Please, come home and practice the piano

Chapter 1282, Section 502: Piano Lesson: They're so eager to improve!

To give his two children some extra nutrition, Ang Lee planned to prepare a more substantial lunch.

Braised pork ribs, crucian carp soup, and a plate of stir-fried bok choy.

The only downside was that he hadn't done anything by the time the two children came back.

"You two watch TV for a while."

After shooing the two children out of the kitchen, Ang Lee continued with his work.

Then he heard the sound of a zither coming from the study.
-
Ah Xing was the one playing the piano. She had class in the afternoon, so she had to cram a little more.

A-Lin, who was standing next to me, was listening to the morning's rehearsal with her headphones on.

Twenty minutes passed in the blink of an eye, and when the children heard "Dinner's ready," they stopped what they were doing in unison.

Ah Xing closed the piano lid, and Ah Lin put the earphones back into the earphone case.

After lunch, the two children went back to their room for a nap.

The alarm clock rang at two o'clock, and the two children got up.

Li An was already waiting in the living room. Ah Xing, along with the sheet music, went to room 2201 together.

Arlene returned to her study and began her piano practice for the day, which she expected to practice for two hours in the afternoon.
-
The teacher and student, who had arrived at room 2201, immediately began the lesson.

While Tang Xiaoxing was warming up, Li An made a cup of tea.

"Almost done?" Li An returned to the piano with his teacup, sat by the window, and drew back the curtains.

"Mm." Tang Xiaoxing stopped and nodded.

Ang Lee put down his teacup: "Let's begin."

Tang Xiaoxing began playing the first movement of 740.

In an instant, notes poured out from the fingertips on the keyboard like a sudden rain.

The ascending and descending scales, like the ups and downs of a roller coaster, quickly outline a strong melodic line.

Compared to the previous lesson, Tang Xiaoxing highlighted the core melody of the piece even more in her performance today.

"it is good."

As the music ended, Li An nodded.

"This one can be approved."

Hearing the teacher say that it was time to pass, Tang Xiaoxing rubbed her hands together and breathed a sigh of relief.

We finally passed!
In the last class, she nervously played the first piece for the teacher, who shook his head after listening.

Although she knew she might not pass, she still felt a little discouraged when she actually saw the teacher shake her head.

"Do you know why you were able to pass this time?" Ang Lee asked.

Tang Xiaoxing: "We've found the melody's core."

Ang Lee: "I can clearly feel it myself, right?"

Tang Xiaoxing: "Mm."

Ang Lee: "When we discuss melodic expression techniques, we usually focus on two points."

"The first point is to use a melody centered on a single note."

"The second point is the direction of the melody."

Tang Xiaoxing took a pen and wrote down the teacher's words on the score.

Ang Lee: "In your plan, you hope to solve the problem of melody progression at this stage, which we discussed in the last class."

"It revolves around a single sound."

"When you clearly define that a melody begins with a certain note and continues until the end of the melody, that is, the end of the melody, this process is called melodic progression."

"Your previous doubts were not about the melody, but rather that you were unsure which path you needed to take."

Tang Xiaoxing nodded: "Yes, teacher."

Ang Lee: "Of course, this is also related to your previous learning methods. Many times you can't play according to your own ideas and you need to consider the professor's advice, which gradually makes your key presses less firm, resulting in confusion."

"But in reality, if you're not restricted, are you guaranteed to be able to play the melody you want most?"

Tang Xiaoxing gave a shy smile. She had thought it would be like this before, but as the teacher said, she had not done it.

The content she played in the previous lesson is the best proof; after arriving in Chengdu, no one asked her how to play anymore.

Therefore, all five Czerny etudes were practiced by her according to her own ideas.

But the result was that she herself had no idea what to expect before the last class.

Ang Lee: "Now it's clear that this issue is not so simple."

Tang Xiaoxing: "Yes, teacher."

Ang Lee: "But it's not that complicated. Let's continue from where we left off last time. Last time I gave you a suggestion: I suggested you treat melody as a language."

"This is not an abstract metaphor."

"Some people play music in a way that sounds like a muffled mess, making it impossible to understand what they're playing, even if their notes and rhythm are correct. They just don't know what they're trying to express, right?"

Tang Xiaoxing: "Yes, I've met many classmates like that in Moscow and Berlin."

Ang Lee: "Some people play music that makes you feel like they're talking to you the moment you hear it."

What's the difference between the two?

Tang Xiaoxing: "The first kind of playing is 'dudu lulu,' and the second kind is speaking."

Ang Lee laughed: "That's right, who can understand a mumbled melody? That's why we say that melody is a language, and only clear articulation can make people understand it."

"So does that mean a good performance is one where the melody is easy for people to hear?"

Tang Xiaoxing shook his head: "It also needs emotions and content."

