Newzicien's word: Thierry Fanfant

On Wednesday August 27, we were lucky enough to welcome Thierry Fanfant to our offices. Thierry Fanfant is a bassist, double bassist, composer, arranger, director, producer... He's an all-round artist who has recorded over a thousand albums in many different styles. He has collaborated with Michel Sardou, Bernard Lavilliers, Francis Lockwood, Carlos Santana, etc. He will be back on stage with Ibrahim Maalouf in 2021.

As a long-time Newzician, we obviously wanted to take advantage of his invaluable experience to talk to him about music, his relationship with scores and the new digital tools dedicated to working with music.

How did you become a musician?

I'm a self-taught musician. I learned to play bass in my parents' orchestra: at the age of 12 I started performing. I learned to read music with a copyist friend with whom I'd gone away for the season (he took me under his wing, we shared the same room!). He taught me how to write music properly. I've always had this problem: I struggle a bit with badly written scores, because I'm used to things being written in a fluid, simple way. That's why I prefer digital: it's easier for me to find my way around.

For the record, I've been part of a family of musicians for six generations, so we're all involved in music. At first, I didn't really choose to do it, but it's true that when I was five-six years old and I got up to go and drink my little Nesquik, I used to cross a corridor in which there was always a drum kit, a xylophone, a conga... So I always had instruments at hand.

I sometimes find it hard to read certain paper scores, because I'm used to things being written in a fluid, simple way. That's why I prefer digital: it's easier to find my way around.

Then one day I had a little money and I said to my father, "Dad, I'd like to buy a bass or a moped". He said, "Buy yourself a bass, so you can do concerts to earn money, and then you can buy yourself a moped". In the end, I got lots of basses, but never a moped!

Do you think it's possible to make music on your own?

We must never forget that we always make music for pleasure. We've all seen someone making music, playing an instrument, and thought "I'd like to do that". We must never lose sight of that: what dictated our choice was pleasure.

However, we don't choose to make music to play alone, but to do it with others and share it. That's why the notion of pleasure is so important, because you have to share that pleasure with other musicians, and then share it with the audience who come to listen.

And that's what I think is so great about Newzik: the idea of sharing is accentuated by the fact that you can share your scores and annotations at the click of a button, and work together without having to be in the same place.

How did you keep making music when you were confined?

During the confinement, we were in close contact with other musicians. We did a lot of projects together. With Newzik, we were able to continue making music together by sending each other files and projects - in short, by sharing. We were each confined to our own homes, but we could keep in touch, and we also acquired microphones, sound cards and various software.

What's your vision of modern solutions for making music?

I come from a generation where we had paper diaries, landline telephones and worked a lot. I've recorded over a thousand albums, and there were days when I sometimes had three or four sessions! And it was all done by phone or on paper.

Today, we realize that everything is digital: agendas are synchronized, we send each other digital scores... But in fact, we work in the same way. Today we have incredible tools for slowing down mp3s, we have Youtube, we can learn to play an instrument without leaving the house by watching tutorials... There are so many possibilities.

During confinement, we were very much in touch with each other as musicians. With Newzik, we were able to continue making music together, sending each other files and projects - in short, sharing.

However, this can never replace support: a meeting, advice, training. That's what creates the greatest bond: being able to share and support one another.

What is tone your relationship with sheet music?

As a self-taught musician (I started with the guitar) I became a genius very quickly: I invented C Major on Mondays, then C7 on Thursdays... In fact, for years I didn't know where the notes were on my neck.

Then I met someone who explained modes, harmonies and improvisation to me, then people who taught me how to write... At some point I realized that scores and writing were important if I wanted to evolve.

There are plenty of exceptional musicians who don't play a note of music! But it's true that as a studio musician, playing many different styles, I need this tool to get ahead. You can write a novel by dictating it on a dictaphone, but it's true that when you know how to read and write, it's a bit easier.

And above all, I've started doing arrangements and projects, and regularly working as a musical director, so you need to have some knowledge. Before, with paper, I found it hard to be faster than I already was, but now with digital, it's true that I'm much more efficient.

By the way, could you tell us about your transition to digital?

When I was moving house, I packed my boxes and realized that I'd been keeping all my sheet music since I was 20! Today I have a few more (twice as many) and when I saw that I had to carry all these boxes, I said to myself that it wasn't possible, I couldn't keep all that! So I kept a few scores from people who are no longer with us, artists with whom I've worked who have passed away and who had annotated things. It was more sentimental.

But all the usual stuff I scanned. And then I started working with music programs and it makes life so much easier, it's incredible how much faster everything is. What's more, with the cloud I always have access to everything, whether I'm at home or not, on my iPad or iPhone. I'm connected all the time, just like everyone else.

How do you feel about the democratization of tools like Newzik?

These are complex tools, but they are things that enable us to write and annotate quickly. To spread the word about a tool like Newzik, we simply have to overcome this "fear" of its complexity.

What I find great about Newzik is that we can share our scores and annotations at the click of a button, and work together without having to be in the same place.

I often encourage musicians to take training courses, because when you don't know anything about it, it can be complicated and off-putting. But once you've taken a course, you realize that you're actually going much faster, so you can really devote yourself to the music without worrying about the machines. All musicians have to do is take the time to learn, and they'll see that it's all about making life easier.

Paper Team or Digital Team?

I used to have diaries in my hand and my schedule changed all the time, so I wrote everything down in pencil so I could erase it. Some weeks it became an impossible scribble! Just like sheet music that gets damaged by too much notation.

Nowadays, with smartphones, we're all used to carrying a camera, a diary, everything we need to write, send, listen... That's what digital technology is all about. With tools like Newzik, we're given a paper score, we scan it straight away, import it, share it, annotate it, say "I'm going to change this", put in lyrics for the backing vocals, and voilà: in one click it's sent and everyone has it.

It's all very geeky and technical, but it's an incredible time-saver. I even realize that now I can type a score faster than I can write it! Instead of having to write verse 1, verse 2... I just copy and paste and voilà, I write much faster!

So Team Numérique, obviously, I've been following it for a few years now!

Where can we find you (or rather listen to you)?

At the moment, like many musicians, I'm more likely to be found at the bar around the corner!

I'm back on the Ibrahim Maalouf tour next year, because it was due to start on March 27 (which is my birthday, by the way, if you want to give me a little present) but it's been postponed for a year.

Concerts are slowly resuming in small and medium-sized venues: clubs, small theaters. Personally, I work a lot from home, and I've accentuated that side of things so that I can telecommute! It also allows me to spend more time with my family.

The final word?

Buy French... And I understand myself! 🇫🇷