Generation Z Artists

Chapter 332 The Cooperation of Two Big Thugs
Fang Xinghe spent a week working on his project, burning through over 3 million Star Points, and in the end, he only managed to produce three songs with lyrics and music.

The first song is his favorite, Kenshi Yonezu's "Lemon".

The arrangement had to be redone, which almost drained his brain.

The overall idea is to eliminate Western instruments such as the piano and replace them with the qin and xiao as the main instruments, supplemented by a variety of ethnic instruments.

The prelude begins directly with the long flute, its ethereal and mournful melody like a lament or a sob.

Then, the harmonics of the guzheng were added, bringing in an ethereal imagery.

The main melody is based on the zither, and when the vocals begin, the xiao (vertical flute) is used to intertwine with the vocals to create a sense of breath.

The rhythm is played on the pipa, with the resounding "wheel strokes" showcasing the clash of swords.

The core layer uses these three instruments to set the tone.

In the color layer, Fang Xinghe tried a variety of musical instruments, even investing another 8 million starlight to learn and master them, and to build a more holistic understanding of musical instruments.

Finally, a touch of the guqin (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument) was added to symbolize the aloofness of the Ancient Tomb Sect.

The secondary melody uses a string ensemble, erhu, zhonghu, and gehu, enriching each part and adding depth.

For this part, Chinese drums and chime bells were chosen.

The Chinese drums are played mostly with a weak beat, and the use of strong beats is very cautious and restrained, because the whole song is more about sadness than about being fierce and passionate.

The chime bells, used as embellishments, enhance the sense of sacredness and destiny.

The final product retained the sadness and sense of fate of the original "Lemon," but possessed a completely different ancient style and charm.

If you don't have any preconceived notions, it should be amazing enough.

After all, the concept of Chinese style had not yet taken shape at that time, and this song "The Fragrance of Chivalry" is an absolute masterpiece.

The lyrics were rewritten directly based on the plot, which also made Fang Xinghe rack his brains.

The original "Lemon" has a precise connection between its breaths (breathing points, rhythmic phrasing) and its Japanese lyrics and melody. Directly inserting Chinese lyrics with a different structure will inevitably create an awkward feeling of "mismatch between lyrics and music".

Therefore, Fang Xinghe largely followed the phrasing of the original Japanese version, adding and deleting syllables according to their differences, and adapted it into a more colloquial version of the lyrics.

It is the tip of a sword that pierces the moonlight / turning loneliness into frost.

(本でもあなたはわたしの光)
Within every line of my palm, longing grows silently and wildly.
(Secretly waiting for you)
If we can never meet again in this life, why live alone through sixty years of sorrow?

(Introduction to stop the wrists and boiling shadows)
In the instant the love flower withers, I finally see the net clearly.

(何も杀せやしない)
……

After singing it twice, the chorus is basically in sync with the melody, and the verse is no longer a problem; it's easy to fill in.

The reason for using colloquial lyrics is that this song is already difficult to sing, and if the lyrics are made even more difficult to understand, its popularity will inevitably be affected.

His second alternative work, which he reproduced, was another extreme and heretical approach.

"Dreaming of the Western Continent"

The original version is a difficult song to evaluate in the ancient Chinese style. Its climax is extremely popular on Douyin (TikTok), and most people will immediately understand its meaning after hearing just the first two lines of the chorus.

Wan Lai stopped playing

Resting his chin on his hand, he listened to the autumn waters and asked the mayfly.
The Big Dipper is immeasurable in the dark.
But why believe that longing is the most tender thing?
A glance at the flowers, a primordial dream, a sudden surge of emotion.
You and the Twenty-Eight Mansions all turn their heads.

My colorful wings, whale tail, and red silk threads evoke sorrow for heaven and earth.

When love leads to a state of blissful freedom, the heart finds its own peace.
……

It became famous for two reasons: first, the climax is quite catchy and fits the fast-paced aesthetic of our time; second, the lyrics are controversial, with over a hundred allusions haphazardly thrown in.

There are many original lines adapted from ancient poems and classics, which is ingenious, but the overall effect is too flashy and gimmicky, so opinions are mixed.

I really like what I like, and I really hate what I hate.

Fang Xinghe is a neutral observer, neither a fan nor a hater. He learned about the conflicts within the ancient style music circle through this song and also felt the hierarchy of contempt within the small circle. In the end, he remembered the general lyrics and music.

The logic behind its creation is simple—male-female duets + extreme novelty.

