Please, come home and practice the piano

Chapter 1150 410. Playing the game with my mother [Twenty-nine]

"One vote short?"

“Just one vote.”

Fang Yongbo sighed, held the phone for a moment, and finally put it down.

Just now, an acquaintance from the Yenching International Art Center called Xiangnan back and said that contestant No. 05 was one vote ahead of contestant No. 01 in the final voting stage, and had secured the third place.

Then Xiangnan called him back, which was accurate first-hand information.

I guess Ang Lee will know soon.

Fang Yongbo couldn't call Li Ang now, as calling him would be like comforting him.

Based on his understanding of Ang Lee, the last thing Ang Lee wanted to hear right now was comfort.

"Ugh."

Tian Lina at the side sighed, raised her hand to turn off the TV, and complained: "You said this was caused by this."

Fang Yongbo waved his hand: "Alright, the results have been announced, so that's it."

Tian Lina looked up: "Why don't you give Li An a call and ask."

Fang Yongbo shook his head: "No more fighting, go to bed early today."

The couple went to bed.

Although it was said that he was going to sleep, Fang Yongbo found it difficult to fall asleep for a while.

It’s not because he thinks he is caught between He Peng and Li Ang, although the two parties knew each other through him.

What made him uncomfortable was the final voting result.

Just one vote difference and Che Lin lost the opportunity.

It is difficult for humans to be impartial. Although the palms and backs of the hands are made of flesh, when warming hands in winter, who warms the backs of the hands first?

There is always a subconscious action.

Fang Yongbo's subconscious action was that he felt uncomfortable.

If Che Lin had gotten the ticket, he would definitely not have felt this way.

First, He Jiaming’s stage performance was not as good as Che Lin’s, so it was natural for him to lose to Che Lin.

Second, by comparison, He Jiaming himself does not really need this ticket.

What this ticket can bring He Jiaming is only an opportunity to perform abroad, and He Jiaming can have as many such opportunities as he wants.

But Che Lin didn't have so many opportunities.

Che Lin needs to make great efforts to have the opportunity to get such a stage.

It's just possible.

Just like today, we were very close, but in the end we still fell short by one vote.

Fang Yongbo is aware of the efforts Che Lin has made in preparation for the competition, and he does not deny that every child who took the stage today has made tremendous efforts.

But even though they are all working hard, there is a difference in the degree of effort.

Sometimes you can’t say that you have really tried hard, nor can you say that you have really tried your best.

Just like what he emphasized to new and old orchestra members in a meeting some time ago: Is there really no way for you to improve your professional level?
Practicing two hours a day is hard work, practicing five hours a day is hard work, and practicing eight hours a day is also hard work.

In Fang Yongbo's view, this is all hard work.

How long each person can practice an instrument in a day depends on their own situation.

If a person can only practice the piano for one hour a day due to practical circumstances, then as long as he practices, he is also working hard.

So what is the difference in effort?

The difference lies in whether you have tried your best in this hour or two hours.

Only when you try your best can you truly work hard and give your all.

He believed that every child tried hard today, but did they really try their best?

What does it mean to try your best - I can't make my performance any better.

However, Fang Yongbo did not see many children in this condition today.

What competition is today? It is the finals of the Xiaoxiao Competition in China.

It brings together the best piano playing children of this age group in the country.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that they are a few in a million.

They are not ordinary piano children. They will take over the Chinese piano stage in ten or twenty years.

They are all candidates who may become professional pianists in the future.

They are all geniuses.

But what kind of stage will this group of talented young people present today?
First, the wrong pronunciation.

Fang Yongbo has almost zero tolerance for wrong notes.

The reason is very simple. Even if you have practiced a measure thousands of times offstage, but still play the wrong notes on stage, what have you practiced offstage?

Too nervous?
What are you doing offstage?
In any stage performance, mentality is of paramount importance.

If technology is external strength, then mentality is internal strength.

Can’t practice internal skills well?
It's okay, take your time, but you have to take this issue seriously.

The problem is in the emphasis -

Today, more than half of the children have mispronunciation to varying degrees.

In Fang Yongbo's opinion, the reason why these children have singing errors is that they do not pay enough attention to their mental training and the stage.

