CH 45

“Why are you here?” Seeing the two walking in, Wen Ya looked puzzled.

Jiang Ting stood in front, saw the situation, and responded to the instructor’s question.

“Instructor Wen, we want to record the accompaniment. After the recording is finished, I want to help Zhongming with the accompaniment, so I need to use the recording studio.”

Liu Zhongming can practice by himself and Jiang Ting occasionally uses the piano to help Liu Zhongming sing along. But, the specific effect can only be seen when it is combined with the accompaniment.

Before, whether it was Chen Yi or Xu Jiayin, Jiang Ting had done this alone before and it could be considered that practice makes perfect.

It’s just that during the previous two visits, Wen Ya, the Arranger Instructor, had other things to do. The work of helping Jiang Ting to produce the accompaniment was done by the other staff.

Today, by coincidence, she met Wen Ya, the Arranger Instructor.

“That’s it, that’s okay, you sit down first. I heard Xiao Heng say before that Jiang Ting often records the accompaniment by herself, but I didn’t expect to bump into me once.” Wen Ya teased Jiang Ting. Xiao Heng is the producer who helped Jiang Ting arrange the music for the first two times.

Jiang Ting smiled and did not know what to say. Can she say that she is a powerful king?

Let her say a few words, that’s the way to the point. After all, she is someone who has listened to the original version, plus her ten-year trainee career, as well as the company’s training content for trainees, including simple arrangement knowledge. These things allow her to at least understand the arrangement’s knowledge.

But knowing simple arrangement knowledge does not mean Jiang Ting has the ability to arrange music.

If Jiang Ting could compose a classic song, the company would never have sent the deflated third-rate agent Zheng Dayou to her.

Now thinking about that bastard Zheng Dayou, Jiang Ting is still angry.

After Wen Ya was busy for a few minutes, she turned off her exclusive computer, sat back in front of the studio computer, and asked Jiang Ting.

“What song are you going to make this time? Can I see it first?”

Jiang Ting motioned to Liu Zhongming to hand over the music score to Wen Ya.

Wen Ya took the score, saw the melody and lyrics drawn on it, and hummed it out.

When she hummed to some part, her eyes suddenly lit up.

“Hey, this song is very good, how do you plan to record it?”

Jiang Ting sat down in front of a computer next to her, “I want to use some wind chimes to create a fresh feeling in the prelude and the main tone is going to be leveled with a guitar. Plus, coupled with electronically synthesized sound, match the two together, and listen to the effect after running in.”

“Sure, I’ll try it for you first.” Wen Ya agreed.

As long as Jiang Ting has an idea in her heart, what she is afraid of if Jiang Ting has no idea. If she just brings a song, it will be difficult for Wen Ya. After all, the competition is about to be held and Wen Ya does not dare to guarantee that her own arrangement will not delay the trainees.

The melody of a song is different from the production of an arrangement. The former is based on the melody sung by the singer. Generally, the person who created this melody is called a composer, while the arrangement is based on the entire song. Mainly, it is produced by adding other instruments and various timbres. The person who produces the whole song in the post-production is called the arranger. The two can be created separately or by the same person.

The reason why Jiang Ting did not pretend to be the original composer of these songs was because she could not create a complete song and she did not want to do it herself.

Jiang Ting had an idea in her heart and Wen Ya followed it. An hour later, Wen Ya made the first version for Jiang Ting to listen to.

Jiang Ting shook her head after hearing this and said bluntly that she did not like it.

“The previous arrangement is a bit irritable and it doesn’t suit the melody of this song. It’s light, romantic, and with a bit of sourness and sadness of a mutual crush. That’s the feeling.”

“Ok, I’ll change it.”

After the version was changed, after Jiang Ting listened, she directly said that there was a problem with Wen Ya again.

“For this section, lower the tone; for this section, add some violin synthesized sound as a foil. The sound must not be too loud, it must not overwhelm the melody, and it must not collide with the lead guitar. It is just a short section and it is enough to pad the first half.”

“Ok, I’m sorry for the trouble, Instructor Wen. Help me to strengthen the latter part. The climax part must be strengthened a little. The overall arrangement is still too flat.”

“It’s going to be good right away, I’ve made you work hard, Instructor. Just a little bit closer, let’s finish this paragraph, and let me use the guitar to level the ground again. Yes, yes, that’s it, very good…”

Liu Zhongming looked at Jiang Ting sitting next to Instructor Wen Ya with a serious face. Then realized why his two seniors said Jiang Ting was a talkative and serious workaholic.

She is not soft at all when ordering the instructor.

From entering the door until now, he has never heard her mouth stop.

In particular, Wen Ya hadn’t finished editing this section and Jiang Ting had a new request later. Wen Ya hurriedly re-edited the song and adjusted the arrangement.

