Chapter 17

Cheng Xiaoyu was unaware of Wang Ou's complicated thoughts and invited Xia Shamo to sit down. He sat next to Chen Haoran, with Xia Shamo opposite him.

Cheng Xiaoyu didn't beat around the bush and directly said to Chen Haoran, "Chen Haoran, I really need your help. The practice won't take up too much of your time. If you have any requirements, just let me know. I'll do my best to meet them."

Chen Haoran still had a poker face, "It's good enough that you don't bother me. Besides, I can't help you."

Cheng Xiaoyu wasn't at all anxious, "Why don't you take a look at the sheet music first? I've already written the drum score for the jazz drum, and it's not easy. Take a look, maybe you'll be interested?"

Chen Haoran directly refused, "No need to look. My skills are low, and I can't meet your requirements."

This response was within Cheng Xiaoyu's expectations. He smiled and said, "Rock musicians all have a passionate and indomitable heart. I've also been in a band and was fortunate to receive guidance from the jazz drum master, Mike German. Do you know him? He's the drummer for Sonic Death. If you can help me, I'll give you a copy of his advanced jazz drum techniques."

Cheng Xiaoyu, of course, didn't know Mike German; he had just searched for the name online last night. Mike German is known as the world's top jazz drummer. As for the advanced jazz drum techniques Cheng Xiaoyu mentioned, they were entirely fabricated. However, he believed that the jazz drum techniques he had mastered in his previous life would be more than enough to guide Chen Haoran. As for the handwritten copy, he could write something random and give it to him later, and Chen Haoran probably wouldn't notice.

When Chen Haoran heard the name Mike German, he indeed stopped his chopsticks and remained silent for a while, then lowered his head to eat.

Seeing this, Cheng Xiaoyu knew he had hit the right spot and smiled again, "And a drumstick signed by Mike German." As a shameless uncle, deceiving a child was no burden to him; instead, he felt a sense of achievement.

However, Cheng Xiaoyu underestimated the intelligence of the top student. Chen Haoran looked at Cheng Xiaoyu for the first time and said, "I do like Mike German. I want the things you mentioned." Cheng Xiaoyu's face showed a bright smile, as if he understood. Then Chen Haoran continued, "But do you think I'm easy to fool? You don't even have calluses on your hands; can you play the jazz drum?" Cheng Xiaoyu's smile froze on his face before he could turn it into an awkward expression, and Chen Haoran, with his poker face, got up and left.

Wang Ou laughed, "You've blown your cover, haven't you?"

Cheng Xiaoyu looked at his own hands and lamented, "Having such beautiful piano hands is also a mistake!" This made Xia Shamo laugh too. However, Cheng Xiaoyu didn't think it was a big deal. As long as he found Chen Haoran's weakness, he would definitely be in his control.

Back in the classroom, Cheng Xiaoyu asked Xia Shamo to take out the sheet music and wrote the Chinese translation below each word, using pinyin to help with pronunciation. For some characters he didn't know, he had to ask Xia Shamo. Xia Shamo didn't find this strange, as Cheng Xiaoyu had only been back from abroad for less than a year. However, Cheng Xiaoyu's beautiful penmanship surprised Xia Shamo. After finishing, Cheng Xiaoyu specially noted "Passion and Explosiveness" at the end, telling Xia Shamo that he needed her to sing with such emotion. Xia Shamo nodded thoughtfully.

When Cheng Xiaoyu returned to his seat, he said, "SUMMER, practice hard. When you feel ready, let me know. Once I've convinced Chen Haoran, we need to find a place to practice."

Xia Shamo responded with a "Mm," not doubting that Cheng Xiaoyu could get Chen Haoran to join, as long as Chen Haoran loved music.

The two afternoon classes passed quickly. As soon as the dismissal bell rang, Chen Haoran was always the first to stand and head for the classroom door. But this time, someone was faster.

Cheng Xiaoyu blocked him. With his nearly 200-pound frame, he almost blocked the door, making the two of them the focus of the entire class.

Chen Haoran, still expressionless, said, "Move."

Cheng Xiaoyu ignored him, "Didn't you say I can't play the drum?"

Chen Haoran showed no emotion, as if Cheng Xiaoyu was just an ant he could crush, "Whether you can or not has nothing to do with me. Don't delay me from going to my tutoring class."

Cheng Xiaoyu calmly stared into Chen Haoran's emotionless eyes and slowly said, "SOLO, if you have the guts, SOLO with me. If I lose, I'll never bother you again and give you a real drumstick signed by Mike German. If you lose, be my drummer."

Chen Haoran didn't want to deal with him and turned to leave through the back door.

Cheng Xiaoyu, seeing Chen Haoran's stubbornness, called out, "I can play double bass drums, do you know? It's the latest technology in America. Don't you want to see it?" In this timeline, due to the lag in rock music and the underdevelopment of black music (yes, black people again, without them, there would be no modern bands, and the jazz drum was invented by black people), double bass drumming, a revolutionary invention, didn't exist yet. (Double bass drumming and double bass drums are different techniques. Double bass drumming uses a double pedal to allow a drummer to use both feet to strike the same bass drum. Double bass drums use two bass drums and two independent pedals, producing a much stronger sound and requiring a higher level of skill.)

Chen Haoran indeed stopped, looked at Cheng Xiaoyu, and said, "Don't lie to me."

Cheng Xiaoyu saw a burning passion in his eyes and said, "Try it and see!"

