Please, come home and practice the piano

Chapter 1391, Section 611: Never try to guess a commander's thoughts.
Ang Lee was also very happy because he got to have lunch with them again.

The main point isn't the noodles with soybean paste.

"Little Xing, bring the dishes!"

"I'll come, I'll come."

Li An rushed into the kitchen and gave a thumbs-up to the stir-fried three dishes on the cutting board.

"You've been held back by music, haven't you?"

Grandpa Tang laughed heartily, "You're absolutely right. My biggest dream when I was a child was to be a chef."

"Why?" Tang Xiaoxing poked her head out from outside the kitchen door.

Mr. Tang turned his head: "The chef's cooking is delicious."

Hahahaha.

"Let's eat!"
-
Ang Lee didn't get up until after 10 a.m., and as soon as he woke up, he was thinking about what to have for lunch with Chen Xuan.

By noon, they still hadn't decided on a plan, so they simply waited for Chen Xuan to come back and went out for dumplings.

Then I received a message from Chen Xuan.

Seeing that Fang Yongbo wanted Chen Xuan to stay for dinner, Li An thought he should just go out and eat by himself.

Then he received a message from Tang Xiaoxing asking if he and Chen Xuan were coming down for dinner.

That's why they say having an elder in the family is like having a treasure.

Don't ask, the answer is always food.

So he went downstairs empty-handed.

Thinking I should lend a hand, I ended up serving a dish.

"That's a good thing."

It wasn't until halfway through the meal that Grandpa Tang learned that Chen Xuan had gone to rehearse the woodwind quintet that morning.

"I'm still rehearsing with the orchestra."

So Ang Lee went on to explain, and Mr. Tang nodded after listening.

"Personnel changes in the orchestra are always like this, and the principal flutist you mentioned is quite sensible."

Ang Lee: "Chen Xuan was also quite lucky."

Grandpa Tang smiled and said, "Opportunity always favors the prepared mind."

Ang Lee: You're right.

Grandpa Tang: "Fang Yongbo is known for his sharp eye. He must have seen something about Xiao Chen to make this arrangement."

Ang Lee: "I dare not speak for others, but Chen Xuan was definitely a competent musician."

Mr. Tang: "How do you define being competent?"

Ang Lee: "Do your best to complete the work within your vocal part, while also focusing on self-improvement, respecting your profession, and respecting the stage."

Mr. Tang: "The last two points are particularly well said, but that is not enough to make Fang Yongbo hand over the principal position of the woodwind quintet to Chen Xuan."

Ang Lee: "You mean Brother Bo has other plans?"

Mr. Tang: "You may not understand the significance of a woodwind quintet to a professional symphony orchestra."

Ang Lee smiled and said, "I'll have to ask you for advice on that."

Grandpa Tang: "Let Xiaoxing tell us."

When asked to answer, Tang Xiaoxing exclaimed, "I can't say for sure either."

Ang Lee: "Let me hear some pointers from Teacher Xiaoxing."

Tang Xiaoxing quickly replied, "Teacher, I only have a vague understanding of it myself. Please just listen casually."

"Um--"

Tang Xiaoxing paused for a moment before speaking again.

"First of all, in a professional symphony orchestra, the woodwind section is the most difficult to coordinate as a whole."

"Because their sound production principles are quite different, their pitch accuracy and breath control are far superior to those of string sections."

"The overall level of an orchestra can be judged by two factors: the thickness of the brass sections and the coordination between the woodwind sections."

"In comparison, coordinating the wood pipes is more difficult."

"Therefore, the level of the woodwind section is basically a microcosm of the strength of an orchestra."

"grandfather?"

Grandpa Tang: "Go on."

Tang Xiaoxing: "Secondly, the woodwind quintet symbolizes the inheritance of the classical music tradition."

"It is on par with the string quartet, both being classic combinations in classical chamber music."

“From Mozart to Stravinsky, countless famous composers have created works specifically for it.”

"If the woodwind quintet of a professional orchestra is of low quality, it actually reflects that the orchestra lacks classical music appreciation."

Ang Lee: "Thinking about it, it really is true."

Tang Xiaoxing: "Hehe, I heard it from my grandpa and uncle chatting."

"Finally, Grandpa, you should say it. I don't know how to put it, but in short, the appointment of woodwind section members is more complicated than that of other sections."

Ang Lee smiled; he had a vague idea.

Mr. Tang: "According to the double-wind system, about twenty violins are needed, and each woodwind section only requires two people."

"So conductors never worry about the turnover of personnel in the string section, but not in the woodwind section."

"Each member has their own role, and they are all core pillars of the band."

"Do you know how many factors a professional orchestra has to consider when deciding to appoint a principal woodwind player?"

“Back then, Shen Lijun was my principal oboe player. After she was poached by the National Symphony Orchestra, half of our woodwind group was paralyzed.”

Ang Lee exclaimed in surprise: "It's that serious?"

Tang Xiaoxing: "Really, I'm a teacher, not exaggerating at all."

