Chapter 18

(Listened to a jazz drum video in Cheng Xiaoyu's style, not purely technical, but with an unbeatable rhythm and groove. However, I can't post it here, so I'll leave it in the comments. If you want to see a technical one, please search for Mike Mangini (Mike Mangini).)

Cheng Xiaoyu signaled to Chen Haoran to stop. He walked to the drum kit, placed his backpack on the wooden floor, took off his jacket, and casually threw it on a distant sofa, saying, "Because of the equipment limitations, I can't perform with a double bass drum. If you're interested, you can get a custom one, and I can teach you how to practice."

Chen Haoran replied, "Let's see if you can win first."

Cheng Xiaoyu smiled, took the drumsticks, and sat in front of the drum kit. Simply comparing speed wouldn't match Chen Haoran, and most flashy drumming techniques require speed. So Cheng Xiaoyu chose not the most dauntingly difficult striking methods but a FREESTYLER approach that focused on rhythm and pleasantness.

At the beginning, Cheng Xiaoyu didn't use overly elaborate techniques. He started by using a double-stroke roll on the tom-tom edges and alternating single-stroke rolls on the snare drum edges. This unique opening surpassed Chen Haoran's understanding, stemming from their different pursuits. Although this opening didn't have the grand momentum to shock the audience, it was quite pleasant, creating a unique flavor. Then Cheng Xiaoyu focused on the hi-hat, using a double-stroke roll with compound rhythms and repeatedly applying it on the cymbals, creating a melodic effect. Combined with the fixed rhythm of the bass drum's single and double strikes, it presented a rich and layered segment. The entire performance had a flowing, water-like quality, forming a stark contrast with Chen Haoran's purely technical pursuit. Although Cheng Xiaoyu didn't use overly advanced techniques, his musical performance was clearly on a different level from Chen Haoran. This didn't mean Cheng Xiaoyu was better than Chen Haoran, but his understanding of jazz drums was far superior.

Chen Haoran's face turned pale. He had to admit he lost. Although he knew the other party had taken a shortcut, losing was losing. It was like Guan Yu and a small soldier Zhang Ga dueling, and Guan Yu being killed by Zhang Ga before they even got close. Could you say Guan Yu's martial prowess was lower than Zhang Ga's? This was the power of transcending the era.

Cheng Xiaoyu walked down, his hands a bit sore, after all, they were hands that had never held drumsticks. He patted Chen Haoran's shoulder and said, "I can really teach you how to practice with a double bass drum, you know? When you learn the double bass drum, you'll open the door to becoming a jazz drum master."

Chen Haoran's face regained some color. "There really is a double bass drum?"

Cheng Xiaoyu nodded. "Of course."

Chen Haoran hesitated. "How do you use the hi-hat?"

Cheng Xiaoyu said, "You can close the hi-hat or install a HiHatClutch (hi-hat clutch), and there are even better methods."

"What?" Chen Haoran asked, now completely believing Cheng Xiaoyu.

"Install more cymbals, but this requires you to have faster and more accurate movement (this movement not only refers to body rotation but also arm movement, as modern jazz drum kits have many drums and cymbals, requiring more extensive movement to ensure accurate strikes)." Cheng Xiaoyu picked up his backpack, took out a jazz drum score he had already drawn, and handed it to Chen Haoran.

Chen Haoran took it without expression, not even glancing at it. He was still immersed in the rhythm, and he had to reassess his direction. He felt that Cheng Xiaoyu had shown him a new path.

Cheng Xiaoyu, ignoring his daze, said, "I'll go first. Practice the drums. For your level, it shouldn't be too difficult." As he walked to the basement door, he turned back and said, "This place is great. We'll practice here in the future! Ha, consider it your tuition." Cheng Xiaoyu winked at the poker face and left.

Cheng Xiaoyu entered through the south gate of Fudan University, which was closer to him, and went directly to the music department's practice room near the north gate. For him, the Long March had just taken a solid first step. Next, he needed to perfect the entire arrangement, incorporating the guitar, bass, and some orchestral melodies into the synthesizer, and then collaborate with Xia Shamo and Chen Haoran.

Three people were enough to form a complete band structure. As long as the band was strong enough, their live performance wouldn't be much worse than a four- or five-member band. In his previous life, there were many well-known three-member bands, such as F.I.R. (although they only had one great album and have been living off their past glory ever since, their first album set a very high starting point), Japan's DaiShaRin (a typical J-POP style electronic band, F.I.R. copied many J-POP band styles), and Italy's Octopuss band (primarily rock, with a strong funk influence, known as the "best live king" in Italy). Cheng Xiaoyu practiced classical piano in the practice room for a while until Wang Huasheng came to pick him up. For him, he had already spent too much energy on the New Year's performance. He needed to find a way to make up for the lost classical piano practice time.

