[ sousei & jae-ha make mistakes ]

[alttitude]

Comments

[alttitude]

Then I suppose it's time for you to learn something entirely new.

[he's about to reach out and

actually he'll be good - ]

I'm going to touch you - to guide you where to place your hands. So don't punch me.

[wow this still sounds lewd i didn't mean for that]

[disilluded]

[hey i hate this thanks]

... Yes, yes, very well.

[Probably a good warning because Sousei wouldn't take well to being touched without warning.

But.

He'll be obedient when Jae-ha does move his hands, so long as he really is good about it.]

[alttitude]

[honestly this is working to give him something to focus on. when sousei seems to accept it easily, jae-ha guides one hand to hold the body of the erhu and place his fingers against the strings

the other holds the bow and helps him angle it correctly - ]

This position is... C?

[to be quite honest jae-ha reads a lot, so he probably knows a decent amount about basic music things but it's not until he helps guide sousei's hand to move the bow across the strings of the erhu and hears the note that he confirms - ]

Yes, that's the one.

[disilluded]

[Sousei doesn't seem to mind that he has to test the notes either; he can't play instruments at all, so it's fine.

He just waits patiently, and listens to the note as well, expression contemplative. Hm...]

Very well then. I believe I can remember that much.

[Who would've thought that this would be how he would learn something like this...? Certainly not him.]

[alttitude]

I would hope so - it's the very middle of the staff. You can go higher or lower from here.

[and jae-ha will remove his hands from sousei's and prompt him:]

Now try again, with the same motion I pulled your hand through.

[something smooth and long, to coax the note out of the instrument]

[disilluded]

Hm... alright.

[He will try. And while the movement is obviously not as practiced or smooth as Jae-ha's, this is still relatively simple for him. It's an easy movement, and he picks things up fast--and precision has always been the name of the game for him.

A similar movement...!!

And a similar note coaxed out.]

[alttitude]

Oh, that's not bad! With practice, it'll be cleaner.

[and he'll reach out again, slowly so that sousei knows it's coming, then moving to rearrange his fingers - ]

This should make a higher note.

[disilluded]

[Thanks for not getting yourself punched, Jae-ha.

Higher... okay. And again, he tries. The movement is still acceptable, but there's a particular twist to Sousei's lips that makes it very plain that he's not satisfied with just "not bad".

So he'll try again before Jae-ha says anything.

Perfectionist.]

[alttitude]

[god he's dumb

jae-ha laughs, faintly endeared as he offers a tip]

Raise your elbow slightly, it'll get the bow to press more cleanly against the string. Don't rush it either - it's the longevity that makes it beautiful.

[disilluded]

[Sousei doesn't even really want to learn this instrument? He's here to make Jae-ha feel better (even if you'd have to stab him to get him to admit that), and yet.

Perfectionist.

Jae-ha's advice helps, though; he quietly adjusts according to his words, and... a much cleaner note is the result.

Aha. Much better.

Sousei's so lame.]

[alttitude]

Good.

Now try to transition between the two notes.

[ . . . . he was supposed to teach

but now he feels like offering sousei the challenge and him figuring it out himself might be more satisfying for him]

[disilluded]

[That's.

Incredibly rude, Jae-ha.

Sousei pauses, because he's puzzled even if he doesn't look it. He has no idea how to do something like that? Still, there are only so many possibilities. Jae-ha taught him both notes, which means he theoretically just has to move his fingers from one note to the next while sliding the bow along the strings.

Theoretically.

And so he'll try it, because he doesn't back down from a challenge--and it's...well.

It's not clean.

But he does transition between the two notes, eyes narrowed slightly as he focuses on this.]

[alttitude]

If I say "not bad" again, will it offend you?

[but you know

it is not bad given the lack of instruction]

[disilluded]

[No, he knows it was pretty much mediocre, but--]

Save your breath and use it to instead assist--or I will try to figure it out for myself.

[so he's not offended but still too much of a perfectionist to let this slide.]

[alttitude]

Try again - you have the right idea in mind. Or would you like to watch and try to mimic?

[he'll hold his hands out - that's how he learned after all, just observing others and then trying to do as they did

a dragon adapting to human life]

[disilluded]

Hm.

Allow me to try again, first.

[Which he will do. It's a little smoother this time, but he's just working at trying to get the timing done correctly. It's a trip when you're not used to playing instruments at all.

He's.

Still trying through because he can.]

[alttitude]

[of course he is. meanwhile jae-ha waits patiently, listening to the sounds and ultimately finding it going much better than the time yona tried to play his instrument

on a particular improvement he nods - ]

Nearly.

[disilluded]

[...Hm.

Yeah, he's a bit more precise than Yona--but he simply nods, trying to remember that feeling in particular, and the other adjustments Jae-ha made before, and tries once more.

Progress...... slow progress.]

[alttitude]

[It is slow - but it is progress. And it gives Jae-ha something to focus on, and when he does help it's silent, reaching out to guide Sousei's fingers to more smoothly transition from one note to the other.

It takes practice, certainly, but more skilled hands showing the way also can't hurt.]

[disilluded]

[It definitely helps. With Jae-ha's guidance, that note ends up being much cleaner and smoother as it's transitioned.

Hm..... Nice. Even Sousei can appreciate that sound.]

... Hm. Acceptable.

[alttitude]

[Ah - Jae-ha's satisfaction mirrors Sousei's as he hums a moment later, oddly in tune with the notes.]

Once you master the transitioning between notes, and learn more of them, that's all you really need to play. An ear and some patience.

[disilluded]

[Hm...]

I do not really have any intentions of learning how to play more properly.

[He was...just doing this for Jae-ha's sake.......... not that he'll admit that either.]

But it is not terrible to be able to do even just this much.

[alttitude]

[gently ????

because why learn if you're not individually curious, was jae-ha really that pushy]

Mm? Why not? It's never a bad thing to pick up a new skill.

[disilluded]

[............

A long pause.

Sousei attempts the notes again, to buy himself some time.]

... It simply isn't a skill that will have much use for me.

[alttitude]

[ . . . . ]

And so you tried so hard to learn it because....