Remain A Fan



fa·nat·ic

fəˈnatik/
noun
1.
a person filled with excessive and single-minded zeal, esp. for an extreme religious or political cause.

Remember when you were younger and got excited when your musical/artistic heroes released a new recording/book/film, or you went to their concert/show? Remember the excitement you felt? Even after years of working and creating your own works, it's still important to remain connected to others, and to have that fan excitement.

It's so easy to get caught up in working on a daily basis, and to become blasé about everything, especially if you reach a certain level of fame and/or success. I have to say, that even after over 40 years of making music, art, and writing, I still get excited by the people I admire and follow. I'm very fortunate that in writing for MODERN DRUMMER and other magazines, I've been able to interview almost all of my musical heroes. And I have to tell you, that each time I talked to them, it was very exciting! As much as I portrayed the professional writer on the outside, I was so much the fan on the inside. Even though many of these people have become friends, I still remain a fan because I am so inspired by what they do.

Being inspired, that's important. I don't think an artist can isolate themselves from the world and truly create memorable works. When we're young, we all copy our heroes as a way of getting a solid footing in what we do. Then, we bring more of ourselves into the mix and gradually find our own voice. But we can't let that become a solitary, isolated voice.

I'm not advocating always copying your heroes, but you need to keep in touch with what is happening out there. What directions are things moving in? What new discoveries are there? Even if we don't copy what's around us, it can inspire us to dig deeper and find our own version, our own take on things. This is where being a fan is important, because it keeps us connected to the world around us.

Are you still a fan?

~ MB

Comments

  1. carlosoApril 6, 2014 at 1:34 PM

    Excellent article.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownApril 9, 2014 at 5:57 AM

    Michael, Just located your gong videos. I"m not a musician but am a 3-dimensional artist. I'm involved in casting and forging a gong for a garden installation. Of course, I want the gong to work so have been studying "gongs". Your video on types of gongs solved many technical problems for me. So, I want to say thank you very much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michael BettineApril 9, 2014 at 10:32 AM

      Harold, I'm glad the information I presented has helped you. Please let me know about your Gong when finished. ~ MB

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tam Tam vs Gong

Image
I can't tell you how many times this argument of "A tam tam is not a Gong" comes up. It came my way no less than 3 different times this week. Actually, 'tam tam' (also tam-tam) was 1st used in symphonic music back in the 1800s to differentiate a flat faced Gong from a Gong with a raised center 'boss.' (There is no definitive answer as to where the term tam tam originated - some say it's Chinese, some say it's Hindi, still others say it's something else…) To add to the confusion, 'tam-tam' is a term often used for either an   African  djembe or talking drum. When a score calls for a 'tam tam' (like Messiaen’s 'Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum' or various works of Richard Wagner), then a flat faced Gong, like a Chinese Chau, is used. Flat Faced Chinese Chau Gong/Tam Tam When a score calls for a 'Gong' (like Puccini’s 'Madame Butterfly', or 'Turandot'), then a bossed Gon
Read more

What to Look for When Buying a Gong

Image
Today's blog is a revised & updated blog I posted 3 years ago on my old website. I'm always having people ask me about buying a Gong. Well, here's some tips: •••••••• So you’ve decided to get a Gong. The first thing to ask is, what will I use a Gong for? What type of music do you play? Do you want to use it in a rock band, a jazz band, solo? Are you looking for a meditation device? These are important questions and will help determine what type and size of Gong to get.  One important thing to look at is how big a Gong do you want? Gongs are heavy. Gongs are not easy to transport. If this Gong will stay in your house/studio, then that makes it easy to have a larger size. But if you plan to travel in a band with it,  you need to look at the impact a different size Gong will have on transporting it.  A lot of drummers want a Gong because they look cool and sound cool. They also want that type of sound in their percussive arsenal.  A good place to star
Read more

Music Notation for Gongs

Image
Recently, I was asked a question about how Gongs are notated in a musical score. Here are various examples of different ways they have been notated, from traditional classical, to modern musical forms. The first thing is to differentiate the 2 main types of Gongs: the flat faced, usually termed Tam Tam in a classical score, and the Bossed Gong, with a raised center boss (AKA cup, nipple). A good example of a traditional symphonic Tam Tam part would be from Gustav Holst’s, The Planets . This example is from Mars, the Bringer of War : We can see the Gong/Tam Tam notated traditionally on a single staff line.  The next example is from Puccini’s opera, Turandot . This is the Tam Tam part, notated on the bottom line. Example #3 is also from Turandot. The score also calls for Tuned Bossed Gongs. Unfortunately I was unable to find a score example of them. John Cage used various Gongs in his percussion music. This is an example of how he notated the
Read more