My Instruments
My name or fame in the musical world remains incomplete without the knowledge of the different instruments I have learned so far!
First Instrument in Hand
The first instrument that Lopez ever played was the trumpet, which he took in hand for the first time in his local marching band. He was only 9 at that time!
While it was not challenging for him to stand out among that assorted crew, his beginning with the need to synchronize lyrics with melody and rhythm were difficult. Still, the resultant titles reflected elegance and poetry.
Next, was the Casio Keyboard!
After the trumpet, the next instrument at Efren’s target was the Casio PT-10 keyboard. Well, this had more emotional value attached, as it was the gift from his parents for his 11th birthday.
Unluckily, even this time, he faced several difficulties such that he could not use this small musical apparatus to create his own tunes. This confined him to mimicking the electronic pop hits of those days.
Love with the Guitar!
It was then in 1986 when he first tried his hands on his friend’s guitar after which he seriously started loving the instrument.
With this guitar, he successfully plucked out the first notes of Romance Anónimo. In some time from this achievement, Efren received a guitar as a gift from his friend Martin, which was of Martin’s deceased father. Until 1993, he managed to master playing different types of guitars.
Soon, a Multi-instrument Player!
While learning different music forms of different nations, Efren also learned a myriad of their native instruments.
With Capella de Ministrers, he recorded albums using different period instruments he managed to obtain over the years, such as the medieval lute, trompa marina, gittern, and hurdy-gurdy. Efrén’s collaborations also gave him a chance to learn rabab, santur indi, tanpura, lauto cretenc, baglama, and cumbus.