The Music of an Arts High School Genius Must Be Special - Chapter 178



Only Krnovel

Episode 178. Ballerinas Don’t Wear Pointe Shoes (5)

“What book was that just now?”

On the way to the practice room together, Myung Woo-bin asked.

I’m sure you must have seen the title as you looked through the book, but I guess you were so embarrassed that you couldn’t remember it.

Why did you reject me at first? You were going to ask me to do it together in the end.

“Aesthetic critical theory. I’ve been curious about that lately.”

“… … Does that help us practice?”

“You don’t necessarily have to read only things that will help you practice. Just read and learn anything whenever you have time.”

“I’ll read the music score one more time during that time.”

Myung Woo-bin shook his head as if he couldn’t understand at all.

I put strength into my voice to clarify, not to clarify.

“Hey, I think sheet music is very important these days. And what’s the point of just playing the piano all day? Experience is also important.”

“I don’t know about performance experience, but I’m not sure about books. I’ve heard that sheet music is much more important.”

“There will come a time when you will need this knowledge, someday.”

“Just because you read one or two books, does that mean you have all the knowledge?”

He’s a guy who really doesn’t give a single word.

I sighed and shook my head at the strange reaction.

“I would have read only one or two books… … In the past, I studied a lot about art trends and aesthetics on my own.”

“What, you’ve read twenty books? You said you only listened to music when you couldn’t play the piano. I know you didn’t have time to read books.”

“… … .”

I’ve actually lived longer than my friends of the same age, so I just kept my mouth shut.

I guess I’ll have to work hard to help Myungwoobin practice later.

I thought that, while my piano is my calling, helping talented children to the extent that I can is also my mission as someone who has returned to the past.

For example, Myung Woo-bin next to me.

He’s always rude to me and he’s a bit unlucky, but it’s a shame that this talent only blossomed when he was nearly thirty.

“Have you decided on the song selection?”

“I decided a few days ago.”

We entered the practice room and sat facing each other.

It was finally time for them to reveal their song choices to each other.

“I am Stravinsky’s Petrushka. You are?”

“… … What? Petrushka? You?”

Ah, I’m tired of hearing reactions like this.

I felt like my mouth would hurt if I started explaining from the beginning, so I had a look of annoyance written all over my face.

“You chose Petrushka after hearing it was the first week? And even though you knew there was a dance and collaboration in the middle? You’re a fool.”

“I’m here. I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and I’ve even finished consulting with Professor Han Yong-seong. So, can’t you just accept it? Let’s just say it happened that way.”

Myung Woo-bin crossed his arms and let out a long, questioning sigh.

He still doesn’t seem convinced, but he knows that in the current situation, it’s better to start practicing quickly rather than arguing.

“Okay, whatever, do whatever you want.”

After saying that and taking a short pause, Myung Woo-bin opened his mouth.

“I am Rachmaninoff’s Prelude.”

“Number 5?”

“… … How did you know?”

“I just took a picture of it. It’s the most famous song there.”

“That’s right, number 5. G minor.”

I thought it was a good song selection in many ways.

At first glance, it was a lively yet strong piece that also had a fast tempo, so it suited Myung Woo-bin well.

Moreover, since the composer has incredibly large hands, this song also has many advantages for the performer if they have large hands.

“Let’s practice. Do you want to go first?”

“okay.”

Myung Woo-bin, who had just finished preparing, lightly released his hands from the keyboard.

Soon, the piano melody began to spread and slowly rise.

The sound was so clean that it seemed like it had only been practiced for a few days, and the player’s physique and strength were fully utilized to highlight his strengths, and each note was handled meticulously without any flaws.

And it was a performance that was clearly different from the piano of pianist Myeong Seo-jin.

“You’re good. You’ve practiced this much already?”

I was purely amazed.

I felt embarrassed when I thought about the somewhat sloppy Petrushka I would soon have to play.

I’ve definitely got the hang of the expressions, but I don’t want it to sound messy because it hasn’t been organized overall yet.

