Tokyo: The evil god doesn't want to be the top star

Chapter 173 It’s actually you?

"I didn't even notice. Is the final next week?"

"The song for the finals... the song by Mitsushima Kana-senpai, but I haven't found the lyrics yet. What should I do..."

Looking at the selection list carefully prepared by Horie Tsubasa, Xia Fan suddenly felt that the food in his mouth didn't taste as delicious anymore.

He originally planned to perform the song left by Manshima Kana at the campus singing competition, one to fulfill her last wish, and the other to fulfill the oracle of Ame-no-Miyako to "play the elegy of death."

But now I have the music but no lyrics, so I have no idea where to start.

Not long after the break, it was time for vocal class. Xia Fan had no choice but to put the matter aside and go to another classroom under the guidance of the staff.

In a classroom filled with various top-notch musical instruments and vocal equipment and with a huge blackboard, a middle-aged man in a black kimono was already sitting next to the piano.

"Xia Fan?"

"Are you the student in this class?"

As soon as Xia Fan pushed the door open, the middle-aged man called out his name.

"Mr. Horie? Why are you here?"

Xia Fan was also surprised to recognize the other person.

That’s right, the vocal teacher invited by Horikoshi Gakuen for him was the famous musician and the father of Horie Tsubasa, Keizo Horie.

"Ahem, don't be surprised. I'm an honorary professor of Horikoshi Academy. I have to sponsor a certain number of classes for them every year, but in previous years they were all large-scale open classes."

"On the way here, I was wondering why Horikoshi Academy would be willing to use my precious teaching time on a student..."

"So, this person is you?"

Keizo Horie was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

He had a close relationship with Horikoshi Gakuen, and he couldn't resist the favor, so he accepted this one-on-one vocal lesson. However, he didn't expect that the student was actually a cutting-edge music producer.

"But, isn't it a waste of talent to let Mr. Horie teach me a beginner's basic vocal lesson?"

Xia Fan was also flattered and subconsciously wanted to go out and find the staff to confirm.

"Forget it, let's make the best of it now."

"You may not know this, but teaching people to sing is my main profession..."

"When I first joined Tokyo University of the Arts, I was a vocal music teacher. I also participated in the compilation of the vocal music textbooks of Tokyo University of the Arts."

"When I was struggling financially in my early years, I took on a lot of vocal lessons at Horikoshi Gakuen, including arranging resident singing programs at major performing arts venues in Tokyo, and one-on-one tutoring after art exams..."

Keizo Horie was quite calm. He pulled Xia Fan to sit down and recalled the past with a nostalgic look on his face.

Many people only know him as a music critic, composer, and a long list of impressive titles...

Little did people know that before publishing those classic works, achieving academic success and becoming famous, Keizo Horie was just an ordinary teacher at Tokyo University of the Arts who devoted himself to academic research and daily lectures, and who, due to financial difficulties, secretly took on singing performances and vocal music lessons as a part-time job.

His friendship with Horikoshi Gakuen began decades ago when he came here to teach part-time.

In today's entertainment industry, there are many famous singers and musical actors who were once taught by Keizo Horie.

"By the way, the song you wrote for Yayoi Tsuki, "I Once Thought of Ending It All," is so touching, warm and powerful!"

"The most rare thing is that you and Yayoi Tsuki are willing to give up the royalties and publicly authorize this song so that it can encourage more people. It is really rare."

"I can hear it everywhere I go these past two days. I never get tired of it and it's always memorable..." After sitting down, Keizo Horie did not start vocal teaching. Instead, he started praising Xia Fan's new song.

"No, no, I just agree with Miss Yayoi. She probably wants to leave this song to her fans as a gift during her break from music activities."

Xia Fan could only scratch his head humbly and listen attentively.

"By the way, how did you come up with the idea for the third bar of the melody of that song when you were composing it?"

"And after the climax, the rhythm of the chorus and the coordination of the lyrics into position..."

“The lyrics are very delicate and the melody is powerful, both of which fit the core emotion of the song. Which came first, the lyrics or the melody…”

But after the praise, Keizo Horie still had no intention of attending class. He stroked his hands on the piano, playing "Once I Thought About Ending It All" in fragments, and discussed his creative journey with Xia Fan.

As a national treasure-level musician and retired music critic, Keizo Horie has a strong curiosity and desire to explore excellent musical works.

Even though he knew every detail of the song, Xia Fan was still overwhelmed.

"…Um, Mr. Horie, aren't we here to teach singing today?"

Taking advantage of the opportunity when Keizo Horie lowered his head to drink water, Xia Fan asked.

"Oh, yes, singing... Sorry, when it comes to music creation, I tend to forget other things..."

"I really appreciate your willingness to learn singing systematically."

“As a gifted music producer, being good at singing will allow you to have a more detailed grasp of the fluency and look of singing when creating and arranging music.”

Keizo Horie put down his teacup, and the topic finally returned to "singing".

Many well-known music producers in the industry are actually "KTV-killing" level singing idiots themselves, so they don't find Xia Fan's idea of ​​"learning to sing from scratch" strange.

"I haven't thought about it that far ahead. I might have a live singing performance in the near future, so I want to cram for it. I wonder if there is any quick practice method?"

Xia Fan expressed his demands honestly.

"Quick..."

"Singing requires constant practice and hard work. How can there be a quick way to achieve success?"

Horie Keizo was stunned for a moment and felt a little amused and helpless, not expecting Xia Fan's purpose of studying to be so "short-sighted".

"Anyway, let's test your current level first. The music department of Tokyo University of the Arts should also have vocal lessons in the freshman year..."

"First, the sense of pitch and range... I press a note, and you sing the corresponding scale based on your feeling, from high to low..."

Keizo Horie took out his mobile phone, opened an app called "Scale Tester", and tapped the black and white keys.

"Ah...ah...ah...ah..."

Xia Fan raised his neck and cried out "ah" like a drake waiting to be fed.

"Voice range... C1 to C5, which is the level of an average person... Expanding the vocal range is a long-term process, and you can't rush it..."

"The tone... doesn't have much distinctiveness..."

"The only thing that can be praised is that the pitch deviation is not too big, the sense of rhythm is OK, the breath is stable, and the lung capacity is good..."

After a series of tests, Keizo Horie's face visibly stiffened.

(End of this chapter)