Songs that meet both of these conditions are truly rare in China.

Overly verbose and ornate lyrics were certainly not a flaw in 04. Times have changed. Today's young people have never experienced the information revolution.

In an era before the emergence of non-mainstream trends, creating these seemingly impressive but ultimately irrational products for young people was incredibly lucrative.

If "The Fragrance of Chivalry" is a dignified and pleasant song, then "Dreaming of the West" is the spiritual guide for spirited young men and women.

The new "The Return of the Condor Heroes" was originally intended to be released in the vast urban-rural fringe areas and below. In a sense, "Dreaming of the West Continent" is the theme song that can better evoke emotions.

As for whether this will prematurely give rise to non-mainstream trends...

Sigh, Fang Ge isn't taking the blame for this.

Here's a radical theory: the non-mainstream post-90s generation and the spirited young men of the post-00s generation are inevitable products of China's explosive and rapid development.

Nothing and no one can fill the void in the family care and emotional needs of these two generations.

With the country's rapid development and the transformation from an agricultural society to an industrial society, the liberation of a large number of laborers from the land is a historical inevitability. Rural residents must leave their hometowns to work and seek a living, which is the root cause of the widespread lack of family care.

In this situation, young people also have to face the impact of the internet age. What can they use to anchor their already immature self-awareness?

There was nothing I could do, really nothing I could do, so I could only wander around aimlessly in a daze.

But then again, does the existence of non-mainstream and "spiritual youths" have any particularly bad influence?
That's not the case either.

The post-80s generation was initially a "lost generation," spoiled young masters and princesses who couldn't endure hardship, but they did quite well when they became the backbone of society.

The same applies to those born in the 90s and 00s; their naivety and absurdity in their youth did not affect their excellence in adulthood.

The fact that the country is becoming stronger is the best evidence of this; these generations are moving forward at an accelerated pace.

Therefore, Fang Xinghe never thought that non-mainstream people were bad people or bad things that needed to be criticized or corrected. He just hoped to guide this group a little - when you want to be cool, why not learn some aesthetics from your brother Fang?

Actually, I introduced her, and she happily said it was none of my business.

It's okay. Being a cult leader is okay, singing "Dreaming of the West Continent" is okay, and being scolded is even less of a problem.

Our Brother Fang has a grand vision.

……

For the last song, he dug out most of "Fireworks Fade Easily".

The remaining small part is something I can't remember clearly, and I can't make up for it. I don't know what's wrong with it, but the taste is not right, and the mood is even more wrong.

And the most bizarre thing is—

Jay Chou's original version of "Fireworks Fade Easily" is a classic Chinese-style song in the public's mind. However, when it came to the actual re-arrangement, Fang Xinghe was surprised to find that the original version only used Western instruments such as guitar, piano, and drums!

Is this right?
Fang Xinghe sensed something was wrong, so Kuku racked his brains, trying to recall Lin Zhixuan's singer version and Jay Chou's original album version, but the more he dug, the more confused he became.

Firstly, because my memory is too vague, and secondly, because my skill level is no longer up to par.

For example, in the phrase "the mottled city gate", the Bm7 chord, which should not appear in this phrase, is used. Then it transitions to an E7 chord. Who composes Chinese-style music like this?

You're so dense! Are you sure you're not mistaken?

After trying it out in a daze for a while, Fang Xinghe discovered that if he wanted to transform "Fireworks Fade Easily" into a completely traditional five-tone scale (Gong, Shang, Jiao, Zhi, Yu), he had to make good use of the altered Zhi and altered Gong.

But his abilities couldn't keep up.

Hmm, how should I describe it?
Before he learned composition and arrangement on a whim, Fang Xinghe felt that Jimmy Fallon had ruined "Fireworks Fade Easily" and that it would have been better to give it to Lin Zhixuan to sing.

After reaching 89 points with the cheat code... Holy crap, Huang Yuxun and Jay Chou, what kind of gods are you two?!
Lin Zhixuan's version of the song was sung very well, but the arrangement was rather cliché.

The original version was sung in a broken and fragmented way, with a dry and flat tone. The album just threw out the vocal track, and the pronunciation was affected and terrible. It's no wonder it didn't become popular. But the arrangement and composition were so amazing that they reached the level of profound silence.

Objectively speaking, Fang Xinghe's skill level of 89 points is simply not enough to replicate it.

