Why bother writing songs? Fast forward to the "Don't Laugh Challenge"

Chapter 123 Drunken World, Slightly Intoxicated Years

Not having a band was a choice Xia made after careful consideration.

Because the song change was done hastily, although the bands on the show are all top-notch in the industry, that's undeniable, and given their skill level, they could indeed play the song if given the sheet music.

Bands that can participate in this kind of program are basically all at the performance level, with everyone able to play music and could give masterclasses outside.

However, no matter what, performing for the first time in a rush without rehearsal will always lead to a less than smooth performance.

The appearance of the previous contestants, for example, proved Xia Shen's foresight.

After all, no matter how amazing the band members are, they are still just human beings. They are not gods and cannot do everything.

To prevent any unexpected situations and to better showcase the desired stage effect, the safest approach is to perform the accompaniment for this song yourself, using MIDI and live mixing/DJing techniques.

This song itself is an R&B song that blends many elements. As long as it's R&B, it can be MIDI!

At that moment, Xia Shen listened to the ticking metronome in his monitoring headphones and pressed one finger onto the beat pad.

On the other hand, his left hand was resting on a keyboard.

At the same time, a deep bass drum sounded in sync with the melody.

He can only play with his left hand because the drum must be played with the right hand; this is of utmost importance. As the soul of a song, the stability of the drum often determines everything.

The arrangement of this song, "Hair Like Snow," is very sophisticated. It directly adopts the pentatonic scale, which is mainly composed of the five notes of the pentatonic scale (Gong, Shang, Jiao, Zhi, Yu), and is supplemented by the seven-note scale of modern pop music, the 24-beat rhythm of R&B, and the offbeat, creating a listening experience that blends classical and modern elements.

Firstly, the first verse is in the key of La, which is the tonic and has a melancholic tone. The chorus uses key changes to increase tension.

The drums, played on the wrong beat, sound scattered, but maintaining the rhythm is actually very difficult, and it is a very typical rhythm in Black music.

Simply put, you can clearly hear many places where two drumbeats are connected together, and then a single drumbeat returns to center.

The melody also makes extensive use of glissando and incorporates the timbres of many traditional Chinese musical instruments, such as the pipa, guzheng, and guqin, supplemented by piano and effects sounds.

One keyboard is definitely not enough, no matter how fast you change the tone, you can't do it all, you have to use several keyboards at the same time.

It has to be said that the pressure was immense and the difficulty was extremely high.

After all, it's incredibly difficult for one person to do the work of an entire band.
If it weren't for the fact that there wasn't even a studio version of the backing track available in such a rush, Xia Shen would have preferred to just use the backing track directly, since typing it out himself wouldn't completely avoid making mistakes.

After a crisp, clear drumbeat, Zhou Yumeng began to sing.

"Under the crescent moon, she appears haggard; I raise my cup and drink in the wind and snow."

"Who overturned the cabinet of past lives, stirring up dust and trouble?"

"The word 'fate' has been used in countless reincarnations. You furrow your brows and weep, but your beauty cannot be brought back."

Even though history has turned to ashes, my love will never die.

"The bustling world is like three thousand rivers flowing eastward, but I only take a ladleful of love to understand."

"I only love the butterfly you've transformed into."

Xia Shen listened and nodded silently.

It seems Zhou Yumeng remembered his tips, at least she sang out the feeling he wanted.

Of course, it can't compare to when there's been ample rehearsal, but in a rush, this is enough.

At that very moment, Xia Shen pulled out his right hand and swiftly flicked the knob on the turntable to activate the reverb effect.

A resounding "Phoenix—" was immediately emitted.

His hand returned to the pad at lightning speed. The entire operation took only a fraction of a second, and his left hand never stopped typing on the keyboard.

A greater reverberation and a richer, more resonant sound entered the chorus.

Zhou Yumeng also suddenly intensified her singing.

