Chapter 51

(Re-uploaded, with many errors and omissions corrected)

Duxing was confident enough to perform on stage at other bars, which meant he had some real talent. Although rock music wasn't very popular in the Chinese music scene, there were still a large number of rebellious young people who enjoyed this Western form of expression. And Chinese rock music certainly had its own circle, with Duxing's master, Duan Hongliang, being a significant guitarist in that circle. He was also the lead guitarist of a well-known rock band in Shanghai called "Unparalleled East."

As for why rock music never became mainstream in China, there were multiple reasons.

In terms of band members, China couldn't compare to the West. It was common to find Western bands where members came from musical families, but those who loved rock in China were mostly self-taught. Rock music is a product of Western industrial civilization, and China lacked that atmosphere.

In terms of performance, Mandarin, with its single-syllable words and distinct tones, wasn't particularly suitable for rock music.

On a deeper level, the Confucian culture in China emphasized restraint, making it difficult for people to accept the rebellious, shouting, and angry nature of rock music, as it went against traditional Chinese culture. Traditional Chinese people often preferred quiet and elegant music, so heavy metal sounded like noise to them.

Regarding the themes of songs, topics like war, human rights, and class were taboo in China. Apart from praising the country, one could only sing about love.

Some traditional rock music seemed outdated to the Chinese, like songs from the 1970s. In reality, there was a significant difference between traditional rock singing and the music of that era.

But in Cheng Xiaoyu's view, making rock music mainstream would go against the spirit of rock. Rock wasn't about guitars, bass, and drums, nor was it about powerless screams, rebellion, and decadence. Rock was about spirit and attitude.

Jack Kerouac said: "O youthful, O ever weeping" (always young, always with tears in your eyes, a more poetic translation, where "Oever" means "always" or "forever").

Zhou Yunpeng said the spirit of rock was: "Always young, always disobedient."

And Cheng Xiaoyu said the spirit of rock was: "Never compromising with the world's mediocrity."

To this day, "rock spirit" is still a topic of serious discussion, and it never lacks insightful comments, which is a testament to its influence. Whether as a music style or an ideology, rock is a rare force in the long river of history that has profoundly influenced human society. One could say (I believe) that rock is the greatest revolution in the history of music, comparable to the Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution in terms of historical significance.

However, rock would never be a tool for people like Duxing and Qin Yi, who were outwardly rebellious but used rock to attract the opposite sex. For them, rock was like a peacock's feathers, not the wings of a phoenix.

Cheng Xiaoyu couldn't say he disliked such people; he used to be one of them. It was only through the passage of time and the trials of life that he came to understand the meaning of life.

Life isn't just about fine wine and sex; it's also about food and love.

Duxing, of course, couldn't understand the world-weary Cheng Xiaoyu. To him, the guitar was not only a tool to attract attention but also a weapon to trample others.

For a young man, having beautiful women around and living a life of passion and revenge was what he aspired to.

Rock was about being different, about destruction and passion.

Duxing held his guitar horizontally, one foot on the crossbar of the stool, the other on the floor, his posture relaxed and graceful, a faint smile on his handsome face.

He played a classic Chinese old song, "Goodbye," a song familiar to many Chinese people, easy to resonate with, with a pleasant melody and poetic lyrics. It was also the most challenging piece he could play.

The guitar tablature for this song was a masterpiece created by his master, using a lot of classical guitar techniques. Duxing had observed Duan Hongliang's performances many times and spent a long time practicing to get it right.

The song began with the most difficult technique in classical guitar, the tremolo, also known as the trill. This is one of the most important and challenging techniques in classical guitar. The tremolo involves rapidly repeating the same note, with the ring finger, middle finger, and index finger of the right hand alternating to pluck the same string, creating a continuous, flowing melody with a very appealing sound. Clearly, Duxing had put a lot of effort into his guitar skills and wasn't just a conceited amateur.

Moreover, Duxing's voice was clear and bright, and his singing was unexpectedly good. Combined with his handsome appearance, he immediately won over the audience. As a regular performer at "Qie Ting Feng Yin," Duxing had the capital to be arrogant. He had even auditioned for "Myth Bar," but he proudly rejected the offer because they didn't give him the prime time slot, even though the salary was twice what he earned at "Qie Ting Feng Yin."

He remembered that afternoon when he left his phone number with the manager of "Myth Bar," who greatly appreciated him, telling him arrogantly to call when they wanted him to perform at a crucial time.

