Chapter 706
Teaching Yang Ying to Sing
After listening, Huang Xiaoming suddenly understood and a relieved expression appeared on his face: "So that's how it is. I understand now. Before, I was thinking about whether to ask Director Yao to arrange for me to appear on a few more episodes of Running Man to gain some goodwill through variety shows. Now it seems that I'm glad I didn't do that, otherwise it would have backfired. You're so thoughtful, Xiao Jiang. If it weren't for you, I really don't know how many detours I would have taken this time."
"You're welcome, Brother Xiaoming. I'm glad I could help you," Jiang Yang said with a smile. "The most important thing for us right now is to focus on polishing our work. As for the rest, let things take their course."
As the two were talking, the door to the recording studio was suddenly pushed open.
Yang Ying wore a simple white casual outfit, her long hair loosely tied back, and light makeup on her face. She looked more elegant and gentle than in front of the camera, with a more refined and glamorous look.
She had just finished recording a segment, and her voice was still slightly hoarse. Holding a bottle of warm water, her eyes lit up instantly when she saw Jiang Yang. A gentle smile appeared on her face as she quickly walked over, her tone friendly and enthusiastic: "Xiao Jiang, you've finally arrived! I've been waiting for you for so long."
Jiang Yang stood up, smiled and nodded, and said, "Sorry, Sister BABY, I was a little delayed on the way. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. I just heard from Brother Xiaoming that you've been practicing diligently lately. Thank you for your hard work."
"It's not hard work at all," Yang Ying waved her hand and said with a smile, "This song was specially written for me, so I definitely have to practice it well and not let you down. Besides, with the guidance of Teacher Wang and Teacher Chang, I have improved a lot. I just don't know if I can meet your expectations, so I called you specially to ask you to come and listen and give me some feedback."
As she spoke, she walked over and sat down next to Jiang Yang, her eyes filled with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation: "To be honest, I've been feeling unsure. I know my singing isn't good; my pitch and breath control are both problematic. Even though I've practiced for so long, I'm still afraid I won't sing this song well and will waste such a great piece of your work. After you listen to it, you must tell me the truth. If there are any problems, I'll fix them. I'm willing to practice for a few more months."
Looking at Yang Ying's sincere yet nervous appearance, Jiang Yang couldn't help but feel a bit of goodwill towards her. He smiled and said, "Baby, don't be too nervous. You've already done a great job by working so hard. I believe that as long as you practice diligently, you'll definitely be able to sing this song well. After I listen to it, I'll tell you all the problems I've found and give you some suggestions. Let's work together to make this song even better."
"Actually, during this period, Teacher Wang and Teacher Chang have given me a lot of advice, and I have been trying to correct it. For example, in terms of breath control, I practice abdominal breathing every day, and I don't dare to stop even when my voice is hoarse. In terms of pitch, I hum along with the accompaniment repeatedly and correct myself line by line. Sometimes I have to practice a song lyric dozens or hundreds of times before I can barely sing it accurately."
"I know you're working very hard."
Huang Xiaoming looked at Yang Ying, his voice full of heartache: "During this time, you've been spending every day in the practice room, sometimes working until late at night before going home. Your voice has become hoarse from singing several times. It breaks my heart to see you like this. But hard work pays off. I listened to the clip you just recorded, and you've improved so much since the beginning."
Yang Ying smiled, leaned on Huang Xiaoming's shoulder, and said gently, "As long as I can sing this song well, it's worth it no matter how hard it is. I also want to rely on my own efforts. I don't want to be criticized by netizens all the time, and I don't want to rely on you all the time. Moreover, this song is also related to our resource exchange with Xiao Jiang. I must sing it well and not delay the opportunity for Xiao Jiang's artists to appear on Running Man."
"Don't worry, it won't be delayed," Jiang Yang said with a smile. "Xiao Ming has almost secured the spot for me on Running Man. As long as this song can be released smoothly and achieve the expected results, you won't break your promise to me. Besides, I believe in you. You can definitely sing this song well. At that time, you will not only get rid of your negative labels, but also gain a wave of fans and improve your reputation."
