This kind of performance might fool ordinary people, but in formal occasions, it would be utterly embarrassing!
"Uncle Gao! First of all, I must declare that I am really not very knowledgeable about folk music. If I say anything uninformed, please don't laugh at me!"
"What are you talking about? Three cobblers are equal to one Zhuge Liang. Those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly. It is only when you, an outsider, offer your opinion that it is most pertinent."
"Then I'll say a few words. I won't comment on your individual playing techniques, as I really can't articulate them. I just want to offer some feedback on your piece. I feel that the arrangement of your piece is somewhat chaotic, meaning that the purpose of each instrument is unclear, and the distinction between primary and secondary roles is poor."
He nodded happily.
“A band must have a hierarchy of roles. You can’t have everyone shoving in and acting as the main character. That would make it chaotic. Like the piece you just played, you didn’t define who was the core performer and who was playing supporting roles. One minute the suona would come out with a blast, the next the guzheng would play a whole string of instruments, and then the pipa would play a bit. It was all a mess!”
"Xiao Liang! So, what kind of instrument do you think should be the core of our band?"
Liang Liang was also confused about a band that focused on playing music without a lead singer.
He had never been in a post-rock band before.
It seems that the guzheng, pipa, and suona can all be the core instruments in a folk music band, which is a very troublesome problem.
"I told you I'm really not good at folk music. If I'm not careful, my questions might be like mismatched couples. Uncle Gao, how about this: how about we design the core of each instrument based on the characteristics of the piece?"
I'm so happy I'm a little confused.
"I think the guzheng, pipa, and suona can all be the core instruments of a folk band, but the effects produced by these instruments are different when playing a piece of music. You should play a song with different instruments and find the sound that can touch people's hearts the most."
“Finding them one by one would take too much time, and we have limited time. Xiao Liang, you have a professional background, how about you select two pieces for us?”
After thinking for a moment, Liang Liang quickly wrote down the sheet music for a song.
Not bad, at least everyone in this folk music band can read music.
Liang Liang picked up Xu Mei's broken guitar.
"This piece is a piece with the suona as the main instrument, and the other instruments are just there to accompany it. Do you all understand?"
The folk music band members nodded.
"This is how I allocated the instrument: the pipa, guzheng, and drums complement each other, while the suona is the main note. The melody of the piece is as follows."
Liang Liang played the song on his guitar; it was Lao Cui's "The Fake Monk".
Liang Liang neither wrote the lyrics nor sang this piece; he simply played the melody.
After Liang Liang finished playing, the members of the folk music band looked stunned.
“You can all read music, so familiarize yourselves with the melody of this piece first. Once you are familiar with the melody, I will explain it to you individually.”
Next, the members of the folk music band began to familiarize themselves with Liang Liang's piece, with Liang Liang providing guidance from the side.
He was surprised to find that Xu Mei, the little girl, was already quite skilled at playing the guitar and could actually perform on stage.
Of course, it's okay for playing in small venues, but it's absolutely not suitable for large venues.
After nearly an hour and a half, seeing that they had become familiar with the melody, Liang Liang gathered them together again.
"I can't write the sheet music for the suona, guzheng, and pipa. As for the guitar and drum scores… oh dear, this drum score seems different from the Western drum score. Let me figure it out. You'll have to figure out and write down the rest of the scores yourselves. Now, I'll go over the arrangement of the pieces. It starts with the deep suona, accompanied by the guzheng and pipa. Then, I'll use a section of drum music with the suona, guitar, and pipa. Next, there's a solo section mainly played by the guzheng. Then we enter the main melody, where the suona begins, and the rhythm is like this…"
The original saxophone at the beginning of the song was replaced with a thick-sounding suona, the drum kit had to be replaced with a traditional drum, and since there was no keyboard, the pipa and guitar had to be used as substitutes.
The rhythm is basically the same as the original song, except that Liang Liang increased the role of the guzheng in the accompaniment of this piece.
The most outstanding part of this song is the guzheng solo. It can be said that without the guzheng, the value of this piece would not even be half of what it is.
In his previous life, Lao Cui sang a version without the guzheng at a fireside music concert.
Liang Liang didn't know what others thought of him, but he found it extremely offensive.
Without the fierce and powerful spirit of the guzheng, this song is like a body without bones.
Despite his fierce expression during the performance, Lao Cui still gave off a somewhat weak and unconvincing vibe.
As for the several versions with altered singers, the powerful songs were turned into effeminate ones, so let's not even mention them.
Liang Liang began to guide them in practicing the piece, and after an afternoon of rehearsals, the piece was starting to look somewhat decent.
"Alright, it's already 3:30. The days are short and it'll be dark soon. Let's practice again tomorrow. I'll prepare a few more pieces for you guys. Maybe we can make a little money when we go out during the New Year."
Gao Xing laughed and said, "We're just entertaining ourselves, trying to bring some joy to our fellow villagers during the New Year. Of course, it would be even better if we received money."
Is anyone looking for you now?
"Our factory manager said that when they open for business, we'll give them a hundred yuan if we put on a show."
"How much? One hundred?"
"Ah! Yes!"
“Go pay it a hundred! Let it get as far away as possible. A hundred dollars is not enough to feed a beggar! I’ll get you a few jobs, and if you don’t pay a thousand or eighty thousand a game, it won’t have a good New Year.”
You think you can get rid of someone with just a hundred dollars? Grandma!
It would have been fine if this folk band didn't have me before, but now that I'm in it, is it worth giving a beggar a hundred yuan?
He chuckled happily, not taking Liang Liang's words seriously.
You may have some reputation in the city, but you might not be known in the countryside. Nobody's money comes from the sea. If nobody knows you, why should they give you more?
After waving goodbye to Gao Xing, Liang Liang rode his bicycle with Xu Mei on the back and headed home.
The sun is already high in the western sky; it will set in another half hour.
"Brother Liang! Do you have the lyrics for this song?"
Yes!
"Then why don't you sing a song?"
"You're a folk music band and you don't even have a lead singer, what are you going to sing?"
"Then you can be the lead singer, okay?"
"Me, the lead singer? You really dare to dream of me being your lead singer?"
"Hehe! Who's such a big shot?"
"Anyway, I'm older than you! Ouch! You brat! If you tickle me again, I'll ride into the ditch and you'll fall to your death!"
"You threw me down as if you didn't throw me down yourself!"
"Then believe me or not, I'll sell you?"
"Who are you going to sell to? There's not a soul here, who are you going to sell to?"
Xu Mei was absolutely decisive.
It seems that it's impossible to fool the other party with intelligence.
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