ayala, Grace Nono, Pinikpikan, and Reggae Mistress, to name a few. Malagkit! :) And a really funny positive guy to have around too :) playing with Wendell Garcia (with Rommel DeLaCruz on bass) for the ‘Higante’ performance at last year’s Rock Awards felt really really good. from the very first note at rehearsals, it felt as if we’ve been playing for years. maybe it has to do with Rommel and him knowing how to groove together from their years in Barbie’s Cradle, but man, if i was rich, i’d steal them from their bands lol! i love Raimund Marasigan’s drumming too… he practically sings through the drumkit. Robert De La Cruz has power and precision. and then there’s Zach Lucero who, when we played in Garlic with Louie Talan, is a perfect example of a drummer who listens, and his playing made it easy for me to go into long exploratory guitar solos because i felt like he was reacting to me and i’d react back… and believe it or not, i hate guitar solos because i felt naked doing them. i’d feel like i was imposing on the audience. with Zach, and Louie, i really felt comfortable and every time one of us would solo, the other two would react either subtly or overtly. i didn’t feel like i was wanking in public; it felt like a three way exploration (i can smell your dirty mind now). too bad we’re all too busy/flakey to do a proper Garlic recording… ;p I didn’t play too well when i played a gig with Rivermaya last year but i’m thankful i got to play with Mark Escueta at least. again, here’s a guy who has a real nice groove and technique, and is tasteful whether he’s playing loudly or gently. and like everybody i mentioned, he listens.

for me, a good drummer, or any other bandmate for that matter, inspires you to play music, not work at it, you know what i mean? :) i like being with bandmates who surprise you with fresh ideas, because that means they are still growing and exploring, and that means you will too :)

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Is there any significant difference between a Maple and Rosewood when used in guitar manufacturing?

yeah there is. from my experience, maple fretboards give a snappier tone, and notes ‘open up’ quicker. with rosewood fretboards, notes seem to sustain first, and then open up, and generally gives a smoother tone. i’ve had a couple of maple fretboard guitars (a strat and a tele) and compared them to rosewood fretboard counterparts. the difference is noticeable, and i prefer rosewood. by the way, i did the comparison unplugged.

your top 3 presidential bets are…

Haven’t made up my mind yet. weighing who’s the least neurotic, and the one who mudslings the least. Politics these days is more about dissing each other’s personalities and not about proper platforms. Granted, politics anywhere in the world has always had a ‘showbiz’ angle to it. but when that angle seems to take precedent over everything else, it’s not right. i’m pretty sure though that i’m not voting for Erap. Noynoy comes from an incredible lineage, but is he himself fit?

i truly believe though that unless we stop corruption at its most basic level (meaning our everyday personal dealings), it doesn’t matter who’s president. we’re trying to move on and away from someone who seems to embody corruption, sure. but as long as the average person does not do anything about his/her personal encounters from corrupt practices, nothing will change. we need a psycho-cultural overhaul.

paul gilbert, john petrucci, joe satriani, steve vai … choose one?

Vai :D

do you like proms?

No. i was too shy and insecure to attend any. and it’s too late now hehe

how much do you love niña sandejas? you two are so cute please dont ever split up.hehe

Thank you for the sweetness :)

How much? Real love is priceless, and should not be quantified :D

We’re approaching our fifth year, and this is my longest relationship ever. we’ve been through the best of times, and the worst (mostly my fault), and everyday is a blessing and we’re very happy indeed :)  and i best stop rambling because i’m getting all choked up :D

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im kinda new with this pedal(zoom707ll) binigay lang sakin, so i sealed it with a plastic to prevent scratches. ang alam ko lang na bypass is the tuner. hehe… im used with my ds-1 and stereo chorus, un lang gamit ko.tsaka fuzz.. i want to sound like you guys in the industry but me sound like crap. an advice from the master would be much appriciated.

Wrapped in plastic… like a grandparent’s couch? wahahaha! Remove the plastic; depending on your travel/playing conditions, moisture might build up inside the unit and damage it, but its up to you.

a good clean tone begins with… tadatatattadah! Your guitar, your fingers, and your head :) try to imagine what your ideal clean tone is, WITHOUT TURNING ON YOUR EFFECTS, and tweak the amp. ask yourself: do i need more bass? is the midrange hurting my ears?  is there too much treble? etc. So if you have the Zoom in your chain, set it to bypass. and don’t turn it on unless you are really going to use an effect from it.

Compare your clean tone plugged straight into the amp. There will be a tonal difference, so adjust accordingly (and this is where the ‘true bypass’ and ‘buffered bypass’ technical arguments start hehe). then, plug in your effects, (say you want to add delay from the Zoom), notice if there are volume drops, and adjust again.