"Then follow me." Chen Haoran didn't waste any more words and walked out of the classroom.

The whole class witnessed the intense confrontation between the top student and the bottom student. The previously quiet classroom immediately became noisy as the two left, like a small drop of water thrown into a hot oil pan, boiling for a moment before returning to silence. The class president, Li Liwei, looked thoughtfully in the direction they left, with a sense of unease.

Cheng Xiaoyu followed Chen Haoran, who had a poker face, in silence. Two people who didn't like to initiate conversations and had social anxiety gave off a twisted and suffocating feeling. However, both felt this was normal and no problem.

Cheng Xiaoyu roughly determined they were heading towards the south gate of Fudan University, which was close to Jiaotong University. Between the two universities was a bar street, a popular place for entertainment for students from both universities. Due to the large number of students, many successful white-collar workers and businesspeople also liked to come, hoping to meet beautiful younger sisters. Therefore, the bar street had many bars of various types, including quiet bars, disco bars, slow dance bars, and music bars.

The two walked silently for about 20 minutes until they reached the bar street. At this time, most of the bars were still closed, with only a few open for cleaning. There weren't many people on the street, but a few coffee shops were doing good business.

They walked to a bar called "Lantern Forest," and Chen Haoran pushed the door open without hesitation. Cheng Xiaoyu followed him inside. The bar was empty, with only a young man with ear piercings and a T-shirt wiping glasses at the bar.

Seeing Chen Haoran, he wasn't surprised and greeted him, "You're here!" Noticing the fat guy behind him, he asked Cheng Xiaoyu, "Who are you?"

Cheng Xiaoyu smiled at the ear-pierced man and said, "His classmate," pointing to Chen Haoran.

The ear-pierced man also smiled and said, "Haoran, you've brought a classmate for the first time! What would you like to drink?"

Cheng Xiaoyu didn't hesitate and said, "A cola with ice."

At this moment, Chen Haoran spoke, "Don't bring it to him; he's leaving soon."

Chen Haoran led Cheng Xiaoyu to a basement, with soundproofing material on the walls. Electric guitars, electric bass, keyboards, and a jazz drum set were all set up in the corner opposite the door.

Chen Haoran closed the door and asked, "How do we SOLO?"

Cheng Xiaoyu thought for a moment and said, "You play first. If I think I'm not as good as you, I'll admit defeat. If I think I'm better, you listen to me play."

"What if I listen and think you're not as good as me?" Chen Haoran stared at Cheng Xiaoyu.

Cheng Xiaoyu smiled and said, "Then I lose."

Chen Haoran showed a rare expression, a sneer, and said, "I like your confidence."

Cheng Xiaoyu shook his head and said, "No, I believe in you. People who love rock aren't bad." Cheng Xiaoyu couldn't help but smile at Chen Haoran.

Chen Haoran didn't waste any more words, sat at the drum set, and placed his left foot on the hi-hat and his right foot on the bass drum pedal. He picked up the drumsticks and tapped them three times to set the rhythm, then started to play the hi-hat, entering an intense performance.

Many people who don't understand rock music think that the guitar is the most expressive in a SOLO. However, those who often watch live performances know that a jazz drum SOLO is also very impressive. In terms of musical expression, a drum set may not convey complex emotions, but it is the easiest instrument to ignite passion. A good-sounding drum set requires a lot of skill. If the skill is too poor, there's no way to showcase the charm of the drum set. If the skill is too good, top drummers often prioritize speed and showmanship, and whether it sounds good is not usually a concern. Instead, a general expert can play rhythms that attract ordinary people. In his previous life, Cheng Xiaoyu could judge a drummer's skill by looking at their drum set. The more drums and cymbals, the higher the skill level, and the fewer, the lower.

Chen Haoran was on the path of pursuing speed and showmanship. As a band drummer, the most important things are rhythm and stability, with speed and technique being secondary. However, this was a SOLO between two people, so speed and technique were more important.

Since it wasn't a double bass drum, most of the drumming techniques of this era were focused on the snare drum. Chen Haoran was demonstrating fancy snare drumming, with double stroke rolls, single stroke rolls, and accent shifts, followed by multiple stroke rolls.

Multiple stroke rolls are played by combining wrist control and the rebound of the drumhead. This technique looks simple but is actually very difficult. A beautiful multiple stroke roll isn't just about making the drumsticks bounce repeatedly on the drumhead; you need to ensure evenness and pay attention to the connected notes in different performances. It's not as simple as it looks. In terms of skill, a multiple stroke roll requires each hit to fully bounce on the drumhead and control the height of the bounce until it stops. This requires incredible stability and a lot of tedious practice. Clearly, Chen Haoran did very well.

A simple drum set performance is like an expert seeing the essence and a layman seeing the spectacle. Ordinary people often think that the cool moves, spinning the drumsticks, and playing with a beat are what make a good jazz drummer. In reality, a true master playing the jazz drum doesn't have a good image; they often look like they're in a frenzy, and those who don't understand would think they're just twitching.

Hearing this, Cheng Xiaoyu had a good grasp of Chen Haoran's drumming skills. Clearly, Chen Haoran was a jazz drumming extreme enthusiast, pursuing hand speed and fancy showmanship. This made it difficult for Cheng Xiaoyu to impress Chen Haoran with his performance. Speed wasn't his strong point, and he hadn't practiced the drum set in this world. Cheng Xiaoyu thought that if he couldn't match the speed, he could only compete in understanding. His understanding of the drum set was much higher than that of this era.

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