Someone here may say that the performer even played the wrong note.

Yes, professional performers also make mistakes.

But the question is, are professional performers supposed to make mistakes?

In Fang Yongbo's opinion, professional performers should not make mistakes in notes.

Being a professional performer is a profession, just like being a driver or a cook.

A person spends money to take a bus to the train station, but the driver drives the car to the airport. Who can smile and say it's okay to the driver?

A person spends money to eat in a restaurant and emphasizes that he does not want any chili, but the food served contains chili seeds. Who can eat it with a smile?

It's the same logic. If a person pays to listen to a concert and the performers make all kinds of wrong notes, isn't that outrageous?
What is the difference between this mistake and that of a driver taking the wrong road or a chef putting the wrong seasoning in the wrong place?
But no one is perfect. Who can be without mistakes?

Therefore, performers are also divided into different levels.

There is a type of performer who can make consecutive mistakes in playing a note for as long as three or four seconds during an important concert, and yet can still face his fans and the media with a smile after the concert.

There was a performer who only played three wrong notes at a not-so-important concert. Later, this performer wrote in his memoirs that he would be willing to give all his wealth in exchange for not having played these three notes wrong at that concert.

No matter whether the person is real or fake, at least have an attitude.

And the latter is indeed a rare master who can never make mistakes in concerts.

Can I make mistakes on stage? Yes, I can. But I can't think it's a small matter.

This is Fang Yongbo's professional attitude. If an accident happened in the band today, he would be the first to step forward and take responsibility for the mistake, instead of choosing to avoid talking about it because of the tolerance of fans and music lovers.

Just like our little contestants, making mistakes in singing is not scary, what is scary is having no attitude.

Some contestants make mistakes in singing because they don’t have this kind of attitude off stage.

I don't have any demands on myself off the stage.

This is a typical case of not giving your best in an effort.

How can I tolerate my own mispronunciation?
"Don't you know that maybe your future is ruined because of a small mistake you made?"

Fang Yongbo said without exaggeration that he had experienced such scenes more than once.

Fang Yongbo's perspective is different from that of the judges, Liangshan, and the Tang family father and son. On this issue, he can only empathize with Ang Lee.

He remembered very clearly that when he first met Ang Lee, the two of them discussed Mozart K414 for the second time in his office, and Ang Lee quickly apologized to him for a wrong note.

From that moment on he knew that Li Ang was a person just like him.

Because they have no background and no opportunities readily available, any stage is extremely precious to them.

Fang Yongbo has come this far, from an ordinary conducting student to a front-line conductor in China, relying on his meticulousness in his job.

When he was young, he would never allow himself to go on stage without being prepared.

Because he knew that for people like them who had no identity or background to rely on, if they messed up once on the stage, they would lose everything.

So he admires Ang Lee and his serious attitude towards the stage.

Our children may still be young and unaware of what they may experience in the future, so it is difficult for them to care about a few wrong notes during their three to five hours of piano practice.

So when they got to the real competition, the highest level competition, they naturally made mistakes due to lack of internal strength or habit.

But they are all children, so why do some children never make mistakes in pronunciation?

It won’t be wrong once, it won’t be wrong twice, and it won’t be wrong three times.

As far as Fang Yongbo can remember, in all the performances that he had heard Che Lin perform in public, there were basically no wrong notes.

It's not that there are none, but comparatively speaking, there are almost none.

He knows why.

Because there is always a type of people active on the stage, and they demand higher standards of themselves when they are off the stage.

Fang Yongbo can say responsibly that it is because of Che Lin that today's competition has reached the level that a final should have.

In today's competition, only Che Lin did not make any mistakes in the notes.

Second, playing style.

Fang Yongbo was already sweating before Che Lin came to Yanjing.

Because before the teacher and student set off, he and Lao Wei listened to Che Lin's performance.

The reason he was worried about Che Lin was that what he appreciated, or what any conductor with relevant working experience would appreciate, was not easily accepted by the academic community.

Most of the academic teachers also came from the academic world, so they are instinctively demanding of the performers’ styles.

It can even be said that out of consideration for the interests of the group, they will actively exclude anything outside of it.

Most of the judges today are teachers from the college.

