performance & lessons

[pissandvinegar]

Who: music appreciators
When: September 29th, early morning
Where: library
What: plink
Warnings: sqq is a severe and old-fashioned teacher and I mean that in the worst way. sorry in advance

[ sometime yesterday an inked note appeared on the bulletin board:

Qin performance and lessons will be held at the library tomorrow in the morning.

with a painted depiction of an analog clock face depicting 6 o' clock. so. the writer of the note expects attendees to be awake before the morning bell and also skip out on breakfast in the cafeteria if they want to come, apparently.

Kongxu has set things up at some of the study tables. there are a number of unstrung guqins lined up occupying one table, and he himself is sat at another, his own instrument already prepared. he tunes it before the bell rings, though he already tuned it earlier, so it's more just a formality of a quick check.

after the bell rings, after a silence to let the sound of the bell leave the air, he plays a classic piece, without introduction or fanfare. if anyone talks while he plays he just ignores them but you should tell me in your reply if they did or not so that he can react after the fact,

when the piece comes to a close he sets his hands on the strings to mute them. ]

If you want to learn, you'll start by learning to string and tune it. Take a qin.

[ he takes one of the unstrung ones himself, starting to demonstrate how to tie the strings and wrap them through the tuning pegs ]

Comments

[demonvinegar]

[ taking a qin. he's going to be so normal about this. ]

[pissandvinegar]

[ he's going to be so normal about this

watches expectantly. he should already know how to do this part. ]

[demonvinegar]

[ he does, and he strings the qin quite expertly. at least better than he could whenever Shen Jiu last saw him string a qin, which was likely in his childhood. before the abyss.

he also proceeds to tune the instrument. after he finishes he waits for the other students to be done. ... while watching shen qingqiu go about instructing the others. but look he's done it perfectly already look look look at hiiim ]

[pissandvinegar]

[ he finishes demonstrating stringing and tuning his own qin, first, then goes around to check. reaches out as he passes, strumming all lbh's strings in one go to check the sound. as always lbh is infuriatingly prodigious at everything ]

Demonstrate the other tunings. Change it to qingshang diao.

[demonvinegar]

[ if you want to see him fail at something you should check him out in the chemistry post--

but yes. the cold assessment and lack of criticism is enough to fill him with a sense of accomplishment and he nods, eagerly adjusting the pegs accordingly. ]

[bowtiedbones]

[she’s here BRIGHT AND EARLY to support her teammate and to learn. this event is the best, people just keep teaching her things.

Eowyn stays quiet through the performance, of course, except to take out a notebook and make a small sketch of him playing]

[pissandvinegar]

[ sometimes... a school really is a place of learning

after he's finished demonstrating one string, asking her ]

Did you understand how to tie the knot?

[bowtiedbones]

Is it like this?

[she holds the string up and ties it loosely in the air, checking before she has to do it with tension on the qin]

[pissandvinegar]

Yes, like that. Then lead it through here.

[ runs his fingers down the string's intended path, through the cord then around the tuning peg ]

[inexorableiron]

[He promised to help, so he is, but if you think this asshole is showing up any earlier than 5:59 you are WRONG.

He even stays quiet during the show but he also keep his eyes closed... ]

Zither, huh.

[pissandvinegar]

Have you already received instruction before?

[ as he continues to string the qin ]

[inexorableiron]

Nah, old man didn't want us doin' that. But my mother could play.

[pissandvinegar]

Surprising. Where I'm from, it's considered a scholar's instrument.

Are you here to learn?

[parttimesoldier]

[So early... luckily, Suzuha is a bit of a morning person and despite having to get up even earlier than usual, she's right here to learn. She's watching the entire demonstration with very serious attention.]

Super cool. [Pulling a qin over.] Bet this sorta thing must take lots of practice to get good at.

[pissandvinegar]

[ wryly, almost apologetically ]

It does. It takes years.

Go ahead.

[ he'll watch and check what she does as she goes ]

[parttimesoldier]

So I should expect to make plenty of noob mistakes.

[Said with some humor. Also just borrowing slang she heard Daru use once or twice, dwbi.

And she gets to work. While she's pretty clearly out of her element with this sort of thing, she's at least got deft hands.]

[pissandvinegar]

[ he doesn't know what a noob is but he isn't going to admit that rn

guiding her gently through it, showing each step on his instrument and then indicating where and how she should do the same on her own ]

Well done. You have a good sense for how much force to use.

[presgarddihellis]

[surely this is a good thing to do when your head is still regretting drinking games the next day.]

[pissandvinegar]

[ surely ]

Good morning, Raven-gongzi. Did you want to learn? Or just to listen?

[presgarddihellis]

... listening.

If that is alright.

[pissandvinegar]

Of course. Thank you for coming.

[ he'll settle in and start playing Harmony between Gods and Men ]

[ratiocinations]

[He has not let it be known to many here, but one of Holmes' passions is music — and he has the most familiarity with stringed instruments.

Though this is the first time he's even held a qin, honestly.

Still, he listens intently and does his best to string it. Carefully, carefully...]

[pissandvinegar]

[ watches him along with the other students. eventually he reaches over, undoing the string Sherlock was in the midst of and pulling it out ]

Too loose. Do it again.

[ is he still irked about the explosion or is he just like this. maybe both ]

[ratiocinations]

[wow, hey-]

You might at least let me fail entirely before you tell me to try it again.

[pissandvinegar]

[ evenly ]

Is your expertise greater than mine in how to instruct this class?