“Thank you for your kind words, Xiao Jiang,” Yang Ying said with a smile. “By the way, Xiao Jiang, I have another question for you. In the chorus of this song, the line ‘How I long to see you again, even if it’s just a fleeting glance before parting,’ I can never quite capture that regretful yet tender feeling. It’s either too deliberate or too stiff. Teacher Wang and Teacher Chang have given me some guidance, telling me to immerse myself in the emotions and put myself in the song’s context, but I just can’t find the feeling. Could you give me some more guidance?”
Jiang Yang nodded and said, "No problem, Sister BABY. Actually, the core of this song's emotions is regret and tenderness. You don't need to pretend to be gentle or deliberately express regret. Just calm down, think about the thing you regret the most, and convey that delicate emotion through your breath. Sing it in the most natural tone, and that's enough."
He paused, then continued, "For example, the word 'you' in 'Goodbye You' doesn't need to be sung too sharply or too low. Just keep a steady mid-range tone, slow down your breath, and gently finish the song to bring out that faint sense of regret. Also, for 'Even if it's just a fleeting glance before parting,' you can sing it a little softer for a fleeting glance and a little louder for parting to highlight that reluctance and regret. This way, you can better convey the emotions of the song. When you record it later, you can try to put your own emotions into it. Take your time, don't rush."
“Okay, I understand, thank you, Xiao Jiang,” Yang Ying listened attentively, nodding as she listened. She even took out her phone and wrote down what Jiang Yang said. “When I record later, I’ll try it out using the method you suggested and see if I can get the feel for it.”
"Okay, keep it up," Jiang Yang said with a smile. "I believe in you, you can definitely do it."
Yang Ying smiled, stood up, and said, "Then I'll go continue recording. You just listen here. If you have any questions, just let me know." After saying that, she told Huang Xiaoming that she was going to record a song, and then turned and walked into the recording studio.
Watching Yang Ying walk into the recording studio, Huang Xiaoming smiled and said to Jiang Yang, "Xiao Jiang, I'll have to trouble you to give BABY some pointers. Although her singing skills aren't great, she's very hardworking. If someone gives her proper guidance, she can improve very quickly."
“Of course, Brother Xiaoming,” Jiang Yang smiled and said, “I wrote this song, and I hope it can be sung better and liked by more people.”
After finishing his conversation, Jiang Yang stopped chatting with Huang Xiaoming, stood up, walked to the control panel in the post-production studio, pulled up a chair, put on his listening headphones, and listened attentively to Yang Ying's recording with a serious and focused expression.
In the post-production studio, Chang Shilei and several sound engineers and post-production producers were all focused on the screen, occasionally exchanging a few words in hushed tones and adjusting the recording parameters. The only sounds in the room were Yang Ying's singing and the slight hum of the equipment.
Yang Ying's singing voice came through the monitoring headphones, soothing and gentle. You could clearly feel that she had indeed put in a lot of effort during this period, and her progress was very obvious compared to the beginning.
The most prominent issue before, pitch accuracy, has improved a lot. Although there are still occasional slight deviations, I can basically keep up with the melody. My breath control has also become much more stable. I no longer run out of breath halfway through a song like before. My phrasing has also become much smoother. Although my timbre is still a bit stiff and the problem of my "plain voice" has not been completely solved, it has become much softer and can subtly convey the tenderness and regret in the song.
As Jiang Yang listened, he nodded slightly, a relieved smile on his face.
He could sense that Yang Ying was truly singing with her heart; every lyric and every note conveyed her effort and dedication.
However, while he was pleased, he also noticed some problems. Although these problems weren't serious, they could still affect the overall effect of the song if not corrected promptly. First, there was the issue of pitch accuracy. Although the overall pitch accuracy had improved significantly, there were still slight deviations in pitch during several transitions in the chorus.
The emotional expression lacked subtlety. Although Yang Ying tried hard to embody the emotions, it still felt somewhat forced, and she didn't truly integrate herself into the song's context.
In addition, there's the issue of rhythm.
Although the overall melody keeps up with the accompaniment, there are still slight instances of rushing or slowing down in some details. For example, in the song "A Fleeting Glance and Then Parting," the pause between "A Fleeting Glance" and "The Parting" is a little too long, which disrupts the rhythm and cadence of the song.
After Yang Ying finished singing, she took off her monitoring headphones and walked out of the recording booth with a look of anticipation on her face. She quickly walked to Jiang Yang's side and asked, "Xiao Jiang, how was it? Did I sing well? Were there any problems?"
