stonecrandall Page 13
Page 13
"Are we playing in unison with a single melody?"
A single melody can be played as a solo on a single instrument or as an ensemble on multiple instruments, which is a very common performance style.
“Hmm…” Kitahara Hakuba murmured for a while, then smiled and said, “I’ll decide after I’ve listened to all the parts. For now, I’m leaning towards playing a single melody in unison.”
Multi-melody requires different instrumental parts to respond to each other, perform independently, and intertwine to form a complex polyphonic musical structure, demanding high skill and musical literacy from the performer.
Kitahara Hakuba isn't that optimistic about the current state of the Shin-Asahi Brass Band.
"so."
Sakurako nodded, feeling that her teacher had finally been pragmatic for once.
"Also, could you please make copies according to the group members?"
Kitahara Hakuba gave her another stack of papers.
"The first year of freshmen will have a bit more work, but there will be extra introductory exercises."
When Kawai Sakura picked it up, she was surprised to find it covered with densely packed basic exercises and instructions for group training, which made her dizzy.
It would take a lot of time just to absorb it all.
“Teacher… this…” Sakurako Yukawa blinked in surprise.
"Although everyone's goal is to win the championship at the National Tournament, it doesn't mean we can relax before that. I will do my best to ensure this goal."
Kitahara Hakuba put his hands in his pockets and said with a smile,
“You are no longer kindergarten children. Even elementary school students can handle this level of training, let alone you all now.”
Sakura pouted. What he was saying was basically implying that if they didn't do it, they were even less capable than children.
She silently distributed the sheet music.
Just as Kitahara Hakuba was about to move on to the next group, he noticed that the two first-year students who had been sitting together earlier were just holding sheet music and staring blankly at the other members who had already started assembling their clarinets.
"Goto-san, Nagasawa-san, what's wrong?" Kitahara Hakuma stepped forward and asked.
The two women were stunned for a moment, seemingly not expecting that he would know their names. They were flattered and stood up from their chairs.
"No, no, no," Goto Yu, with her hair in pigtails, quickly shook her head shyly. "It's nothing..."
Slender and tall, with a neatly styled single ponytail, Nagasawa Mia frowned and said defiantly:
"What do you mean, nothing's wrong, Kitahara-sensei? How are we supposed to practice without any instruments? Are we supposed to go outside, pick a leaf, put it in our mouths, and blow on it?"
Kitahara Hakuba raised an eyebrow and asked, puzzled:
"Musical instruments should have been assigned a few days before the new students arrive each year. Why haven't they been assigned yet, even though it's already May?"
Playing wind instruments is expensive, and there is a large price difference between different instruments.
From a beginner's perspective, a small bassoon can usually be bought for around 20,000 to 30,000 yen, but for a large bassoon or bassoon, the starting price is around 300,000 to 400,000 yen.
In order to make better use of the school's public musical instruments, the department usually uses the remaining public instruments to conduct instrument evaluations for freshmen. It's not that freshmen can choose which department to join.
“We should be the ones asking that question,” said Miyako Nagasawa, crossing her arms.
Kitahara Hakuba looked at Yukawa Sakurako, who was installing the reed, and asked with some trouble:
"Minister Yuchuan, why don't the new students have any musical instruments?"
"this......."
Sakurako Yukawa raised her hand and scratched her cheek, saying,
"Originally, we didn't need any more, because two people originally said they wanted to leave the department, and we thought we had just enough, so we didn't report it. But suddenly they said they didn't want to leave."
"Are they the two people who didn't come today?"
"Ah."
"What about the musical instruments? Did you take them too?"
Seemingly sensing the dissatisfaction in Kitahara Hakuba's tone, Yukawa Sakurako stammered:
"Yes......"
"Are you in charge of the musical instruments?"
His tone was stern and reprimanding, causing Yukawa Sakurako to blush instantly. She bit her lower lip and said:
"It was Terashima Takuya in his second year."
Kitahara Hakuba stood with her hands on her hips. Was she really serious about being a department head?
Although the violet flower with braided hair has a great girlish charm, it can't go on like this.
"What's the solution now?"
"...The funding application report that Saito and I have written is not yet finished. We need to get your signature before submitting it to the student council. It will probably take some time."
"Then we'll be going now." Nagasawa Miya frowned unhappily and pulled Goto Yu to leave.
Kitahara Hakuba quickly said:
"Do either of you have a vocal background?"
"Yes, we attend music classes diligently, and we understand the basics of music theory."