In terms of style, Che Lin is at an inherent disadvantage.

But what kind of stage will the contestants who are in an advantageous position bring?
Fang Yongbo, as a music director, would frankly say that the entire assembly line is a competition of who has finer workmanship, nothing else.

It's not just this group of children. Over the past decade or so, we have trained batch after batch of professional pianists who can gain a foothold in the international arena.

Competition contestant ≠ professional pianist.

Graduated from a prestigious university ≠ professional pianist.

Young professor ≠ professional pianist.

Ang Lee is not very famous, but he is a professional pianist, so he can make a living by performing on stage without relying on the fan effect.

Ang Lee ≠ international professional pianist.

Where are the international professional pianists we have trained over the years?
Compared with our huge number of piano children, the number is very small.

It is an indisputable fact that without music, without expression, and only with technique and competition medals, it is impossible to become an international professional pianist.

Unless your medal comes from the four major competitions, this is just the beginning.

We have already achieved mass production of the ultimate in a single style.

On the stage today.

Fang Yongbo knew that the reason for this situation had nothing to do with our young players.

Finally, contestant No. 01 emerged to break the deadlock. Contestant No. 01, who added countless colors to the game, ultimately failed to take another step forward.

One vote difference, and you’re stopped at the door.

I feel a little sorry for the child, since he has obviously tried his best.

How good do you have to do to get this ticket?

Don’t say that the child is only three and a half years old. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future.

Just this once, is it fair?
It's not fair.

Fang Yongbo felt bad, even though the judges had clearly tried their best in the end.

But there's just one vote missing.

If the third place today was not He Jiaming, but any other contestant, the final result would not be what it is now.

Fang Yongbo understood and could comprehend it.

Having climbed up from the bottom, he can empathize with Ang Lee, the car, and the judges. Everyone wants to get closer to the inner circle, even if it's just to take one more look.

No one's opportunities fall from the sky, and no one is in the circle.

So all Fang Yongbo can do is fulfill his promise.

Before Xiaoche left, he promised Xiaoche that if Xiaoche could make it into the top three, he would give Xiaoche a gift.

If the car didn't make it into the top three, he would ask the car to do him a favor.

Now he plans to let the car do him a big favor.

Thinking of this, Fang Yongbo felt a little better. He was also thinking about asking Li Ang to bring the children to play ball with him this weekend.

I don’t know if Ang Lee can do this.

Ugh.

After thinking it over, he stood up and sent a message to Li Ang.

'Play ball on the weekend'

moment.

Ang Lee: Okay, 7:30pm Sunday night?
Fang Yongbo looked at the information on the screen and smiled: Okay, Linlin is fine.

Ang Lee: Very good, chatting with a classmate right now.

Fang Yongbo: You haven’t left yet.
Ang Lee: I left early. I'm on the bus now. We're almost at the hotel. Bo Ge, you're in bed, right?

Fang Yongbo: You are quite clever.
Ang Lee: Hahahaha, I saw my sister-in-law was asleep, otherwise you would have to send me a voice message

Fang Yongbo: Forget it today, I'm not in the mood

Ang Lee: No, brother, please don’t, we are all fine.

Fang Yongbo: You know everything.

Ang Lee: Almost. Just now a teacher from our school called me, and then Brother Peng also called me. I felt quite embarrassed. There were too many people around me just now, and some things were inconvenient for me to say. It didn't seem right to call him specifically. Could you please take some time in the next two days to convey a message to him. I understand. This matter has nothing to do with anyone.

Fang Yongbo sighed lightly, thinking that the child was wronged. After a moment, he said: Don't worry, I'll talk to him. In fact, Lao He didn't want to see such a result, and he didn't even go there.

Ang Lee: I understand, I understand

Fang Yongbo: Okay, comfort the child more and we'll talk about it when you come back.

Ang Lee: Goodnight, Bogo

Putting down his phone, Li An's gaze returned to the front seat.

Linlin was chatting with Lin Ruoxi. The two children started chattering as soon as they got in the car.

We have been chatting till now.

Just like outside the car window at this moment, two newly sprouted willow branches are entangled together carefree in the night breeze, they are crackling and laughing.