Chapter 4: Teacher and Student

Chapter 4: Teacher and Student

"Turn that sh*t off!" Eden exclaimed. His head was hurting greatly as he heard himself singing.

Hugie sighed.

'I've been reading too many novels.'

He noticed that Eden's behavior had changed to some extent. For some dumb reason, he thought that this friend of his had some great encounter or inspiration that gave him a breakthrough. But now it looked like he had been thinking a little too much.

'At this rate, he might fail...'

There were some hopes that this friend of his possessed a little talent in the field of singing.

Now it looked like he was completely hopeless.

"Haa... Bro, the examinations are coming in two months. Have you studied? Are you confident in passing?"

"Maybe." Eden nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders.

"Bro, to pass the second year, you have to compile music. Even if you pass the theory and cannot at least compile the basic draft of a song in front of the professor, it's useless."

"Haa..." To this date, Hugie really didn't check Eden's marks. Being a talented person, he was almost always in a different practice room, gaining practical knowledge and creating many musical pieces.

A songwriter and also a good vocalist... Such a thing was too good to be true, but the anomaly named Hugie existed.

From the depths of his heart, he didn't wish that Eden failed his examinations.

"Want a sip?" His thoughts were interrupted by Eden, who offered a small bottle of whiskey.

Hugie's lips twitched. Young man, here I am trying to think of a way to help you and you're here drinking?

"Yeah, sure. Why not?" He stretched his hand, grabbing the bottle. The next second, he walked towards the plant, pouring all the whiskey in the vase.

"Hey!" Ignoring Eden, he threw the bottle of whiskey in the trash bag.

He suddenly put up a pose, looking at Eden intimidatingly. As a result, Eden stayed quiet.

'Ah, that book worked.' A smile appeared on his face as he looked at the book titled 101 Ways to Intimidate a Child.

'Sigh, now let's think of the important details...'

Haa... This guy... He's never the one to study...

All of this seemed to trigger a memory. The memory of him and Eden.

Him teaching Eden a few hours before the test during every major exam.

Them celebrating the fact that Eden would somehow manage to pass those exams.

The Eden who was greatly passionate about music. The Eden who would be busy singing and composing music the whole year and then beg him to teach everything a day before the exam.

Where did the passion go? What happened to all those big talks...

How did passion... How did dreams... How did the love for music... turn into hunger for money?

'Why was he even that hungry for money? Sure, it's difficult on their mom, but they have a middle-class life. She has a decent job...' Hugie pondered. In the end, he did not know Eden's condition.

Colitres was a disease that needed millions if not billions of dollars to be cured. Thankfully, it was just the first stage that affected Eden.

Not being aware of this fact, Hugie sighed, thinking that money had led his friend astray.

You were the one who inspired me to be a musician... Sigh...

A bitter smile appeared on his face, but he then shook his head.

Those were such simple days...

Looks like we will have to follow our old tradition.

There was another way to pass. If a student came in the top 100.

Compiling a song on the spot was a daunting test, especially for second-year students. But if one managed to have a satisfactory knowledge in theory, then there were hopes to develop in the third, fourth, and fifth years.

"Here." Grabbing a grey notebook attached with a pen through thread, he threw it towards Eden.

"From today onwards, no drinking, no smoking, no procrastination, and from today onwards, none of that furry sh*t."

Eden's eyes widened.

"How did you...?"

"Bro, you use my laptop."

"But I clear the history..."

"It's a composer's laptop. Of course, I have many ways to restore data! Erasing all of the history is more suspicious, you MF. Now let's not drift away from the topic. Tell me what all you know about compiling."

"They're the authors of songs?"

"Not completely hopeless, I see. Well, what are the basic skills?"

"..."

"Bro, don't be quiet. They taught us this in the first year."

"You're joking, right?"

"..."

"Haa..." Hugie fell onto the couch.

'No, there's no time to waste!' Exclaiming inwardly, he sprang back to his feet.

