Chapter 288: Theory Is Useless, Practice Makes Perfect
The recording went super smoothly.
Even though they used a cello, Gan Yan Yu still managed to pull out that bouncy, floaty feel from “Voices of Spring Waltz.” After winning the Sato Sakura International Piano Competition, Lin Tian felt like collaborating with Gan Yan Yu was just so darn comfortable. It’s that feeling of being deeply intertwined within the music; it gave him a sense of security that was far better than soloing on stage.
Of course, it probably had something to do with them having played “Voices of Spring Waltz” a few times already. Next time, if she asked him to play “Concerto for Cello in E Minor,” he was going to be straight with her.
After they wrapped up the recording, even Sound Engineer Xiao Cui couldn’t help but gush,
“Recording you guys is always such a joy! Just listening to your duets is bliss. Sometimes, I even wish you didn’t nail it on the first take so I could listen more, haha!”
Lin Tian knew Xiao Cui was joking, so he replied politely:
“Well, we’re the ones who should be thanking you each time.”
Xiao Cui was a seasoned sound engineer at Lüyun, with 12 years of experience under her belt. She was so good at her job that most people in the company preferred her. As the studio’s most prolific “Moonlight and Cat,” she practically recorded every week. Even after a trip to Tokyo, she still had new tracks to record, which could cover orders equivalent to an average singer’s yearly workload in just a month.
“So, let’s wrap it up here,” Xiao Cui said. “I’ll handle the rest.”
“Sounds good.”
Lin Tian then turned to Gan Yan Yu.
The young lady had put down the cello but was still hovering her hands in the air as if wanting to keep playing. Her face wore a mix of doubt and confusion.
“What’s wrong, did you mess up?” Lin Tian asked.
Gan Yan Yu jumped back in surprise.
“Oh no, not at all!”
“But… there was something off with the emotion,” she admitted.
Lin Tian was puzzled. He thought they nailed it. Sure, it wasn’t as amazing as their concert performances, but they were close enough.
“Gan Teacher, can you specify which part felt off?”
Lin Tian wondered if she had her own unique interpretation of the piece. You don’t have to worry about overthinking a song. With different performances, the mood can vary widely, even if it doesn’t match up with the original. That’s what makes music awesome—like when they played “Hungarian Dance No. 5 in G Minor” at the Parrot Zither Cup finale.
Gan Yan Yu won with a brand-new, personal touch to the piece, impressing all the judges.
“Yeah…”
Gan Yan Yu rubbed her chin and pondered seriously,
“In fact, I wasn’t thinking too far ahead.”
“Not thinking too far while pondering this much, huh?” Lin Tian couldn’t help but comment.
“Look, Lin Tian,” Gan Yan Yu adopted a somewhat innocent expression.
“The song’s called ‘Voices of Spring Waltz,’ right?”
“Yes.”
“And it’s a waltz, right?”
“Right.”
“Waltz,” she repeated, looking earnestly into Lin Tian’s eyes.
“Yeah?”
“I mean, it’s great; the song really moved me, I felt so happy.”
“Uh-huh…”
“This?”
Lin Tian stared at her for three seconds, then determined there was no more conversation to be had.
A strangely meaningless dialogue concluded.
They ended up not really discussing anything meaningful.
Oh well, thought Lin Tian.
At least from where he stood, the recording was splendid.
In a few days, with the release of the new album, everything would be golden.
On the way home after leaving the studio, Lin Tian brought up Gan Yan Yu’s acting studies.
He himself only needed to focus on composing and releasing his albums. The game rewarded him performance skillcards, which barely disrupted his main gig.
But Gan Yan Yu was a more complex case. A perfectionist by nature, she likely spent a lot of time on it.
“I bought two books,” Gan Yan Yu mentioned.
“One’s called _An Actor’s Work_, the other’s _Performance Basics_.”
She was quite diligent.
Starting with theory showed how much she valued it.
“Don’t you practice?” Lin Tian asked.
“Isn’t performance all about practice? Like music, theory alone isn’t enough.”
Back then, Lin Tian specifically told her, she could practice with him whenever.
He was actually pretty excited about the idea of seeing Gan Teacher act.
However, despite offering to help her practice, Gan Yan Yu had read both books already but hadn’t mentioned anything.
Maybe she felt awkward?
No problem, Lin Tian sort of understood.
“I’ll definitely practice, don’t worry,” Gan Yan Yu said.
Just as she spoke, Lin Tian lifted his hand as if remembering something crucial.
“About heading back home for the holidays,” he mentioned proactively.
Yesterday, they ended the conversation because of his firm stand, which left things unresolved.
That night, Lin Tian thought about it long and hard. Originally, when Gan Yan Yu proposed the topic, it was because she wanted him to go home with her.
Didn’t this imply she secretly hoped for better relations with her family?
So, “I think going home for the holidays doesn’t sound bad,” Lin Tian suggested.
He believed he shouldn’t stop her from seeking a reconciliation. Regardless of her future choices, he wanted her to give it a shot.
This New Year together, he felt, meant going alone.
Last time her parents visited, due to his presence, they had plenty of unaddressed issues to deal with.
But he still thought she should go. After all, he was used to spending New Year’s alone anyway and really didn’t mind.
“…”
Gan Yan Yu was surprised by his response and then replied,
“Okay.”
(End of Chapter)