Ang Lee: "That's very accurate. Let's do an experiment now so you can experience it for yourself."

As Li An stood up, Tang Xiaoxing also stood up.

Ang Lee sat down at the piano and began to play the end of the second movement of The Tempest. When he reached a few trills, his fingers moved so fast and smoothly that it was impossible to tell that they were decorative notes.

"How was it?" Li An asked, stopping his hand.

Tang Xiaoxing: "Very clear, but without emotion."

Ang Lee: "It feels like a mundane movie ending, where the protagonist finally decides to leave the city he cares about, and while waiting for the bullet train, a uniformed staff member shouts to him through a megaphone, 'Move to the outer station!'"

Tang Xiaoxing laughed: "That's a vivid image. He's standing inside the yellow line."

Ang Lee: "Yes, isn't that the feeling? It's natural and clear, but should this be the ending of a movie?"

As he spoke, Ang Lee raised his hand again and played the same vibrato. He held the note for a moment before playing the vibrato in a gradually faster manner. The two sets of vibrato had different speeds and intensities. The last note was played lightly, and the movement came to an abrupt end, like an open ending that left the listener wanting more.

"."

Tang Xiaoxing was stunned, and felt a layer of fine goosebumps rise on her neck.

This feeling is amazing.
Ang Lee: "What do you think of this ending?"

Tang Xiaoxing: "I like it."

Ang Lee: "Tell me what you heard."

Tang Xiaoxing: "It's like the male protagonist standing quietly at the station waiting for the train. He recalls scenes from his life in this city over the years. No one knows what he recalls, but his emotions suddenly fluctuate greatly. Perhaps his firm idea of ​​leaving wavers at this moment. The last note is like the sound of the train doors opening when it arrives at the station. No one knows whether he will leave in the end."

Ang Lee: "It's very romantic, but I don't know how the story will end. The key point we need to extract is that playing it clearly is definitely not enough."

After stepping aside from the piano and returning to his chair, Ang Lee continued, "A musical work must have an artistic image, and making the message clear is the prerequisite."

"If you can't play a melody clearly, then all the artistic images you want to express will be distorted."

"Some people are not just making a fuss over nothing in their musical expression; they just can't express themselves clearly, so their strong emotions turn into a weak and powerless struggle."

Tang Xiaoxing: "Tell me to play the melody clearly."

Ang Lee: "Then let's take a look at how to draw the melodic line. I'll give you a reference. Here, Schubert's Sonata in G major should be a piece you are very good at, right?"

Tang Xiaoxing chuckled: "Yes, teacher."

Ang Lee: "Come on, for the first two sections, just use your right hand."

Tang Xiaoxing was taken aback: "Only the first two measures with the right hand?" Li An: "Yes."

Tang Xiaoxing thought for a moment, then raised his hand to play.

The two measures were very short, barely enough time to take a breath. After finishing, Tang Xiaoxing put her hands down and looked at her teacher.

This time, she thought about how to play it.

Ang Lee: "It was pretty good, but the ending was a bit of a pity."

After hearing what the teacher said, she immediately understood where her problem lay!

Ang Lee: "No rush, let's analyze how many 'xi's' appear in these two sections."

Tang Xiaoxing: "Four."

Ang Lee: "Your first 'xi' appeared at a very soft volume, like a prelude that makes people want to hear what will happen next. When the second 'xi' appeared, you used twice the volume, which was very subtle. You reinforced the first 'xi,' and the dramatic effect was already there. With the third 'xi,' you continued this effect, returning to the volume of the first 'xi,' making a good push and leading to the next sentence. Up to this point, it was perfect. The problem lies in the last 'xi.' You chose to return to the volume of the second 'xi.' Could you say that you were preparing for the next sentence? Is that right?"

Tang Xiaoxing shook her head: "No."

Ang Lee: "If you want to prepare for the next sequence, you should handle it with a louder volume, and you should even play it shorter."

Tang Xiaoxing: "Yes, teacher."

Ang Lee laughed: "I was already urging you to start before you even figured out how to play it."

Tang Xiaoxing: "I'm sorry, teacher, I..."

Ang Lee waved his hand: "What is a clear melody? It is a complete curve from top to bottom, and the treatment of each note in the process is the melody progression."

“Every note in the melody needs to be clearly pronounced. They are not only the destination of the previous note, but also the starting point of the next note. Especially the last note, which will determine the expression of the entire melody.”

Tang Xiaoxing: "Teacher, I've got it."

Ang Lee: "Let's digest this first. In the next lesson, we'll talk about melodic progressions dominated by the main note."

After a pause, he said, "Now let's look at Chopin's etudes. What do you want to play first?"

Tang Xiaoxing: "Sacred chant".

