Untold story about Meritorious Artist who is a Lieutenant Colonel of Border Guard

Meritorious Artist Nguyen Hai Nam, Lieutenant Colonel of the Border Guard, has pursued his passion for traditional drums through three roles: performing, composing and teaching for 26 years.

Journey to the art of traditional drums

With a special love for drumming and traditional music , for nearly 26 years, Lieutenant Colonel, Meritorious Artist Nguyen Hai Nam, Head of the Music Team, Border Guard Art Troupe, has gone through a journey of passion with this music genre. That journey has many hardships and difficulties, but he believes that soldiers must be more determined, strive to overcome difficulties, and contribute to preserving and promoting traditional national music .

Meritorious Artist Nguyen Hai Nam in the program "Confession".

Meritorious Artist Nguyen Hai Nam shares about his love of art:

Video: VTV

Nguyen Hai Nam was born and raised in Vinh, Nghe An. Since childhood, his family lived in the dormitory of the provincial College of Culture and Arts, so he gradually absorbed the love of art when listening to his older siblings and teachers practice and perform. In 1994, when he was in 7th grade, Nguyen Hai Nam asked his parents to let him take the entrance exam and passed, but did not continue his studies because his family wanted him to focus on studying culture.

Two years later, in 9th grade, with a clearly defined passion and respect for his family's decision, Nguyen Hai Nam took the entrance exam to the Military University of Culture and Arts. Nguyen Hai Nam's older brother, who also worked in the arts, became his first drum teacher.

"I studied drums at the military school for 3 years of intermediate level and 4 years of university. I entered the school in September, and in December I officially wore the green uniform of the Border Guard," Meritorious Artist Nguyen Hai Nam shared. From then on, he began his journey of dedication to the art of drumming in a soldier's uniform.

"The tripod" in an artistic career

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Hai Nam, Captain of the Border Guard Music and Art Troupe, has devoted 26 years to the art of traditional drumming.

Currently, Meritorious Artist Nguyen Hai Nam works in three main fields: drum performance, music composition and teaching.

For him, drums play an important role in keeping the beat, creating uniformity for the entire orchestra. "Everyone has the same point of listening to the drum to keep the beat fast or slow. Besides, drums also create many tones. Although there is no melody like other instruments, only focusing on rhythm and sound, the artist combines many skills with creativity to create many colors of sound when combined with the orchestra," he explained.

In addition to performing in the orchestra, Meritorious Artist Nguyen Hai Nam also conducts and composes drum ensembles. Initially, he wrote small exercises for himself, then developed them into larger percussion ensemble exercises and finally became complete works.

His debut song "The Steel Shield on the Border" brought him an award from the Vietnam Musicians Association.

Regarding composition, he wrote about 30-40 songs, mainly about soldiers or his homeland. His first song , The Steel Shield at the Border, composed about his comrades in green uniforms, won an award from the Vietnam Musicians Association.

Nguyen Hai Nam's inspiration comes from many sources: "It could be a touching image or story on VTV, an image on a business trip or from the program "Nhang Buoc Em Den Truong" (Helping Poor Students to School) to help poor students struggling at the border. All of his compositions come from emotions, not from setting a goal in advance."

Meritorious Artist Nguyen Hai Nam teaches at the Military University of Culture and Arts, passing on knowledge to the younger generation. "Teaching gives me the opportunity to interact with young, dynamic and creative students in the way of the younger generation," he shared.

Spreading love for traditional drum art

In 2020, Meritorious Artist Nguyen Hai Nam was invited to participate in staging and conducting the Drum Festival Art Troupe of the People's Police Academy. Since then, he has staged many impressive drum festival performances such as Linh Thieng Hoi Tu, Hao Khi Non Song and the drum festival performance Echoing for thousands of years with 700 members participating in the performance at the 75th Anniversary of the People's Police studying and implementing the 6 teachings of Uncle Ho.

According to Meritorious Artist Nguyen Hai Nam, drumming is "choosy and difficult to approach" because it is not like a song with easy-to-understand lyrics or another instrument with an easy-to-absorb melody. "Drum solo requires good skills from the performer and good composition. When practicing a solo performance, I have to practice technique a lot, practice every day."

His greatest joy is to see many young people interested in and studying this subject. His advice to those who are passionate about drumming art: "All arts require passion and talent. With passion, talent, and hard work, you can become a good artist. If you are passionate, enthusiastic, learn, and persevere with what you choose, you will definitely succeed."

In 2023, Meritorious Artist Nguyen Hai Nam was honored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a Typical Artist in the category of Outstanding Musician at the National Solo and Ensemble Competition of Traditional Musical Instruments.

In 2025, Meritorious Artist Nguyen Hai Nam plans to focus on writing more works, still with two main themes: the image of revolutionary soldiers and the homeland.

Photos, clips: VTV, documents

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