Finally, after a morning of tossing, the song appeared.

Wen Ya, as the Chief Arranger Instructor invited by the program group of “National Couple”, if it weren’t for the fact that Jiang Ting has something, she would have told her to leave.

It’s too much toss.

But fortunately, after the two joined forces, Wen Ya was satisfied after the song appeared. Especially when the full version of this song was played in the studio, she was even more honored.

The version jointly produced by Jiang Ting and Wen Ya is generally much better in arrangement than the original version. The original version is composed by Lin Caizi himself and sung by himself and a female singer.

But compared to the brilliant melody and lyrics, the arrangement of this song is a bit flat and simple. Although the final effect greatly highlights the melody of the verse, it also shows the lack of arrangement in the first half.

Jiang Ting strengthened the first half of the arrangement and focused on the first part, making the first part of the song more appealing and addictive. A piece of wind chime was used at the beginning, which directly opened up the romantic atmosphere of the song, and laid a solid foundation for the subsequent songs.

After the difficulty of arranging the composition became more difficult, it was time to sing the ensemble. After a few people had lunch, Wen Ya said that she could help the two to continue watching.

Then, the three of them came to the recording studio together. Jiang Ting and Liu Zhongming went to the accompaniment together and let the tutor Wen Ya guide them.

The two came to the soundproof recording studio inside. Outside the glass, through the headphones, Wen Ya could be heard giving orders.

“Are you ready?”

Jiang Ting made an OK gesture and Wen Ya started to play the accompaniment.

A gust of wind bell rang first, kicking off the prelude to the song, and then Liu Zhongming sang first.

“I’m still looking for…”

After Liu Zhongming finished singing, it was Jiang Ting’s turn.

“Happiness begins…”

After the two of them finished singing, they began to sing together.

“Small dimples…”

After singing for the first time, Jiang Ting took off the headset and went to the outside recording studio, she asked Wen Ya.

“How is it?”

Wen Ya handed her the earphone, “Listen to yourself.”

Jiang Ting stood in front of Wen Ya, bent over, pinched one side of the earphone with one hand, and covered her ear with the other hand. However, the first sentence Liu Zhongming sang made Jiang Ting frown.

“Is it that bad?”

She put down the earphones and called out Liu Zhongming.

“Zhongming, come here.” She called.

However, Liu Zhongming inside could only see her mouth move, but he could not hear what she said at all and looked puzzled.

She then remembered the sound insulation of the room and then spoke with the headset connected to the outside of the recording room.

“Zhongming, come out and listen to the effect of singing.”

Soon, Liu Zhongming also came out.

Jiang Ting asked him to listen to the song they sang first and Liu Zhongming did so.

Soon, after Liu Zhongming finished listening, Jiang Ting asked back.

“Do you hear it?”

Liu Zhongming pursed his lips, his expression was a little downcast, and he subconsciously wanted to apologize.

“Sister Jiang Ting, I…”

Jiang Ting raised her hand to stop him from saying dejected words.

“You don’t need to apologize, it doesn’t matter. This is just the first time you sang this new song. Let’s find out how we feel.”

This is a gentle, romantic, sour, sweet, and warm little love song. Liu Zhongming is still a child and has not yet graduated from high school.

Unless he falls in love early and has experienced what it’s like to be in love secretly, even if he is looking for the feeling, he won’t be able to find it for a while.

The most important thing is that his comprehension ability is not as good as Xu Jiayin’s. Xu Jiayin has never been in a relationship, but after all, he is two years older. After seeing many of his classmates and friends around him break up and reunite, Xu Jiayin can simulate the sweet feeling of love.

But Liu Zhongming can’t do it. The child has not yet found out what his problem is. He is not emotional enough and his breath is not long enough.

Previously, the two songs Liu Zhongming sang with Hong Shiyu and Lin Xinxiang were both cheerful R&B music, not too difficult. In addition, Hong Shiyu and Lin Xinxiang did not have Jiang Ting’s 10-year trainee career, so they could not tell whether Liu Zhongming’s singing was good or bad.

But when it was Jiang Ting’s turn, Liu Zhongming couldn’t get along. Jiang Ting with her sharp ears could easily hear the problem in his singing.

In the past, Jiang Ting, as the company’s ace trainee, why hasn’t she debuted in ten years? A large part of the reason is that her backstage collapsed four years ago, which caused her debut plan to fall through the cracks.

Four years ago, the company invested in a super-production movie, but it failed at the box office and was trapped in liquidity. At the same time, the two main pillars left to set up a studio, and several of their major singers were also poached, which made the company even worse.

It wasn’t until half a year later that someone financed the company. Her good sister’s father, who was considered Jiang Ting’s backer, took advantage of the opportunity and sold the shares, and then took the good sister’s family away, leaving a mess.