Ang Lee: "I listened to the hymns at the door yesterday, and I think there's a big difference between these two of your pieces. What do you think?"

Tang Xiaoxing laughed: "The sound is indeed different after the touch keys were changed."

Ang Lee stood up: "Come on."

"when--"

A deep bass voice came from behind him, and Ang Lee continued walking to the window.

He could feel the scorching sun outside the window through the glass.

That was a good performance. Tang Xiaoxing played the Chopin etude even better today than yesterday.

It could be because of the piano, or it could be because the teacher and student had a long conversation just now.

Ang Lee leans more towards the second reason, because he has sensed an unusual emotion in the melody.

That's probably what top-tier talent looks like.
-
Two hours later, Tang Xiaoxing returned to 101.

"Linlin, class is in session!"

Hearing no movement from the study, she shouted.

Then the study door was pushed open.

"How was it?" Xiao Che asked with a smile.

Tang Xiaoxing made a victory sign: "The teacher told me I can continue practicing 740."

Car: "First pass is done!"

Tang Xiaoxing: "Passed!"

After half a month, Tang Xiaoxing's progress bar finally moved forward to 740.

From initially completing all five planned etudes in three days, to being asked by the teacher to stop practicing the others and focus solely on the first one, heaven knows how much pressure Tang Xiaoxing was under.

Going from 0 to 1 is always the most difficult.

But she finally arrived at number 1!
"Go Linlin!"
-
Ah Lin took his sheet music to class in room 2201, while Ah Xing went to the study to continue practicing the piano.

Time quickly came to 7 p.m.

Arlene successfully obtained her certificate of completion for the fifth etude.

The fingering for the first movement of the planned Moonlight Sonata was also resolved in today's lesson. Her task for the next few days is to complete this sonata.

In the elevator on the way back to 101 after class, Li An said to Xiao Che, "Linlin, practice with the metronome for the next few days."

"Roger that!"

While saying she received the message, Xiao Che was secretly plotting something. The teacher hadn't specifically emphasized using the metronome to her for a long time, although she often used it voluntarily when needed.

Ang Lee: "In two identical rhythmic patterns, both start on the strong beat and end on the second beat. Tell me what kind of performance problems this structure brings to the performer."

The car thought for a moment: "Rhythm and movement."

Ang Lee: "Continue."

Xiao Che: "From a rhythmic point of view, the performer must clearly play two rhythmic patterns, and they must be exactly the same."

"From a rhythmic perspective, the performer must make the audience hear clearly the weak beat rhythm in the first group of rhythms, which actually represents the beginning of the next small strong beat."

Ang Lee: "So they have to play the same way, and they have to play it differently."

Car: "Uh~"

Ang Lee: "It is obvious that rhythm and tempo are often contradictory, and we should address them specifically according to the particular situation."

The elevator doors opened, and Li An stepped out first.

The little car quickly caught up: "Teacher, I understand."

Ang Lee: "You haven't played enough of the works, so you haven't encountered many situations. In the past, when you encountered similar problems, you would deal with them based on your own feelings, which is a kind of stream of consciousness. That's not wrong, but it has the appearance of taking shortcuts."

Little Car: "Hehe."

Ang Lee: "The metronome will limit you. Practice for a year first."

Little car: "Roar!"

Ang Lee: "Silly look."

Xiao Che: "Teacher, should I change my plan and goals?"

Ang Lee: "It's only been a week, should we still make changes?"

Xiao Che: "Otherwise, I wouldn't have achieved my goal. My goal was to improve the accuracy of the paragraphs, but I estimate that it will take until next summer to complete, and even then, I might not be able to finish. So I need to change my goal."

Ang Lee: "Then tell me, what kind of target do you want to change to?"

Little Car: "I want to practice one more etude."

Ang Lee: "What kind of target is this? It's accurate, it's accurate."

The so-called accuracy of the segments in the actual car is that its own rhythm and cadence are starting to clash.

The car has realized this, so it has proposed to solve this problem.

After the car race ended, Ang Lee planned to start working on solving the problem for the car during this holiday.

The teacher and student were of the same mind.

When they got home, all three of them, the teacher and the student, were starving. Fortunately, Ang Lee had ordered takeout in advance while teaching the car.

Today's takeout: pizza.

Ang Lee needed to replenish his energy, because teaching these two children was extremely energy-consuming.

"You have rehearsal tomorrow afternoon?"

"Yes, I'll go back to school tomorrow morning to get my grades."

“Yes, yes,” Li An stuffed a mouthful of cheese roll into his mouth and slurped, “Then you two can practice a little longer tonight.”

"Of course!" The two girls both looked puzzled.

Even if they have nothing to do tomorrow, they still have to practice until 10 p.m. tonight!
After dinner, the three of them practiced their instruments separately, and time flew by.