As a musician, I enjoy the pleasure of arranging, transcribing, learning and relearning different music materials. On a Monday, you may find me arranging worship songs; on a Tuesday you may catch me jamming with an Anita Baker tune; or on some days you may find me transcribing fresh pop songs. In doing all these stuff, you need to have a medium, or a standard tool for learning the chords, harmony, melodic passage, or any musical idea that you want to write on that paper that will be read by your guitar player on a Sunday afternoon service. Some are comfortable with their respective instruments. Like if I’m a keyboard player, my tool for writing/transcribing music is a keyboard. But as for me – a divinely appointed bass player – I don’t use bass as a tool for transcribing music. I am much comfortable with a classical guitar.
Three years ago, Christine Cabrera – a close friend – gave me her old Yamaha classical guitar that was originally owned by her father. When I received the guitar, the bridge saddle and tuning pegs are nearly going off. I somehow renovated it and made it usable again. Ever since the day it was restored, It became my tool for learning songs. It was a work horse for my musical tasks and leisures.
Until the day came that a friend of mine needed to study in the conservatory as a guitar major student, God impressed to me that I should give away that beloved “horse” of mine. From that time, I decided to use my brother’s acoustic guitar strung with steel strings. At first, I was a little bit uncomfortable using it but having it beside my working desk 24/7, made it easier for me to cope with it. Using that acoustic guitar is good, but times occur that I yearn for the tone of a classical guitar – serene, simple and raw. I once, planned to buy a new classical guitar but didn’t push thru with it. For two long years, I never thought of having a classical guitar sitting beside my working desk ever again.
Last Tuesday, Kuya Kris Lim approached me and said that God is telling him to give his extra classical guitar to me. “Kapag nakikita kita, lagi kong na-iisip yung isa kong classical guitar na ibigay sa iyo,” he added. I can’t explain the feeling of that moment, but it was real and pure joy. Kuya Kris doesn’t even know about my yearning for a classical guitar, even for myself, I already stopped considering having a classical guitar again. But God knows my heart, my intentions, my emotions, my needs, my yearnings – EVERYTHING!
I received the guitar last Saturday night. It was an Oscar Schmidt classical guitar. It was the same make and model that I planned to buy before, as I said earlier. Here’s a photo of the new “work horse”.
Amazing! One thing that I can assure everyone, GENEROSITY isn’t about the things you are giving away or precious gems that you decided to give. Generosity is having the attitude of living in overflow. Being assured that we have everything, because we are connected to the One who owns everything and is everything, literally the One who is EVERYTHING.
The generosity that Kuya Kris have shown doesn’t end on the moment that I received the guitar. In fact it is the beginning! This guitar beside me isn’t just an ordinary guitar. I believe new songs will be born out of it, lives will be changed by the songs that will be made out of it. And a single life that was changed is a spark to start a huge fire that will rise generations.
Charles Bautista is our youngest worship leader in Victory Greenhills. He also leads a Victory Group composed of musicians. He is also a music major studying at University of Sto. Tomas.