Jiang Ting’s backer can run away, but Jiang Ting, as the ace trainee that the company has been training, can’t run away. Besides, Jiang Ting herself doesn’t want to run away, she wants to make her debut.

In this way, as the direct descendant of the company’s former leader, Jiang Ting’s debut plan was left idle.

Fortunately, idle is idle, but the company continues to cultivate Jiang Ting until Jiang Ting thinks that this will be the case for the rest of her life.

The new leader said that the company can make her debut if she wants to, but she needs to sign a 20-year contract. Of course, it is not a slave contract like a prostitution contract.

The company gave her an ordinary rookie contract for the first five years of her debut. After that, the contract will be readjusted every year according to Jiang Ting’s performance. After all, she was the ace trainee that they had carefully cultivated for ten years and the company did not want to chill Jiang Ting’s heart, so they made such a decision.

Jiang Ting thought about it, if she doesn’t make her debut, it will be more difficult because she will be too old to make her debut. In addition, it was clearly written in the contract. She asked a lawyer and compared it and said that this method is feasible. If the company breaches the contract in the future, Jiang Ting can also appeal to the court to terminate the slave contract. In addition, Jiang Ting also saw that the company’s new high-level executives were not alienated from her, so she agreed.

Therefore, Jiang Ting has not made her debut for 10 years, not because of her lack of strength, but because of the game of intertwined factions behind the company.

This also explained why Jiang Ting could feel that something was wrong when Hong Shiyu and Lin Xinxiang could not find it. Including Xu Jiayin, who was almost killed by Jiang Ting.

Even without relying on the songs from the system, compared to all the trainees in this variety show, Jiang Ting has the most qualifications and strength to debut.

It’s just that Jiang Ting used these songs more to ensure that she would succeed in the promotion and win the championship, so as to save her life.

She is different from other contestants, she cannot gamble. Even if there is a 1% chance of being eliminated, she is not allowed to lose, and losing is her life.

But Jiang Ting’s high requirements completely made Liu Zhongming uncomfortable.

“Zhongming, use chest-abdominal breathing, which is where the diaphragm is. The breath must be enough and can be stored in the lungs, otherwise, you will be out of breath halfway through singing.”

“Yes, hold your chest up, close your stomach, open your shoulders, and slowly feel the strength of this breathing…”

Jiang Ting let Liu Zhongming learn another breathing method for singing from the beginning and then started to pick on Liu Zhongming’s articulation problem.

“The articulation must be accurate. If it is not accurate, it will leak air and affect the accuracy of singing.”

“In this way, you first should find your own singing method. Which one do you think is more comfortable to sing?”

Liu Zhongming smiled wryly, and he thought it was quite comfortable to sing before, but when he remembered Jiang Ting said with a look of disgust, “Who taught you to sing like this? It’s just misleading the younger generation and delaying you in vain. It’s easy to lose your breath halfway through the song. It’s only thanks to your lung capacity that you can endure it.”

Suddenly, Liu Zhongming did not dare to say anything. He obediently listened to the other party’s instructions and adjusted his breathing and pronunciation.

“Very good, with a little emotion, you don’t need to be so deliberate, a little restraint, don’t show your emotions so much, otherwise it will look too fake.”

“OK, it doesn’t matter if you haven’t been in a relationship before. Have you watched idol dramas? Do you feel sweet when watching idol dramas with your mother?”

Liu Zhongming shook his head, “My mother won’t let me watch idol dramas.”

Jiang Ting: “Then what drama did your mother let you watch?”

“My mother always watches that kind of drama about the family ethics of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.”

Jiang Ting: “…”

She paused for a few seconds, wiped the sweat on her forehead, and quickly changed the subject.

“Well, anyway, when you are singing, you imagine that you want to eat ice cream very much. After taking a bite of ice cream, you are very happy and sweet. Suddenly, the ice cream falls to the ground. You feel sour and slightly bitter. Just find that feeling.”

Seeing this, Liu Zhongming opened his mouth and wanted to speak.

Jiang Ting saw him open his mouth, afraid that he would continue to argue with her and hurriedly stopped him.

“Okay, don’t talk about it, if you don’t like ice cream, you can change to other food, you can imagine something else, durian, cantaloupe, and pineapple are all ok.”

Liu Zhongming retorted, “No, I love ice cream, I just want to say that strawberry-flavored ice cream tastes better, can I imitate eating strawberry ice cream?”

Jiang Ting: “…” Who taught whom?

*****

Translator’s Comment:

Jiang Ting: “Why do I think this brat wants to test my patience? Did he think this lady had a good temper?” (╯°益°)╯彡┻━┻

Oh… I miss my obedient little dog Chen Yi.