"Your hair, as white as snow, paints a poignant picture of parting; my burning incense, who does it move?"

"Invite the bright moon, let memories shine, love is perfect under the moonlight~"

Your hair is like snow, fluttering with tears—whom have I waited for until I grow old?

"Intoxicated by the world's pleasures, intoxicated by the passing years~"

"With unwavering devotion, I will etch an eternal monument to your love."

Throughout the entire process, Xia Shen's hands seemed to wish they had eight more pairs.

Although he looked very rushed and busy, Xia Shen's forehead was covered in sweat, and he was drenched in sweat all over, with a blank look in his eyes.

But it's stable; it looks chaotic, but it bounces off very steadily.

At this time, the barrage had exploded.

"I'm speechless." "Awesome! Bro! I'm impressed!"

"what???"

"Can one person really play this thing?"

“From today onwards, if anyone tells me that Xia Shen is not good enough, I’ll get angry with them. Once the famous moments of this one-man band get out, I don’t know how many people will be scared to tears.”

"Damn it, is this what top students from Shanghai Conservatory of Music are like?"

"Wrong! This is at the level of the world's top 100!"

“Awesome!!!”

"Although Zhou Yumeng's singing wasn't as good as the previous two rounds, I don't know why, maybe she was affected, but Zhou Yumeng is just blessed with talent, her voice is too good. Even if she didn't perform as well as before, she still crushed everyone present."

"It's in the bag! First place is secured!!"

"Indeed, the quality of this episode is not good!"

And it wasn't just the audience who were terrified and cried.

The claim that the audience was so frightened they cried was likely an exaggeration.

But at this moment, some people were genuinely sweating profusely from listening.

That's the production team!

Director Zhang Qianglin looked at the monitor screen, then at Xia Shen, who was busily working on the stage in the distance, and at the sound effects coming from the live sound system, including the singing.

"This is the song they changed to???" He suddenly looked at the director.

"Yes, yes." The director nodded in agreement.

"Didn't you approve their song change?" Zhang Qianglin gritted his teeth.

What the hell are you expecting him to do? The whole thing was supposed to be a surprise attack, to really put his strength to the test.

As a result, he also listened to the song that Xia Shen and Zhou Yumeng had chosen earlier.

Well, it's okay, but not exceptionally good. It's the kind of song that's decent but not bad in the eyes of professionals.

But to someone like him who also studies the market, he knew it wouldn't be a hit.

It's the kind of song that only professionals can understand.

But this song is different!
How should I put it? This song, "Hair Like Snow," is way more terrifying than Xia Shen and Zhou Yumeng's previous song choices!

It's the kind of arrangement that professionals can't find fault with; it incorporates a wide range of elements and is incredibly sophisticated.

At the same time, songs that are also well-received by the market! Because even people who don't understand music will find them pleasant to listen to!
This is a true masterpiece!
At this moment, Zhang Qianglin looked as if he had seen a ghost.

"You're telling me this was written in just one hour??"

What kind of monster is this?

He had heard before that Xia Shen was prolific, fast, and strong.

But I don't really have a concept of it yet.

Take a look now.

Damn it, is this strong?

This is a monster!

So this is the strength of China's first person to be ranked in the world's top 100?
"What do we do now?" the director asked.

"I don't care about the process, the result can't change. Zhang Yuge must be number one!" Zhang Qianglin gritted his teeth and finally made up his mind.

Whether Zhang Yuge can rise to prominence has a huge impact, involving many things behind the scenes, and even the station's internal plans.

So what if Xia Shen and Zhou Yumeng are incredibly capable? They are from the July Group, not from Xiangjiang.

"Give the order."

Zhang Qianglin immediately asked the director to come closer.

These are all stories that happened behind the scenes, unknown to anyone.

Meanwhile, "Hair Like Snow" has become a trending topic online!

Along with that, there's also Xia Shen's iconic octopus-like scene.

(End of this chapter)