Pulling the movable whiteboard on wheels that was riddled with countless musical notes, he picked up the duster and erased it.

"Let's start from the basics of music composing. We'll cover some of music history tomorrow."

He instantly began scribbling on the whiteboard with the marker.

*Music Theory:* Understanding scales, chords, harmony, and rhythm.

*Melody Writing:* Crafting memorable and engaging melodies.

*Harmony and Counterpoint:* Learning how to create harmonic progressions and counter-melodies.

*Form and Structure:* Understanding how to organize musical ideas into cohesive structures such as sonata form, ternary form, etc.

*Orchestration:* Arranging music for different instruments and ensembles.

*Analysis:* Studying existing pieces of music to understand how they are composed and structured.

"Today we'll be studying music theory. Here, read the textbook out loud. I'll explain it after every paragraph."

*INTRODUCTION:*

*The Materials of Music:* 

Sound and Time 

Sound Tone Beat 

Vibration Rate 

Intensity of Rhythm 

Compression Acoustics Timbre 

Rarefaction Decibels Harmonic Series

"The basic materials of music are sound and time. When you play an instrument or sing, you are producing sounds, so it is important that you thoroughly understand these basic materials. Sounds are used to structure time in music..."

"Sound is the sensation perceived by the organs of hearing when vibrations reach the ear.

Vibration is the periodic motion of a substance. When you play an instrument, parts of the instrument (the strings, sounding board, etc.) and the air inside and around the instrument vibrate..."

"Timbre, also known as tone quality or color, distinguishes one sound from another. For example, it allows us to differentiate between the clarinet and the oboe. This characteristic is influenced by factors such as the shape and material of the vibrating body and the method used to produce sound. Additionally, timbre is shaped by the human ear's perception of the harmonic series, which is produced by all musical instruments..."

He would pause after every page as Hugie explained them in detail.

"Music, an art form combining sound and time, relies on fundamental elements such as pitch, duration, intensity, and timbre. This book primarily focuses on examining how these musical tones interact to create music."

"Phew, that's the end of the introduction."

Too slow!

This wasn't the official book of the school, instead, a book that he bought. He had such similar books that could explain things in a simpler way.

"Okay. Question 1: What role does the method of producing sound play in determining its timbre?"

"Ermmm..."

"Bruh."

"Ah, I remember! The method used to produce sound, whether it's striking, bowing, blowing, or plucking, plays a significant role in determining the timbre of the sound."

"Haa..." Hugie sighed. It looked like this young man would have to review them frequently or he would forget everything within a day.

"2-minute break."

Eden cheered. Just as he was about to stand up, a blue light flashed in front of him.

[Ding!]

[The host is detected to be learning about music]

[Novice task triggered]

Shortly after:

[Novice task {1}: Come within the top 100 of the final term examinations. The higher the ranking, the better the rewards]

[Penalty: None]

[Would host like to accept the task?]

[Yes] [No]

[Novice task {2}: Come within the top 100 rankings of Rising Star's first stage competition. Upon winning in 1 section, the rewards will be limited. Winning in 2 sections will yield better rewards. Winning in 3 or more sections will result in the peak rewards]

[Penalty: None]

[Would host like to accept the task?]

[Yes] [No]

[The host is detected to be gaining knowledge on music]

[+1 Music]

[+1 Lottery points]

The music, which had a +2 increment after he received the composer talent and with an additional +1, became [Music:11].

Eh? System tasks. He accepted both since there was nothing to lose anyway.

His eyes shone when he read the last few panels. He had made up his mind.

'System, use upgrade card on talent All-rounder Composer,' he commanded internally.

[Ding!]

[Talent: All-rounder Composer - Level 2]

[+3 Music]

Again, he felt nothing change within him. But the urge to study just intensified.

Who doesn't like to study?! Studying was the best!!

"Okay, let's start."

"Aye aye, sir!" He said enthusiastically.

And so the student and teacher duo continued their business till night.