“How was it? Is there anything you would like to point out?”

“hmm…….”

I rested my chin on my hand and replayed the performance in my head.

Compared to the amount of time I practiced, I did well, but there were a few parts that were annoying.

I took the sheet music that was on the stand and flipped through it quickly as I spoke.

“Here… … starting from measure 27, do you know where it is?”

“A When is it time to finish?”

“Oh, the commas are a bit rushed. And the staccato is too strong overall, it hurts my ears.”

Myung Woo-bin tilted his head.

It was a reaction as if something unexpected had been pointed out.

“I didn’t see any problem there.”

“It doesn’t really suit your style to go through this section so quickly. It’s inconsistent compared to when you played the same part in A’. Did you have two teachers for lessons? Or did you receive lessons from someone different than usual?”

The guy slowly nodded his head, his expression hardening for a moment.

“… … It wasn’t two people, but this time I used the recording as a reference a lot when I didn’t have lessons.”

“You weren’t the type to refer to recordings or anything like that.”

“Well, that’s what happened, but you and Baek Ji-ho were making a fuss because you practiced while listening to someone else’s performance.”

That’s a really cute reason.

There is nothing shameful about using a great performer’s album as a milestone, but Myung Woo-bin trailed off in an embarrassed tone.

I just smiled faintly as I watched that scene.

“Good idea. Who heard that?”

“Rachmaninoff. Played by himself.”

“ah.”

It’s self-created and self-acted.

Personally, I don’t particularly like this recording, so I let out a little sigh.

“Why, you know your own song best.”

“That’s true, but… … there’s a difference between knowing something in your head and actually playing it. No matter how well you know your own song, expressing that intention through your performance is a separate thing.”

Moreover, there is also the simple reason why I don’t like it, because it seems like the composer himself is threatening later performers by saying that his music should be played this way.

“Isn’t the performance by the person who composed the piece the best reflection of the score?”

“There must have been an ideal sound that came to mind as you wrote down each note, but it’s hard to say that your own performance completely reflects the score.”

I suddenly walked up to the keyboard and played the notes that had been pointed out briefly.

“Rachmaninoff’s style is very sharp and pressing, so it’s very urgent overall. Just play it exactly as written, pausing for rebuttals.”

“So Rachmaninoff didn’t play the piece according to the score he wrote?”

“I guess that’s how it is.”

“What, does that make sense?”

“Why do you say that as if it’s wrong? It depends on how you interpret it. In the case of this song, it’s because that expression doesn’t really suit you.”

Myung Woo-bin closed his mouth and eyes for a moment. It seemed as if an incomprehensible contradiction was fiercely fighting in his head.

When the guy opened his mouth, the argument that naturally began gave me a strong sense of déjà vu.

“That doesn’t make sense. The composer himself couldn’t have done that.”

“I’m telling you, Rachmaninoff knows that you can’t just play it exactly as written. I think you’re misunderstanding because you worship the sheet music too much.”

It seems like you’re not hearing what I’m saying.

Myung Woo-bin, holding the music score and furrowing his brows, muttered as if talking to himself.

“The tempo is fast? No way.”

“Hey, hey, Woobin. Don’t you think there’s no need to be so obsessed when even the people you thought were absolutely right are playing around with slight variations? Even… … .”

Even pianist Myeong Seo-jin’s strengths come from his unique interpretation…

Until those words were spoken, his lips did not part easily.

“Am I crazy to practice with a kid like this… … . You still don’t care about sheet music?”

“I’ve become so familiar with sheet music these days. Don’t you know that I’m trying to play it with a sharp edge?”

“You’re going to play it strangely and then insist that you played it exactly as written.”

“No, really, how can you do that? There is no way to play 100% exactly like the score. You can tell just by looking at the dynamics. How hard should you play forte and how soft should you play the piano? How much of a difference is there between forte and fortissimo?”

