Chapter 1; Episode 18 and 19

Episode 18

Improv

2016 Jun 25

"Then, we don't need a score." Jessy walks past the MC with his guitar and gets on stage.

"Jessy, you're too slow!" Ocean yells out, his face lit up with joy and excitement.

Jessy adjusts the amp and joins in seamlessly.

In contrast to Ocean's powerful, rhythmic chords, Jessy breaks pitch perfectly. His chords have a sense of space and the additional wahwah sound effects make the music sound deeper and fuller.

After a minute or so, Ocean nods at the pianist and hits a big chord, prompting Jessy by aiming the guitar head at him.

"Solo, Jessy!" shouts Ocean, and the pianist falls in harmony with Ocean, setting Jessy up for a blistering guitar solo.

Jessy's fingers fly across the strings and the pick in his right hand becomes a blur as he weaves together a series of furious and ferocious scales. The solo fuses flawlessly with Ocean's power guitar and the piano.

"I had no idea...this school possessed such an interesting group." The bald man's expression is full of curiosity as he listens to their improv performance.

"I've certainly heard some interesting things on this trip back."

Episode 19

Replication

2016 Jun 25

When the fair is over, most students stay on the school grounds or go to nearby restaurants to eat together. Celebrations continue long into the night and the students are reluctant to go home. They’ll rest over the weekend and worry about the midterm results next week; perhaps a few new couples will form after this weekend as well.

Jessy gets home, grabs some bread and milk from the fridge and goes to his room. As he eats he starts up his computer. The sounds from the day’s improv are still ringing in his ears and he can't wait to write them down.

Surging tones, passionate beats and scales that seem random but filled with rhythm and beauty swirl around in his head.

Ocean’s chords still ring clearly in Jessy's ears, the familiar power and rhythm hitting him like a tidal wave. He tries strumming the rhythm from memory and uses recording software to capture it, after multiple recordings he finally pieces together three minutes' worth of music.

After finishing Ocean’s part, he starts recording his own part. Even though he improvised the scales on the spot, they left a deep impression so he was able to make quick progress. Time creeps towards 8 o'clock and before he knows it an hour has passed. After recording both parts, he takes a sip of milk and tries to figure out the piano melodies his classmate had played.

Sometimes passionate and smooth, at times dark and somber, other times light and joyful, the notes are countless like raindrops in a storm. Distressed, he remembers one scale that was particularly hard to grasp, which combined a variety of styles yet wasn't out of place during the performance.

"I wonder... is he the only one that can even do this?" Jessy thinks about his slender classmate and focuses on reproducing his scales. After ten minutes or so, there are only two sections in the score that haven’t progressed.

Ring-ring! Ring-ring! The cell phone vibrates, interrupting Jessy's concentration.

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