Mr. Tang: "Although she is nominally only the principal oboe player, she is actually the core of the entire woodwind section."

Ang Lee: "Similar to the position of the concertmaster in the string section."

Mr. Tang: "It's not similar, it is exactly what it is. The so-called 'one king and two kings' of an orchestra refers to the conductor, the principal violinist, and the principal woodwind player."

"If a conductor holds positions in multiple orchestras and needs an assistant conductor to set the framework for new pieces, then the principal violinist usually holds a higher position than the assistant conductor, and the principal woodwind player is roughly equivalent to the assistant conductor."

"Do you understand now?"

Li An nodded thoughtfully. "You mean Brother Bo intends to groom Chen Xuan to be the head of the woodworking team?"

Grandpa Tang: "It's pretty much a 100% certainty."

Tang Xiaoxing exclaimed happily, "Master's wife is amazing!"

"Isn't it a bit too early?" Li An was not questioning Old Master Tang, but he felt that Chen Xuan was still graduating and was just a newcomer. Even if Fang Yongbo was interested, he couldn't possibly make any moves now.

Grandpa Tang waved his hand: "When will we have to wait? Until he's really close to retirement?"

Do you know how long it takes for an orchestra to train a principal woodwind player from scratch?

"At least seven years or more."

How many more years can Fang Yongbo work?

"It won't take more than ten years."

“Once he steps down from this position, even if he is rehired, his words will carry far less weight than when he was in office.”

"It seems to me that he might even think it's a bit late now."

"He is an idealist."

"Otherwise, he wouldn't have insisted on returning to Chengdu in the end."

"At that time, the Guangzhou Trade Center offered him an astronomical contract."

"Then why is he doing this? Isn't it because he wants to push Rong'ai up even further on his own?"

He and Fang Yongbo had discussed this issue many times while drinking, and it was indeed true.

Grandpa Tang: "That's why he's anxious. He's determined to get Rong'ai back on track before he officially retires." "Lin Qingfeng is in charge of string music. He's truly outstanding in every aspect. He's a brilliant leader. At the time, Qianfeng even extended an olive branch to Xi'an Jiaotong University, but Lin Qingfeng personally declined."

"But one Lin Qingfeng is not enough; he also needs someone who can oversee the woodworking group."

What does "sitting in charge" mean?

"To be in charge is to be able to keep people in line; to be in charge is to be able to win everyone's respect."

"There are very, very few people like this."

"Ang Lee, how do you feel about yourself?"

Ang Lee laughed: "I can't brag."

Grandpa Tang chuckled: "I told you you could play, and your skill level is even better than Xiao Chen's. Do you really think you can be the principal woodwind player in an orchestra?"

Ang Lee thought for a moment and said, "There shouldn't be any problem. I think I should have no problem navigating the workplace."

Grandpa Tang: "Xiao Xing, do you think your teacher is any good?"

Tang Xiaoxing: "Of course it can work! If the teacher can't do it, then no one can."

Grandpa Tang: "What if I said your teacher might not be up to the task?"

Tang Xiaoxing glared: "You can't say no, but that doesn't work! You're no longer in command!"

Ang Lee pouted: "How dare you talk to your grandfather like that?"

Tang Xiaoxing stuck out her tongue and closed her mouth.

"It's alright, it's alright," Old Master Tang laughed. "Xiao Xing is right. I'm no longer the conductor, but I'm telling you, Li An, you can't be the chief wood pipesman."

Hearing this, Ang Lee became even more interested, "Tell me why I can't do it."

Mr. Tang said, “You must be an excellent conductor and a competent string player, but you just can’t be the principal woodwind player.”

"What does the chief wood pipe engineer do?"

"It will offend people."

Ang Lee suddenly realized: "If that's how you put it, then I really can't do it."

As they spoke, both of them laughed.

Grandpa Tang: "Am I right? You just can't do it. How could you possibly offend anyone?"

Ang Lee smiled apologetically: "I've learned a lot."

Mr. Tang: "What kind of environment is the woodwind group? Everyone thinks they are a soloist, and everyone thinks they are the most charismatic person. Think back to your classmates now, aren't all woodwind players like that?"

"You're amazing!" Ang Lee gave a thumbs up; that was absolutely brilliant.

Grandpa Tang said, "These people don't respect anyone, and you can talk yourself hoarse without them respecting you."

Ang Lee: "Moreover, these people also appreciate each other."

Grandpa Tang grinned and laughed heartily, "That's right!"

"Let me tell you a joke."

"That was in 2000. I went to a local orchestra to participate in an event and took the opportunity to rehearse with them."

"The piece we rehearsed was The Blue Danube."

Ang Lee: "Strauss Jr."

Grandpa Tang: "Yes, I knew it was a bunch of idiots when we were practicing the pronunciation before rehearsals."

"Purely a charlatan."

"Woodwind instruments are different from strings. It doesn't matter if you just play the strings casually at first. First, there are many people, so if the strings are not in tune, I can just not play them. There are always other people playing them. Second, you can tune the strings whenever you want."