Always start with just your guitar, a cable, an amp, and your fingers :)

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Hello, Sir! I’m a Muse fan just like you, and I have a crazy idea. I was inspired by their recent photos with their Korean fans, who gave them a letter and a large pair of paw-shaped mittens. I’ll be going to the Singapore gig next month, and I don’t know if this has been done before, but I was wondering if we Filipino fans could give them something of the same nature—-something distinct, something to remember us by, something to make them remember that loyal fans like us exist in this corner of the world. Harhar. What do you think? What would be a nice present for them? I have no idea how I can make this possible, though, and I know it’s a loooooong shot. I’m sorry, I know I sound crazy, and I’ll understand completely if you ignore this question. Thank you very much.

It’s not a crazy idea… in fact i’m wondering why, given the two chances previous that Nins and i had being a few feet away from Muse, we didn’t think of that. well okay, i do know… we were there in a professional capacity and giving a gift might be too fanboy/fan-girlish and it’s not always a good idea for anyone in a journalistic situation to betray that… and i do remember Chris Wolstenholme giving me a look in HK that was either “I’ve seen this couple before, but where?” or “It’s THEM…stalkers!” LOL!

i suppose any Pinoyified Muse or Musified Pinoy something will do. We’re checking them out in HK this Feb and i don’t think we’ll be doing any official press duties this time around, so i’ll be thinking of that too, if we get close enough :) Best of luck, and if you do get the chance to give a gift and have a pic, let us know :)

sir i know your a fan of The Cure, Muse and Radiohead, just curious, what are your favorite songs from them and why? :)

I like early Cure but i think my favourite era would be the late eighties/early nineties (‘Love Cats,’ ‘Just Like Heaven’ etc, when they were relatively cheery), though i don’t have any cds from that era, Cure-iously enough hehe. i like the album Ross Robinson produced: having a metal guy produces The Cure?? it was a bit heavy. i love Robert Smith’s guitar playing absolutely :)

Muse i really started to love when “Absolution” came out, and ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ and ‘Hysteria’ still get me pumping my fist.  i reinvestigated “Showbiz” and “Origin of Symmetry” after that and ‘Sunburn’ is my fave from that time. “Black Holes and Revelations” and “The Resistance” are great albums and i have the Wembley and Absolution Tour and Hullabaloo dvds…

Radiohead well… i dunno where to start. i love every album they made but my absolute favourites are “The Bends,” “OK Computer,” “Kid A,” and “Amnesiac.” ‘Subterranean Homesick Alien’ is my favourite song :)

i like songs for different reasons: the melody, the arrangement, the intelligence (or even the lack of), a really good lyric… truthfully i don’t really like to analyze exactly why i like bands or albums, even if i have a semi-regular New Album review thing on NU. the moment you start to analyze music is the moment you start to ignore the immediate pleasure that music gives… you either can relate to it on some level or you don’t, and either way, your personal taste doesn’t make you any better or worse than anybody else around you. analysis i suppose has its value if you’re trying to learn the song and dissect its structure or if a dissertation of a piece of music will have some historical value.

but depending on one’s mood for the day, it’s all about whether you get its vibe or not. i’m rambling…

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This sounds like a cliche question but would you like to share us an unforgettable and/or embarrassing experience you’ve had while playing onstage.

I have a reasonably good sense of humour so when things go awry onstage, i usually just laugh it off (unless i have a bad amp and the sound supplier gives attitude instead of being apologetic). Getting embarrassed means you probably take yourself too seriously… you hit a bum note? Hit it again! turn it into a lick! :D

Unforgettable and privately embarrassing though would be… many many years ago at a gig in PICC, and i was still in Afterimage. I don’t know what i ate that day but my stomach was in horrible shape… if i remember correctly, there was a drum solo by the drummer, or Wency Cornejo was working the crowd so i took the chance and ran to the  dirty toilet backstage. the rim was filthy but I HAD TO GO!!! my ass wasn’t shitting… it was pissing. i went back onstage and couldn’t play well at all and i think i ran back again… twice within the set. needless to say our manager then was very cross with me.

i also used to get so nervous before playing that i would puke. and i managed to puke all over the food backstage at a mall gig ;p (those were the good ol’ economically healthy days when it was pancit malabon and cakes for the band, not cold fastfood in styrofoam packs) needless to say nobody got to eat at that gig ;p

You have tinnitus?How did it start?Coz I have a feeling my left ear’s getting weaker.As in it’s more sensitive to high frequencies na.I feel my eardrum vibrating/ringing whenever I hear loud,high pitched stuff.that’s not the case with my right ear.

yeah i have tinnitus which manifests as high-pitched ringing in both ears. sometimes when it’s quiet at night, it’s bad enough to keep me sleepless. I’m pretty sure i got it from playing too loud since the early 90s; i like locking in with the drums early on, and i may have stood too close too constantly. I also bombarded my ears when i got a Discman (remember those?).  i’ve learned to live with the ringing but it’s a bit scary. this would also explain why i used to have on-air gaps during my boardwork in NU; DJs monitor through headphones and i rarely put them on because i’m scared of damaging my hearing further.

i’m very careful with my hearing now so when i have the iPod on, i try not to have it too loud, and i do sacrifice leisure-listening because of it. i still want to play music til i get old and die… and i’m certainly no Beethoven-level genius who can still make music after the ears have given up.

