Today we’d like to introduce you to Tom Fong.
Tom, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born and grew up in Macau, a small city that used to be a Portuguese colony for 442 years. I started learning the piano when I was seven but didn’t like it and wanted to quit when things were getting advanced. Fortunately, my mom was very strict and didn’t allow me to stop learning the piano until I got the 8th-grade piano certificate from ABRSM. Although I didn’t enjoy learning the piano much, it laid down a solid foundation for my musicianship when I switched to the guitar. I started taking guitar lessons from the priest at my middle school at the age of 13, then I got into the Macau Conservatory School of Music and took classical guitar lessons from Bruce Pun, who taught me all the techniques, tone, and expression in classical guitar. While around the same time, I self-taught the electric guitar and started covering punk music with my friends and my younger brother.
I’m also very thankful to meet my mentor, Kim Kuok Ip, who’s not only my piano teacher but also taught and introduced me to a lot of things to become a musician in the 21st century, like music theory, arranging for wind band, and DAWs like Logic Pro, Pro Tools, Reason, just to name a few. Without his guidance, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
After graduating from high school in Macau, I came to the U.S. and attended Musicians Institute (MI), where I received my BA in Guitar Performance, certificates in Audio Production and Post-Production. During the time I was in MI it has given me the freedom to explore different genres of music that really opened my mind. Plus, I had the chance to work as a teaching assistant after graduating, which has given me more opportunities to play more kinds of music and work with different musicians.
After MI, I went to graduate school at the USC Thornton School of Music and received my MM in Studio/ Jazz Guitar. While I was there, I met my then-teacher, now writing partner and mentor, Andy Abad, who brought me into the Film and TV world.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Growing up in Macau, with only about 580k population and gambling tourism being the primary source of revenue, it was a bold move to choose music as a career back then. The elders thought you were crazy and said things that made you feel uncomfortable. However, I’m lucky to have such enlightened parents because they never said anything to dispirit me but encouraged me to take this path.
As a musician and producer, it takes a lot of time and effort to master your skill. I spent my summers hiding in my bedroom to learn how to use Pro Tools and practice the guitar during my high school years. When the pandemic hit, it was the best time to understand and improve my skills, as I had all the time to be home. My daily routines were practicing and learning. Believe me, I even broke the chair for sitting in front of my computer too long!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a guitarist, producer, mixer, and composer. I was so fortunate that Andy Abad recruited me as his writing partner right after I graduated from USC. We have been working together since the end of May last year. Until now, we have written an end-credit song for a movie, two main theme titles, and around 90 cues for TV shows. We are currently writing cues for another film. I’m so humbled to be able to work with him.
Besides working in Films and TV shows, I write and produce my own music, which is available on all streaming platforms. I also produce/ arrange/ mix/ master music for artists such as Timothy Sun, TaoTao, and Uchu Yurei. In addition, I perform and co-music director with my younger brother, Dave Fong, for artists from Hong Kong and Taiwan when they tour in the States. I’m blessed to be able to perform with them at the venues like the SF Masonic Auditorium, The Pasadena Auditorium, and The Venetian Theater.
I’m proud of all my work, but what sets me apart from others is I can be a session guitarist reading music or a music producer/ mixer working in a studio. I think being versatile as a musician in the 21st century is crucial.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I wouldn’t consider myself a risk-taker, but I will take the risk if I have the time. For example, about three years ago, I challenged myself to learn how to use Ableton in two weeks just for a gig because I wanted to play with loops. However, I’m mainly a Logic Pro and Pro Tools user, so I stopped using Ableton after the show. Yet, I relearned how to use Ableton again by using my whole Christmas holiday last year because I want to use it as my new playback system for an upcoming concert in three weeks. As a result, if any error occurs and I don’t know how to solve it, I will risk embarrassing the artist if an error occurs and hurting my reputation. However, I am willing to take the risk because I know the benefit of the switch, and I have two weeks of holiday to take advantage of. I enjoyed the process and challenges.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomfong
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tomfongmusic
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-fong-b7b114a2/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@tal2008
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/tom-fong