Miya Nagasawa had a good impression of the graduate advisor in front of her. Although aiming for the national championship sounded silly in this club, upon closer inspection, he was indeed ambitious.
Chapter 15, Section 15: Because the teacher looked so pitiful.
"Okay, have you done any specific research on the clarinet?" Kitahara Hakuba asked.
“The club president has given us a brief introduction and we’ve had a good time playing together.” Nagasawa Miya’s gaze fell directly on him as she said, “We’re not here in the brass band to mess around.”
"In that case, instead of directly touching the clarinet, you might as well practice playing scales with a reed first. You might learn it faster than by playing an instrument."
Kitahara Hakuba asked, glancing at the club members around him as he spoke.
"Does anyone have any spare reeds? I'd like to borrow one."
"I have, I have."
Sakurako Yukawa quickly said, keeping her gaze fixed on something that might make her blush.
The Violet Girl quickly took two spare whistles from the box of whistles, and also took the freshman practice sheet that Kitahara Hakuba had brought earlier, which specified the selection and handling of whistles, embouchure usage, and whistling practice.
Goto Yui slightly opened her lips and pressed them against the reed. She made a pained face and let out a low moan of "hmm, hmm".
She seemed to be holding her breath, and finally, with her face flushed, she picked up the reed, her expression full of confusion as if to say, "Can you really produce notes with just a reed?"
Seeing this, Kitahara Hakuba took out a reed box from his pocket, pinched a reed, and put it to his lips.
"Practice a scale first, then try changing the intervals."
He first played a scale, and then he played intervals.
The sound he blew was so bright that it surprised all the members present.
This was the first time they had ever seen someone play a scale so clearly in the light using a reed; most people could only produce a duck-like "pu~~~" sound.
"Amazing..." Goto Yu pursed her lips slightly, like a goldfish.
Miya Nagasawa also put the reed in her mouth, but could only make a "pu~~" sound. Although she produced a scale, her pitch was still far from that of Hakuba Kitahara.
The sound was so muddy, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was unpleasant to listen to. How did he manage to play it?
Seeing that they were blushing and still couldn't blow the whistle, Kitahara Hakuba then spoke up:
"I'll teach you a little trick: imagine there's a candle less than a foot in front of you, then try your best to blow out a thin, long breath that will extinguish but not go out. Over time, you'll be able to develop a similar amount of strength."
Miya Nagasawa glanced at the reed in her hand, then at the new students' practice schedule.
Syllable exercises, rhythm exercises, and breath control exercises are all prominently printed on the paper.
That's strange... This recent graduate seems to really care about us?
"You guys look at the sheet music first, and I'll start once I've gone around to the other side."
"Okay," the members nodded.
Kitahara Hakuba walked out of the audiovisual classroom and went to the oboe and bassoon section.
This vocal part has very few members, only five.
There was one bassoonist, but there were four oboists – it was a complete mess.
Kirishima Mai, and Kanzaki Eri, the only third-year student who supported her, are also in this voice part.
The quality here is higher than that of the clarinet players. There is one S-class player, Mai Kirishima, and three others who are A-class players, with the lowest being B-class.
As soon as Kitahara Hakuba entered, he felt a low pressure squeezing his chest, and a sticky silence kept piling up in the classroom.
The five people sat alone, either maintaining their instruments or looking at their phones, as if each of them was wrapped in a thin film that isolated them from the world.
—No? You guys were fighting before I got here?
"I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting," Kitahara Hakuba said.
All five people turned their gazes toward him. After looking at each face in turn, Kitahara Hakuba slightly raised the corners of his mouth.
"I arranged this meeting of different sections because I wanted to see what kind of sounds everyone could produce, so it won't take up too much of everyone's time."
"Teacher Kitahara, is it sight-reading?" a girl asked.
[Character: Hama Watanabe]
[Instrument played: Bassoon lv15 (Minor)]
[Growth: B]
[Resilience: A]
She was Watanabe Hama for three years and was also the section leader here.
She has short, wavy, slightly brown hair, regular facial features, and a figure that is the most positive example of scientifically growing young women. Her eyes are long and narrow, giving her a cool and dignified air.
"Yes, I want it." Kitahara Hakuba nodded, surprised that her master was only one level away from mastery.
“Sight-singing, what is that?” Kirishima Mai asked.
Hama Watanabe, who was on the far left, turned her head to look at Mai Kirishima, who was sitting on the right behind her.
"It means first listening to a certain interval, then singing it out, and finally making the instrument produce the same sound."