The ceiling was blurry in the darkness, but his thoughts were unusually clear - he was going to meet a professional band tomorrow, would they accept a practice session? Would his drumming skills be up to performance level? What if he messed up?
All kinds of thoughts raced through his mind until he fell into a drowsy sleep at two or three in the morning.
The next afternoon, after coordinating leave with the school, Ouyang Guang arrived at rehearsal room No. 3 half an hour early.
This is a much larger space than the practice field, and is equipped with all kinds of professional equipment.
He stroked the shiny drum set, feeling the tightness of the drum skin and the coolness of the picks.
"Are you Ouyangguang?" a deep voice came from the door.
Ouyang Guang turned around and saw a man with short hair and a sturdy build walking in, followed by several musicians holding musical instruments.
The man looked to be in his early thirties, with faint tattoos on his arms and eyes as sharp as an eagle.
"Hello, I am Yangguang, the trainee." He bowed quickly, "Please give me your guidance."
"Zhao Xianzhe, band leader and guitarist." The man introduced himself briefly, "I heard you played in a band before?"
"I started learning drums when I was eight years old, and performed in a band at school when I was in junior high school." Ouyang Guang answered calmly on the surface, but he felt his palms beginning to sweat.
Zhao Xianzhe hummed noncommittally and turned to the other musicians: "Let's go over the arrangement of Temptation Sonata today. Heechul and the others will come to practice later."
The musicians were adjusting their equipment skillfully and no one paid any attention to Ouyang Guang.
He stood awkwardly beside the drum stand, not knowing what to do. The keyboard player, a sister with pigtails, glanced at him and said, "Why are you standing there? Tune the drums, do you want us to help you?"
"Oh, sorry!" Ouyang Guang hurriedly sat down and began to adjust the height of the drum stool and the angle of the drum. He could feel the eyes of the other musicians, which were full of suspicion and impatience.
Zhao Xianzhe played a melody and suddenly stopped: "Practice, 4/4 time, 120 tempo, basic skills."
This is a test. Ouyang Guang took a deep breath and picked up the drumsticks. He closed his eyes for a moment, regained his muscle memory, and then started a clean and neat rhythm.
He was a little nervous at first, but gradually relaxed after a few bars and added a few simple variations.
When he stopped, the rehearsal room was briefly silent for a second.
"Not bad." Zhao Xianzhe finally commented, his tone still cold, but the sharpness in his eyes was lessened, "At least it won't be a drag. The score is over there, we'll start practicing together in half an hour."
Ouyang Guang felt relieved and quickly went to study the score. "Sonata of Temptation" is a rock song with a strong sense of rhythm, and the drum beats are dense and powerful.
He concentrated on memorizing the changes in each paragraph, tapping the rhythm lightly with his fingers on his legs.
When the joint practice began, Ouyang Guang's nervousness returned. The intensity of the professional band's performance far exceeded his experience in the campus band. As soon as the prelude started, the huge sound waves almost drowned him. He gritted his teeth and tried to keep up with the rhythm, but he was still half a beat late in the first transition.
"Stop!" Zhao Xianzhe frowned, "Drummer, the second part of the entry point should be more decisive, come again."
In the second attempt, Ouyang Guang focused on the conductor's gestures, and this time he accurately grasped the key points. As the music progressed, he gradually found the feeling, and his body began to sway naturally with the rhythm.
In the chorus, he even boldly added a little of his own processing to make the drum beats more layered.
At the end of the song, the bassist raised his eyebrows: "Hey, you've got something to learn from your practice."
"Don't be complacent. You're still far from performance quality." Although Zhao Xianzhe said this, his tone was much softer. "We'll continue at the same time tomorrow. You'd better memorize the music."
Just as Ouyang Guang was about to agree, the door of the rehearsal room was suddenly pushed open and a slender figure walked in.
"I heard my new drummer is here?" Kim Heechul walked in with a lazy smile, his eyes falling directly on Ou Yangguang.
Ouyang Guang froze instantly. Standing in front of him was the super idol he had seen countless times on TV and posters - Kim Heechul was even more dazzling in person than on camera, and his innate star aura changed the atmosphere of the entire rehearsal room.
"Hello, senior!" Ouyangguang bowed nervously, "I am the practicing Ouyangguang."
Kim Heechul chuckled, "Don't be so nervous, I'm not going to eat anyone." He walked over to the drum stand, picked up a drumstick casually and twirled it between his fingers, "Brother Zhao, how about this kid?"
"My basic skills are OK, but I lack experience." Zhao Xianzhe said honestly, "But I learn very quickly."
Kim Heechul nodded and suddenly threw the drumsticks to Ouyang Guang: "Come on, play with me for a while."
Ouyang Guang hurriedly caught the drumsticks, unable to believe his ears: "Now...now?"
"What, you don't want to?" Kim Heechul had already stepped on the microphone and turned back to give him a sly look.
Zhao Xianzhe sighed: "Heechul, don't bully the newcomers."
"This is called on-site teaching." Kim Heechul adjusted his ear monitor and said to Ouyang Guang, "The rhythm of "Sorry, Sorry", right?"
Ouyang Guang nodded. This was a classic SM song, and he was familiar with it during every practice. He took a deep breath and got into position.
Kim Heechul snapped his fingers, and Ouyang Guang started the iconic electronic drum rhythm. To everyone's surprise, his treatment not only retained the mechanical feeling of the song, but also added some humanized swing, making the whole rhythm more vivid.
Kim Heechul's eyes lit up, he sang an impromptu song following the rhythm, then suddenly stopped: "Not bad, much better than I thought." He walked to Ouyangguang and patted him on the shoulder, "Practice well, don't embarrass me on SMTOWN."
Ouyang Guang felt the touch on his shoulder spread throughout his body like an electric current. He nodded heavily: "I will definitely work hard, senior!"
Kim Heechul chatted with other musicians for a few more words and then left, saying that he had a variety show to record. After he left, the atmosphere in the rehearsal room was obviously much more relaxed.
"You're lucky. Heechul rarely looks good to newcomers." The keyboardist whispered to Ouyang Guang, "It seems he likes you very much."
"I'm honored!" Ouyang Guang could only smile.
In the following rehearsals, he was even more devoted and even boldly put forward a few small suggestions on the arrangement. To his surprise, Zhao Xianzhe actually adopted one of his ideas about the rhythm change in the transition section.
"Same time tomorrow, don't be late." At the end of the rehearsal, Zhao Xianzhe said to him, this time with a less cold tone, "Remember to bring earplugs to protect your hearing."
This simple concern warmed Ouyang Guang's heart. He bowed solemnly and said goodbye. When he walked out of the company, it was already dark, but his mood was unusually bright.
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