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What white balance do you use more often?

This reminds me of one of the most frequent questions asked of me: “What scale/mode is your favourite?” and my answer is: “It depends on the context.”

Generally if it’s a sunny day out, i set the white balance to AWB. There’s enough light for the camera’s sensor so i need not worry about it making an inaccurate reading (though if you really wanna be sure, set it to ‘sunlight’ or whatever it’s referred to on the cam). I do change the white balance to ‘tungsten’ or ‘flourescent’ if i go indoors and, lo and behold, the light source is tungsten or flourescent… though yes you can get a ‘goth’ approved bluish hue if you use the ‘tungsten’ setting in broad daylight. If it’s cloudy, i definitely go to the ‘cloud’ WB setting so the image won’t be too gloomy and colourless… unless that’s what i want to express.

Generally i adjust the WB to address the light source and hopefully come up with the correct colour tones… which is pretty much what all photographers do.

but of course, the ‘wrong’ settings may give you what you want to communicate… :)

What can you say about pink to green MMDA?

THANK GOD!!! :D The pink-and-blue colour schemes were obviously influenced by the former MMDA chair and his wife (who did a great job in Marikina actually); in my opinion though, those colours represented their personal biases and for public officials to impose their personal taste on the public just isn’t right… and there IS a reason why, for example, black-and-yellow makes you think of say ‘perimeter’ or ‘police line’ and it’s not because the colour scheme is cute or faaaaaabulous. The pink fences on Edsa… well the fences only worsened traffic to begin with, but the pink made them difficult to see. It was not practical. the colour seemed to represent the person more than the public… maybe that’s the core problem with local politics: everything is a campaign, an announcement.

the green bit is most welcome and the new MMDA chair intends to plant trees again… cutting them down to ease traffic before is symptomatic of our arrogant human nature: if it’s in the way, plow it down. that’s not planning; that’s laziness. Mother Nature is in the way of progress, so let’s cut her down… brilliant idea, and look where it got us.

i just hope green doesn’t have political implications and undertones.

You can send me more questions about music, guitars, photography, travel and what not HERE. To read previous formspring questions answered click HERE.

Onitsuka ba yung shoes mo na puti sa frog rock?

Yup It’s the Onitsuka Mini-Cooper Edition :)

Hello.I just wanna ask what camera do you use and what can you recommend for the beginners?

Nins and i have a Lumix LX3 and a Canon 5D Mark II :D

for beginners hmmm, it depends i guess if you’re just into camwhoring or recreational shooting, or if you’re really serious about photography. A point-and-shoot would do just fine if you’re a beginner, and i’m partial to Canon and Sony Cybershot cams. Just remember that the lens becomes your eye: what you see through it is what you will get. remember that, and even a ‘lowly’ point-and-shoot can help you get nice photos. heck, even a cellphone with a decent built-in cam can do nice things, as long as you remember that the key to photographs is the presence (or absence) of light.

sir brew, what brand of strings do you recommend for ones having “acid hands” like me. i’ve tried various strings (ernie ball, d’addario, dean markley, and some cheapo strings) and all of them lose their shine and smoothness esp the first 3 strings which corrodes with my “acid hands” even if i dry my hands before using my guitar.

even if you play guitar just for a couple minutes, make it a habit to wipe the strings clean :) as in every time you touch the guitar; or even when it’s just on your guitar stand. cleanliness is key :) i use either d’addarios or ernie balls and they last the same time. SIT strings are pretty good too; they seem to get stretched out the fastest.

most important: check your diet… if you drink a lot of beer or alcohol, that’s a shoo-in for having more acidic sweat ;p

What is the reason why i idolize you so much? and what is the top secret in playing guitar?

Whoa… well only you can answer that! i blush… ;p i just hope you don’t photoshop me naked or sacrifice little animals.

the top secret to anything, i believe, is love :) love the guitar, love music, and everything else after that is fluff :)

Happy Holidays! i dont know if its appropriate to ask you here but i was wondering where i can send my stuff for NU Airplay?

NU107, Suite 102, AIC Gold Tower, emerald ave, Ortigas Center, Pasig City :)

In your opinion, what’s the best local album for 2009?.. With best local album, I mean something you’ve listened to over and over and you won’t mind listening over and over again. :)

i haven’t really listened to any album local or foreign nonstop lately; haven’t had much pleasure-listening time the past year. i would recommend highly Peryodiko’s album though :)

If ex president erap win this election what do you think his next scandal? note: it should be evil. evil as he did last time :3. jk.

hmmm… it’s probably a better idea to look for people like Efren Peñaflorida and focus on the great things that make a positive difference in our country. scandals are fun to discuss but we should avoid wasting time on things like that really… best we put our minds and thoughts on better things :)

Where could i get “sana ako’y marinig” chords? thanks:)

Someone asked that in one of my very first formspring entries. You can listen to the song here and the chords are written below it. :)

You can send me more questions about music, guitars, photography, travel and what not HERE. To read previous formspring questions answered click HERE.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!