Chinese style should be based on the five notes of the pentatonic scale (12356) and use traditional instruments as much as possible. You two put a bunch of 4 and 7 chords into the piano and guitar and it sounds so ethnic. I really can't do that!
Fang Ge didn't even know how to explain its value to laymen.

Well, roughly speaking, it's like using a long, serrated knife meant for cutting dry bread in the West to saw a piece of tofu in your hand, and it still tastes authentic?
It's just outrageous.

Fang Xinghe clearly realized that the difference between 89 attribute points and a level of 95 or above was too damn obvious.

Since there are no Star Points to add to his musical level now, he will not insist on it.

"Blowing Dreams to the West Continent" and "Lemon's Alternate Song of Chivalry" are definitely enough. The only difference is which one is used as the theme song and which one is used as an interlude.

Let's not rush into a decision, let's sing first and then decide.

Singer Fang plunged headfirst into the recording studio. Compared to his mediocre composing skills, his singing ability was heavily praised.

"Fang Shen is awesome!"

Holy crap! That's awesome!

"We have everything you could want, awesome!"

The people invited to help supervise the production were Zhao Jiping's son and his friends. They were not well-known, but they had high aspirations.

After listening to Fang Ge sing, everyone became his little fans.

Why is there such a big difference in singing and composing when both are at the same level of 89?

It's actually very simple—

Every piece of timeless classic music must be composed or arranged to a score of 95 or higher; otherwise, what kind of timeless classic can it be?

Does anyone remember Huang Yuxun's arrangement works that scored in the 60s or 70s?
A good song can't possibly have a bad arrangement or composition; that's an ironclad rule.

However, the performance level of classic musical works does not necessarily need to be very high.

How many of Richie Jen's works, Jay Chou's works, Kenshi Yonezu's works, and even most of Liu Dehua and Nicholas Tse's works have been sung to a 90+ level?
No.

Creation is creation, singing skills are singing skills, and popularity is popularity; they are completely unrelated.

Fang Xinghe's brilliance lies in his comprehensive skills, without any weaknesses, and his exceptionally powerful voice.

With a magnetic bass and a warm midrange, he naturally possesses overtones within the golden vocal range for male singers—which has absolutely nothing to do with technique; even his plain voice sounds beautiful.

Then the true voice range can reach C5, which is still quite full. Further up, it starts to become very ethereal—depending on the proportion of head voice mixed in.

To put it simply, his chest voice has a particularly rich texture, with strong resonance and natural overtones; his head voice is more ethereal, but not thin, and the cranial resonance is abnormal in terms of skeletal morphology.

When it comes to singing, talent is the foundation.

As for so-called vocal treatment, it is nothing more than the control of chest voice, head voice, and mixed voice.

First learn chest voice, then head voice, and then learn to mix the two. What sounds like a natural voice is a strong mixed voice, what sounds like a falsetto is a weak mixed voice, and what's in between is a balanced mixed voice...

Learning to sing is that simple.

But physical abilities are innate, and so is timbre; technique can make up for very little.

For artists like Jay Chou, who lack both vocal talent and timbre, the only option is to use their natural rhythm to break down the lyrics and add them in as a vocal instrument. It's really a last resort.

If you ask him if he wants to sing as freely as Zhou Shen, of course he does!

If a person has a pleasant chest voice and a good head voice, and they are at opposite ends of the spectrum, and they also have good mixing skills, then the resulting timbre will inevitably be vivid, diverse, and impactful.

What a coincidence, your brother Fang is exactly that kind of person.

So his song "The Fragrance of Chivalry" drove the kids crazy on the spot.

The next day, Zhao Jiping received the demo and was furious.

"No, if you're this good, why are you asking me to do the music? You could just do it yourself!"

I have absolutely no skill!

Fang Xinghe was well aware that the gap between him and Zhao Jiping in terms of music composition was equivalent to him having to take on LeBron James one-on-one.

But Zhao Jiping didn't think that way. He thought: You brat! You let me do the initial soundtrack, and you're hiding in the bushes, waiting to find fault with me and rewrite the second version yourself, is that it?!

I'll make sure you don't get your way!
Old Zhao panicked and hurriedly went back to re-examine the background music.

Well, that's pretty good. There are over three million jobs in total, and he's almost done eight million in work. Just the fact that each person has to do one musical note must be incredibly hard work.
Dog Fang chuckled and continued to invite people to listen to songs.

No matter how high one's standards are, no one can find fault with it; everyone is convinced.

Seriously, you're fucking awesome!

Yehenara heard the demo from Teacher Gu Jianfen and came to her place, so surprised that she swore.

