Quaranthings: Music tutorials, lessons, and tips from OPM artists

Aug 6, 2020

The whole world is still battling the Covid-19 pandemic. And when it comes to making sure our communities remain strong and hopeful, our music heroes continue to create music that we can turn to when we’re overcome with stress, fear, and anxiety. Some of them have even found ways to inspire people to create their own music, too.

[Related reading: Ebe Dancel, Monty Macalino, And More Reflect on Reaching Out, Offering Relief Through Music | Wish Connect (June 15 to 26)]

Here are different online music tutorials from several OPM acts who are kind enough to dish out tips on playing musical instruments, give out guitar chords, offer personalized coaching, and even share free accompaniment tracks of their songs. 

Learn the drum parts of classic Eraserheads songs

Rock musician, record producer, and iconic OPM band Eraserheads drummer Raimund Marasigan has recently uploaded a series of drum performances called “Stay Home And Form A Band” on his YouTube channel. The series contains 10 episodes to date, where he plays the drum parts of classic Eheads tracks. Marasigan also invites his viewers to play and upload their own versions of the songs and requests for them to tag him on his Instagram and Twitter accounts. Pro tip: Check out the YouTube descriptions of each video in the series to find out interesting tidbits (such as the story behind the song “Sembreak” and the specific drum setup Raimund used for each song). 

Raimund Marasigan’s “Stay Home And Form A Band” YouTube series

Learn how to play a beautiful ballad on the guitar

Surprise the love of your life by learning how to play Johnoy Danao’s “Ikaw At Ako” on the guitar.  The singer-songwriter has recently uploaded the official video tutorial of this captivating song on his Facebook page and his YouTube channel.  Danao’s calming voice instructs viewers how to hit the right chords in order to play the song to perfection.  Aside from “Ikaw At Ako,” Danao also uploaded tutorials to his other tracks, such as “Bakuran” and “Panata.” “Para sa mga gustong mag-ensayo muna habang tuloy pa rin ang ECQ/MECQ,” he shares on his Facebook post

Johnoy Danao’s “Ikaw At Ako” guitar chords tutorial

Check out the chords to “Ikaw At Ako” here:

Level-up your guitar-playing skills with one-on-one lessons and valuable tips

OPM band The Itchyworms’ guitarist Chino Singson is offering exclusive and customized online guitar lessons for those who want to hone their guitar-playing skills. Interested individuals would just need to read the requirements, follow the instructions, and send a short video of themselves while playing their favorite songs. 

“My goal is to maximize your potential on the guitar, and to have fun while doing it,” said Singson on The Itchyworms’ official Facebook page.

If you want to know more about Singson, check out one of the Philippines’ premier guitarists Perfecto De Castro’s #PERFTalk series on YouTube. On #PERFTalk, the Los Angeles-based musician holds a four-part interview with Singson, which details his musical origins, influences, and songwriting process. De Castro’s YouTube channel is a treasure trove for guitar enthusiasts of all levels — this is where he discusses music theory for guitarists, his experiences as a left-handed guitarist, and is home to his epic song reaction videos.

Get free instrumental tracks to belt out to

Create your own quarantine jamming sessions at home with free instrumental tracks from alternative rock act Callalily. The band has recently shared and uploaded minus ones of the vocals and instruments for one of their popular tracks “Magbalik,” which is a cut from their debut mainstream album “Destination XYZ.”

“Don’t forget to tag us and use the hashtag #MagbalikQuarantineJam so that we may be able to see your covers,” Callalily shared on their official Facebook page.

Create awesome covers of your favorite songs

Grab your guitar and start making covers of fresh OPM tracks! Folk-pop ensemble Ben&Ben and indie band Banna Harbera shared the chords to their latest songs “Lifetime” and “Think I Know,” respectively,  so that their fans can perform them at the comfort of their homes. The Juans also shared the chords to “BTNS” and Moonstar88 also published the chords to “Naantala,” which the rock outfit recently performed aboard the Wish Bus.

Learn the basics (and the beauty) of music

It all starts with a solid foundation. Makata-pop act Munimuni’s flutist John Owen Castro is on a mission to give all of us a better understanding of how music works, how we can improve our songwriting, and how we can express ourselves better through music. His online tutorials will run from August 8 until October 24, 2020, Saturdays at 9 a.m. PHT and 10 a.m. PHT.

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