When Cheng Xiaoyu got home, the butler Qiao Sansi said he had already placed the synthesizer he needed in his study. Cheng Xiaoyu was so eager to play with his long-desired big toy that he almost skipped dinner. In the end, he suppressed his desire, ate dinner first, and then went up.

When Cheng Xiaoyu returned to his bedroom, he was amazed by Qiao San's professionalism. The entire study had been transformed into a small music workstation. The entire MIDI system, including the synthesizer, computer music software, sound sources, computer, MIDI cables, mixing console, digital recorder, and other peripheral devices, were neatly placed in their most suitable positions. There was even a brand new computer on the table. Cheng Xiaoyu turned on the computer, and the desktop was full of downloaded music editing software. (In music editing, the computer can convert sound information from keyboard instruments into digital information and store it in the computer. MIDI is a digital interface, and the computer is the ruler of the digital world. The computer naturally became the commander of MIDI instruments. When the computer is connected to the entire music system, it establishes its commanding position. The other MIDI devices in the system will act according to its will, creating or performing various styles of music. Of course, the music ultimately reflects human will.)

Cheng Xiaoyu couldn't put down the synthesizer and started to study it. He carefully examined it but couldn't identify the brand. He was sure it wasn't an arranger keyboard. Most people might not even distinguish between a keyboard and a synthesizer, let alone between an arranger keyboard and a synthesizer. Although their functions are somewhat similar, the differences are significant.

An arranger keyboard has many pre-programmed accompaniments in measures that can be quickly combined. The sound options are usually limited (but expensive arranger keyboards can often be expanded), but they are easy to operate and are used for quick live performances, such as in bars. A synthesizer can sample (record and assign to a specific key) but doesn't have pre-programmed rhythms and often doesn't even have speakers. It is mainly used in the background or in the pre-production stage to record each note of each part and then synthesize and play them together. If used for live performances, it would require a week of preparation, which isn't worth it for bar bands. In short, one is focused on live improvisation, while the other is focused on pre-production, presenting a richer sound and more powerful expression in live performances.

What Cheng Xiaoyu needed to do now was to input the various instrument parts he had written into the computer using the synthesizer and then edit them. This was a very time-consuming task. The synthesizer is not user-friendly for beginners, requiring a strong knowledge of harmony and understanding of many parameters and effects to even begin to grasp it. But Cheng Xiaoyu was thoroughly engrossed in it, as he didn't get many opportunities to play with synthesizers in his previous life.

Cheng Xiaoyu studied the synthesizer until late at night before going to sleep. The next day, he woke up with dark circles under his eyes, swaying like a sleepy panda, and slowly made his way to school. He managed to stay awake during class despite yawning countless times. As soon as class ended, he fell asleep on his desk, ignoring Wang Ou's attempts to wake him up.

During lunch break, Cheng Xiaoyu dragged Xia Shamo to the cafeteria and forced her to sit next to Chen Haoran. Wang Ou now called Chen Haoran "Poker Man" and Cheng Xiaoyu "Panda Man." As for Xia Shamo, she was too shy to give anyone a nickname, especially when facing Xia Shamo.

Chen Haoran almost ignored Wang Ou and Xia Shamo. He was much friendlier to Cheng Xiaoyu, at least in terms of discussing jazz drumming. However, their communication was dry and sparse, with Chen Haoran asking a question and Cheng Xiaoyu giving a brief answer. Later, when they discussed the songs Cheng Xiaoyu had written, Xia Shamo joined in. Wang Ou was frustrated and muttered, "I shouldn't have practiced sprinting. A genius like me should have learned an instrument; that would have been more promising." He had completely forgotten about his earlier desire to learn basketball.

After lunch, Cheng Xiaoyu invited Xia Shamo and Chen Haoran to practice together at the Forest of Lights. After all, he didn't have much time left. The school selection was on the 25th, the joint rehearsal of the four schools on the 29th, and the performance on the evening of the 31st. There were only five days left until the school selection and nine days until the joint rehearsal.

He had never considered being eliminated. As someone who had lived twice, he had immense confidence and enjoyed the feeling of controlling everything. Although he currently had only a small three-member band, he knew his future was boundless, vast enough to encompass the entire world.