The more professional you are, the more you can appreciate the quality of this Chinese-style lemon song.

The lyrics and music are incredibly popular, the arrangement is amazing, the vocal style is unique and sophisticated... it even pioneered a completely new music genre!
"What's this called? Ancient style? Chinese style? Traditional and popular?"

Next to her were Dou Wei and the princess; they were no longer together, but they were both moved by the song.

When did you learn composition, arrangement, and musical instruments?

Unable to explain, Fang Xinghe had no choice but to tell the truth.

"I don't think you need to specifically learn these things, right? You can just pick them up, fiddle with them a couple of times, and you'll know how. If you can hear the notes, isn't this just the simplest form of physical coordination? I learned to play the drums in less than five minutes..."

Grass!
A group of top music stars clenched their teeth, their temples throbbing, but managed not to utter a curse.

Is that even human language? Even a well-behaved dog wouldn't bark like that!

However, Masina's attitude was very good.

"Good brother, are there any songs from your play that I can sing? I'll sing them for you for free!"

Fang Xinghe chuckled and glanced at the Princess: "I've already invited Sister Fei, you can discuss it with her."

There will be two versions of "Dreaming of the West Continent": one version will be sung as a duet with the princess, and the other version will be sung as a duet with Liu Yifei.

The actress playing the younger version is definitely not good enough, but her version would be a nostalgic hit in the drama, making it feel different.

We'll discuss the specific arrangements after the performance.

So, Fang Ge sang with Faye Wong at her peak for another day, and it was truly exhilarating.

The original version of Xizhou was sung by two online singers. To be honest, the quality was quite average, even worse than the covers on Douyin (TikTok).

After Faye Wong sang this female version, Fang Da-guai couldn't keep up.

No kidding, Faye Wong is unbeatable in the recording studio.

The timbre is a bug, the singing ability is a bug, and the processing approach is so top-notch it's unimaginable.

"As You Wish" is the best example.

There are plenty of singers with better vocal abilities and better singing skills than her, but none of them can capture that same feeling.

Fang Xinghe's skill level of 89 points is unrestrained when singing solo, but he is trembling with fear when singing duet. It's not that Fang is too bad, but that the other side is cheating!
There's no other way but to slowly work it out, and when we can't get past the initial hurdles, we resort to using off-the-cuff tones.

The ending was naturally beautiful... a match made in heaven for two scoundrels!

Just hearing the initial synthesized audio track, big names like Zhao Jiping, Yehenara, and Dou Shenxian were completely impressed.

"Really, you two should be together forever..."

The moment the production was completed, Fang Xinghe made up his mind: Little Fairy, your version can be a quiet interlude or a bonus scene, the official release version must be my Sister Fei.

The young fairy had no objections.

She came to the recording studio a few days later. After recording, she felt pretty good about herself. But when she listened to the Faye Wong version, she immediately wilted, and the tuft of hair sticking up on her head drooped down.

"This version is fine enough, why do you want me to record another one?"

Seeing her unusual little temper, Fang Ge found it quite amusing.

"Without your comparison, who would realize how good that version is?"

He deliberately said something that made him deserve to be beaten up, and he actually did get beaten up.

Fang Xinghe immediately realized that her condition had basically recovered.

"Hey? You seem to be having a lot of fun filming Legend of Sword and Fairy. You've even become lively in the photos."

"Of course!" Nenxian proudly raised her head. "I'm the big sister on set. Not only do the actors listen to me, but the director also often consults me for ideas!"

Good guy!
If that's the case, is this version of "Chinese Paladin" still watchable?
You really believe this half-baked actress?
The doubts and schadenfreude only lingered in Fang Xinghe's mind for a few seconds before quickly dissipating. He had no time to pay attention to other people's dramas, even though "Chinese Paladin" was the biggest competitor to "The Return of the Condor Heroes," which was being hyped up by online trolls.

Let the Tang people try to piggyback on things; Fang Xinghe's only real opponent is himself.

In mid-October, all the work, including music composition, color grading, dubbing, and fine editing, was completed. Then, it took a week to obtain the broadcast license. The biggest challenge finally arrived – selling the show.

Media outlets across Asia strained their ears and opened their eyes wide.

How exactly will this unprecedented blockbuster in East Asian history be marketed? How much will it fetch?
Various groups are eager to make their move, and everyone is curious.

*******
Rhinitis spread to bronchitis and otitis media, resulting in not only wasted paper but also some wasted brain matter...

(End of this chapter)