Jiang Yang took off his headphones, turned around, looked at Yang Ying, and said with a gentle smile, "Sister BABY, you sang very well. You've made great progress, even better than I expected. I can tell you've worked really hard lately. Your pitch and breath control are much better than at the beginning, and you conveyed the emotions quite well."
Hearing Jiang Yang's praise, Yang Ying smiled happily, and the anxiety in her eyes completely disappeared: "Really? That's great! I was worried that I wouldn't sing well. As long as I've improved, I'm relieved."
Yang Ying listened attentively, nodded, and said, "Okay, I've got it. I'll focus on practicing these few sentences later."
"Teacher Wang mentioned the issue of breath control to me before. I've been practicing, but sometimes when I get really into the song, I forget to pay attention to my breath. I'll definitely pay more attention to it later."
"Then, there's the issue of emotional expression."
Jiang Yang said, "Although you tried to immerse yourself in the emotions, it still felt a bit forced. You didn't truly connect with the song's context. For example, the line 'How I wish I could see you again' didn't convey a strong sense of regret. You could try thinking about the things you regret most, like people you've missed or things you haven't accomplished. Try to convey that delicate, heartfelt reluctance and longing through your breath, and sing it in the most natural tone. Don't try to be gentle; the more natural you are, the more infectious it will be."
“There’s also the rhythm,” Jiang Yang added. “In some details, there are slight beats that are too fast or too slow. You can listen to the accompaniment a few times to get familiar with the rhythm of the song and get a good grasp of the pauses and emphasis of each phrase. That way, you can match the accompaniment perfectly.”
"Okay, Xiao Jiang, thank you," Yang Ying said sincerely, carefully noting down all the questions Jiang Yang raised on her phone. "These are all very important questions. I'll adjust them one by one and re-record it later. I promise you won't be disappointed."
"No need to rush, take your time," Jiang Yang said with a smile. "You've already made great progress. With just a little adjustment, you can achieve excellent results. By the way, how about I go in and sing it for you as a reference? You can feel the emotions and rhythm of the song and perhaps find the right feeling for it."
Upon hearing that Jiang Yang was going to sing it himself, Yang Ying's eyes lit up instantly, and a look of surprise appeared on her face: "Really? That's great, Xiao Jiang, thank you so much! I've wanted to hear you sing this song for a long time. You are the author of this song, so you must understand the emotions in this song the most. The effect of your singing will definitely be much better than mine."
Huang Xiaoming also said with a smile, "Yes, Xiao Jiang, just sing it once. I also want to hear you sing this song and see what the original flavor of this song is like."
Chang Shilei and several sound engineers and post-production producers all looked up, their faces showing anticipation.
They had long heard that Jiang Yang was not only a songwriter but also a very good singer, but they had never had the chance to hear him sing. Now that they could hear Jiang Yang sing his own songs, they were all looking forward to it.
Jiang Yang smiled, nodded, and said, "Alright, then I'll make a fool of myself."
After saying that, he stood up, walked into the recording studio, put on his monitoring headphones, and gestured to the recording engineer that they could begin.
The sound engineer nodded, pressed the record button, and the accompaniment slowly began, its soothing and gentle melody echoing in the recording studio.
Jiang Yang took a deep breath, closed his eyes, calmed himself down, and immersed himself in the song's atmosphere before slowly beginning to sing.
Jiang Yang's voice is deep and gentle, like a spring breeze that gently caresses the heart. Every note is sung with precision and delicacy, without the slightest off-key note. His breath is steady and long, and the breaths between sentences are natural and smooth, without a trace of stiffness.
His emotional expression was incredibly delicate. There was no deliberate sentimentality or exaggerated performance; he simply used the most natural and sincere tone to vividly portray the regret and tenderness in the song.
The reluctance and longing in her tone seemed to penetrate the screen and strike a chord in people's hearts, making them think of the people they had missed and the regrets in their own lives, and their eyes would well up with tears.
The transitions in the chorus are smooth and natural, with perfect transitions between high and low notes, without any abruptness or stuttering. During sustained notes, the breath control is stable and long, the voice gentle yet powerful, pushing the song's emotion to a climax. Every word, every note, is filled with deep feeling, conveying both regretful sadness and tender longing, captivating the listener and leaving them unable to pull themselves away. (End of Chapter)