"How do you tune the woodwinds during a performance? Besides, there are few woodwind players and many solo sections. If you can't tune them properly before rehearsal and you happen to have a good-tempered conductor, that's fine. But if you happen to have a conductor like me when I was young, the first time is fine, but the second time you can just pack up your instrument and get out."

Tang Xiaoxing: "Grandpa is really fierce during rehearsals now."

Grandpa Tang smiled and said, "It's much better now."

He paused, then said, "The real challenge with The Blue Danube is how to control the style and tempo. Most local orchestras can't reach that level; it's already quite remarkable if they can get the notes right."

"I didn't expect anything from them. I thought, if they're not in sync, they're not in sync. After all, the orchestra sponsors were listening nearby."

"Once rehearsals begin, it's just a few things: the rhythm of the strings, the harmony of the brass, and mainly the woodwind solos."

"Don't even mention it, I feel ashamed just standing there."

"Not to mention the out-of-tune notes, wrong notes, off-key tone, and insufficient timing for playing."

Ang Lee: "There's no way to schedule it."

Grandpa Tang: "Absolutely. But it was just a formality. Then the interesting part came. After the rehearsal, I went backstage to clean up and heard a few woodwind players smoking and chatting in the aisle. They were saying that the strings were no good, that the brass was silent, and that the triangle was not rhythmically stable. Only the woodwind group held up the show. They were so considerate of each other. I didn't know how to comment at the time."

"They're not joking, they genuinely think they're awesome."

"They're incredibly awesome. If it weren't for them, the stage would have been smashed during today's rehearsal."

Li Anle: "Every woodwind player is a performer."

Grandpa Tang: "There's nothing we can do. They have fewer members and more solo parts. The bigger the group, the more like this. Everyone thinks they're big stars. We can do without anyone else, but we can't do without them."

Ang Lee: "Sigh."

Old Master Tang: "So how do you deal with these people? Commander personally getting involved? You can joke around, but a commander can't really afford to offend these bastards."

"The principal string player has even less of a say, with dozens of people behind him."

"So who's coming?"

Ang Lee: "Chief Wood Pipe Analyzer".

Mr. Tang: "Principal woodwind player. Woodwind players should solve their own problems. The orchestra is only responsible for appointing who will be the principal woodwind player."

"Ang Lee, do you think you can do it now?"

Ang Lee: "I can't, I really can't. We can smoke and drink together, but I can't be stern. We're all just trying to make a living, and I don't care about spending a few hundred dollars more."

Grandpa Tang chuckled: "That's why this job is not for the average person; you can't do it if you're afraid to offend people."

Ang Lee: "After hearing what you said, I think I understand why Brother Bo values ​​Chen Xuan so much."

Grandpa Tang: "Young Chen is obviously a straightforward person."

Ang Lee: "He's very stubborn, sometimes he's just inflexible and won't listen to anything you say, if he's wrong, he's wrong."

Old Master Tang: "Right? Fang Yongbo is just missing this one person right now."

"If my analysis is correct, Xiao Chen will be promoted to a permanent position before this performance."

Li An hissed, "That's too fast! People will gossip. This can be done slowly. Brother Bo should at least consider the old man's feelings and thoughts."

Grandpa Tang: "Never try to guess what a commander is thinking. That's the biggest difference between you and Xiao Chen. You always try to figure out what the commander is thinking, but she never does. She just does whatever the commander tells her to do."

Li An thought about it and realized it was true. From the moment he received the score until midnight yesterday, Chen Xuan only did one thing: prepare for today's rehearsal as much as possible.

During this time, he said he would send a message to Fang Yongbo to ask about the progress of the preparations, since he felt that the workload was too heavy and it would be more efficient to focus on preparing for tomorrow's rehearsal first.

As a result, Chen Xuan wouldn't let him ask.

"You're absolutely right."

Grandpa Tang laughed heartily again: "The conductor only needs to glance at the musicians."

“When I first talked to Xiao Chen about her work, I knew she was born for an orchestra. She would spend an entire afternoon working on a single measure of music. This kind of dedication destined her to be the principal flutist in any orchestra.”

"Her reverence for the symphony stage also determines that she will be demanding of those around her."

"All she needs is someone to protect her in the beginning."

Li An sighed, "I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Uncle Tang."

Grandpa Tang: "My advice to you is to stop getting involved in this matter starting today."

"Fang Yongbo can let Xiao Chen play the solo of Rachmaninoff No. 2, but there is no reason for her to replace the original principal flutist to play the woodwind quintet, even if someone voluntarily gives up their place."

"If Fang Yongbo did this, then there is only one possibility: he has decided to give Xiao Chen an important position."

"As for where to start, that depends on how the rehearsal goes this morning."

Tang Xiaoxing: "So Grandpa, should I go heat up the food first?"

Ang Lee suggested, "Uncle Tang, how about we grab a couple of drinks?"

Grandpa Tang grinned: "Shall we have a couple of bites?"

Lunch continues.