Duxing was fully immersed in his performance, and his behavior was almost like a challenge, so he couldn't afford to make any mistakes.

As the saying goes, a man is at his most handsome when he's serious. Even if Cheng Xiaoyu didn't want to admit it, Duxing was indeed more charismatic at that moment. In terms of performance, rather than just playing, Cheng Xiaoyu found it hard to compete.

Every moment,

the ashes prove they are the palaces of the future.

The night embraces sorrow,

then unties its braid.

Closing the door,

not to imprison joy,

but to free sorrow.

He buries himself in the ocean of forgetfulness,

but reaches the shore of memory.

He says: the moon is a lake, and his love is a boat.

But the shore has its doubts.

It is his joy

that tunes the strings of his sorrow.

Days,

are letters written by time to people,

but without words.

Time is the wind,

blowing from the direction of death.

If the day could speak,

it would proclaim the gospel of the night.

Inserted into the braid of sorrow,

the hand of the night is gentle.

Winter is loneliness,

summer is parting,

spring is the bridge between them,

and autumn permeates all seasons.

The day does not sleep,

unless in the embrace of the night.

The past is a lake,

in which only one swimmer: memory.

Light works only in wakefulness,

darkness only in sleep.

The dream of the night,

is the thread we weave into the clothes of the day.

If the sky could cry,

as the clouds say,

then the wind is the history of tears.

Music comes,

from the trees played by the wind.

Rain is the cane of the wind,

the wind is the swing of the rain.

The wind teaches silence;

though it never stops speaking.

After finishing the song, many people recognized Duxing as the somewhat famous and very popular regular performer at "Qie Ting Feng Yin." Because of his high level of performance and singing, the fair audience gave him enthusiastic applause, and several girls came up to give him flowers, their faces blushing, which was essentially a show of support.

As Duxing bowed to thank the audience, a vase was already full of flowers. He glanced at the number of flowers in the vase and was quite satisfied.

He smiled, handed the guitar to Cheng Xiaoyu, and patted his shoulder, showing encouragement. As a senior, he had to maintain his dignity. He could still put on a good show.

As he left the stage, he even called the bartender to bring up ten bottles of beer.

Cheng Xiaoyu took the guitar without showing any fear; Duxing's contempt in his eyes didn't affect him at all.

On the contrary, Cheng Xiaoyu thought Duxing played quite well, better than he had imagined.

But it was just good.

Duxing's arpeggios and playing techniques were decent, with a steady speed. Too slow or too fast wouldn't produce the arpeggio effect. Too fast would be a strumming technique, and too slow would be a broken chord. Arpeggios are between strumming and broken chords, fast but clear enough to hear each note.

But his finger sliding wasn't very good, mostly using slides. However, only someone at Cheng Xiaoyu's level could spot the difference; ordinary people probably wouldn't notice.

At first glance, the movements of finger sliding and sliding seemed similar, but they were actually quite different. First, their purposes were different: finger sliding was to move the position to reach a certain note or group of notes, or to achieve a specific tone quality on a string; while sliding was mostly to achieve a half-step effect. Second, although both involved finger movement, the methods were different.

The technique for finger sliding is: the moving finger is slightly lifted, completely releasing the pressure on the string, and the finger floats on the string and moves quickly. Correct finger sliding should not produce any sound between the notes.

In this world, Cheng Xiaoyu could confidently say he was the only master of the guitar. He had mastered techniques that surpassed this era.

But the audience wouldn't think so. When they saw the chubby Cheng Xiaoyu sit on the stool, looking like he might fall off, his face sweating, they thought it was strange if he could play well. Although they liked "Guilty Crown" and thought it was unfair for a keyboardist to compete with a guitar expert, there was no turning back once the performance started. Absolute fairness was often non-existent.

Xia Shamo, Wang Ou, and the others were also in the audience, and they had great confidence in Cheng Xiaoyu. They knew about his unparalleled strength.

As Duxing left the stage, he made a head-shaking gesture to Xia Shamo and gave her a cool smile.

Xia Shamo didn't even look at him, her eyes fixed on Cheng Xiaoyu.

Duxing then guessed that Cheng Xiaoyu was a member of "Guilty Crown." He coldly thought, would this fat guy still have the face to stay in the band?

Thinking about the harsh reality to come, Duxing couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.

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