Ngo Hong Quang is a modern ethnic musician. He is energetic and diligent, working to create compositions that combine traditional and contemporary elements to perform around the world. Quang returned to Viet Nam recently for the release of his second album and performances at primary and high schools in his homeland of Tu Ky District in the northern province of Hai Duong.

The album – entitled Nhin Lai (Looking Back) – was released on Feburary 22 in Ha Noi. Last year, Quang and French guitarist Nguyen Le released the albnum Hanoi Duo, earning him a nomination for Musician of the Year at the German Echo Jazz Awards.

Quang studied music at the Viet Nam National Academy of Music and the Royal Conservatory Den Haag in the Netherlands.

Ly An spoke with Quang about his second album.

Your first album was a combination of traditional music and western instruments. What is your second album?

The second album is my collaboration with poet and professor Phan Le Ha. Ha and I met after my performance in Hawaii and she said she wanted to co-operate with me to make music.

She wrote the lyrics of all 12 songs on the album. The most attractive of Ha’s poems is their purity, simplicity and strong contemporary elements combined with traditional elements.

It fits very well with the music I’m pursuing. This album is also a challenge for me because I have never made electronic music as in this album. The music path I am pursuing is to honour the values of Vietnamese music through contemporary work.

There are many Vietnamese ethnic music elements in this album such as music of the Mong ethnic people, xam (blind busker’s singing) and music of the Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) region. The album combines traditional instruments such as dan nhi (two-string fiddle), dan moi (jew’s harp) and sao Dao (the Mong’ flute) with electronic music.

The first song on the album uses the sounds of flute and khen (pan-pipe) of the Mong, jew’s harp, my vocals and electronic music. I think my music is not easy to enjoy because it has its own timbre and rhythm.

You made two albums within a year which were both highly praised within the profession and by music lovers. How do you find enough time for writing, practicing and performing?

In recent years, I have focused on composition and practicing. Strangely, I almost never practice singing. I have never studied vocal music. I sing completely instinctively and I don’t even know breathing techniques.

The songs I compose even professional singers find difficult to sing because the music is very complicated. But I am confident in my aural skills, which enable me to imitate anything in terms of melody.

It is lucky I’m gifted. I don’t need to practice singing, so I just practice yoga every morning.

Your image is often associated with a special instrument that many people probably don’t know about. Can you tell us what it is?

It is called a chieng day (gong with string). It is a unique and attractive instrument with 13 strings. It was made by artisan Ta Tham in Ha Noi. Twenty years ago, when I studied at the Viet Nam National Academy of Music, I saw it for first time. Musician Nhat Ly is among its rare players and he introduced the instrument to me. I was amazed by its unique timbre. At the beginning, I didn’t know how to play it because it does not have a scale. The only one thing I knew was that its timbre is from Central Highlands music.

On the circular board there are lead bars welded very firmly to the body which make different overtones. The instrument is very beautiful and its sound is very good. It has come with me to perform all over the world. It has fallen, broken and has been repaired many times. I have written several songs for this instrument including the latest, Di Tim.

Will you make an album of chieng day music to popularise the instrument?

It is a good idea. But to make the album I would need to research more. Chieng day has 13 strings including eight strings for pentatonic and five others I have to tune to different scales. But it is for recording only. It is more complicated to perform live with chieng day. I use ten fingers to play it and I also play it as the percussion. I will write more pieces for chieng day and I hope to make an album for it. — VNS