“Oh, this kid really doesn’t fit in!”

“It’s my turn to say something.”

Myung Woo-bin threw the sheet music onto the keyboard.

After they had poured out their hearts to each other like that, the practice room became quiet.

Suddenly I realized that I didn’t have time to do this.

The guy must have felt the same way, because he let out a small sigh and got up from his seat.

“Okay, you hit it this time.”

“Have you ever played Petrushka?”

“A while ago. I know.”

“okay.”

I tried to calm down my excitement as much as possible and looked at the music score above clearly.

As someone who has recently changed my perspective on sheet music, I needed to correct the misunderstanding about the sheet music debate that Myungwoobin had started to look at me with a twisted gaze at at the beginning of the semester.

I originally had great respect for the composer, but this is especially true when it comes to his performance of Petrushka.

“How was it?”

After finishing my best performance, I turned my head to Myung Woo-bin’s seat.

The guy who had been sitting with his legs crossed licked his lips and spoke calmly.

“That’s okay. I can see why you chose Petrushka.”

I was a little surprised.

I thought you were going to start a fight right away, but you started with such a simple compliment.

But isn’t he such a narrow-minded guy?

“I don’t think there was any particularly excessive interpretation.”

“That’s right. I love sheet music.”

“… … The technique is still just so-so, but I could feel what he was trying to express. It was worth listening to even if I didn’t know the original in detail.”

“Technique, I think it wasn’t too bad. It’s gotten a lot better than the first semester.”

“If you don’t get better than before, are you still human?”

I got hit with a heavy hook while I was defenseless.

My heart hurts.

“That’s why I said I wanted to learn that technique from you this time, so let’s practice together.”

“… … It’s really weak, if you look at it.”

“We help each other.”

“Anyway, give me the sheet music.”

Myungwoobin quickly rolled his eyes and scanned the music score. It was nice to see him quickly become serious.

The guy who reached out and tapped the keyboard a few times nodded as if he got the hang of it.

“I need to start with the arpeggio and wrist rotation. Since the notes aren’t evenly distributed, the transmission power of that phrase is weak.”

“Oh, my 5th finger is a bit of a problem. It’s hard because the transition is too fast.”

“Relax your shoulders. I’ll hit you from the side.”

For a while, I practiced without saying a word, following the method that Myungwoobin taught me.

It was a different feeling from when I learned from Lee Ha-yeon.

It wasn’t as delicate and sharp as hers, and rather it could be said that her touch was rough, but thanks to that, the center was well maintained, making it easy to watch, listen to, and learn.

“Touch as if you were putting your fingers into the keys. Apply force and slide as much as possible.”

“like this.”

“Push a little harder. It’s better to do it like this when you want to make a loud noise.”

A thought suddenly occurred to me while I was engrossed in playing with my fingers. This guy Myungwoobin is more considerate than I thought.

His voice was more affectionate than usual, and his choice of words was not unnecessarily irritating.

I felt a bit creepy and strange, so I asked right away.

“Do you usually speak that softly?”

The guy who was fidgeting on the keyboard cleared his throat.

“… … There’s no need to be nervous until you learn how to play the piano.”

“Do you know that you are usually a bit irritable and irritable?”

“Hey, man.”

“Sorry, let’s do what we were doing.”

Anyway, it was a new experience.

I didn’t know Myung Woo-bin had this side to him.

He was kind and taught me well.

“It’s nothing, my father.”

After my turn to practice was over and I returned to my seat, Myungwoobin spoke in a calm tone.

“huh?”

“My father was strict when he was strict, but he was never angry with me when he was teaching me piano.”

The guy didn’t make eye contact with me and just drew a line in the air as if he was thinking of someone.

“That’s why it’s like that.”

“what.”

Then, the eyes that met my gaze were familiar to me.

The eyes that were shining so deeply that I felt a sense of needless envy toward the person I was looking at with full respect were visible.

“I am just teaching as I was taught. Because that is how my father taught me.”