20: 6.3 20:
When that was finished, I showed her a video of a previous session of the song we were doing today.
Senpai was watching it intently, which was rare for her usual calm self.
We called it a session, but everyone brought different instruments.
There were people who purely brought keyboards, people who used microphones with melodicas to forcibly increase the volume, and people who brought keytars that allowed them to move around like an electric guitarist.
The electric guitar might be the one whose appearance and instrument were most consistent.
There are acoustic types with a hollow interior and solid types with no hollow, but they generally fall within the range of imagination.
—Though they result in a thousand different sounds because the sound is easiest to manipulate with effects.
The bass could be a double bass or an electric bass, but everyone brought instruments with their own personalities.
Some people brought a shamisen instead of a guitar.
This too was a novelty unique to jazz, which is at the forefront of progress.
Even though Japanese and Western scales are naturally different, the fact that they could play the Do-Re-Mi scale showed the incredible skill of the person who brought it.
The only thing that didn’t change was the drums.
Some people occasionally brought a Japanese drum or their own cymbals for accent, but basically, everyone shared the drum set on stage.
—Drum sets are the hardest to transport, so I suppose it can’t be helped.
Regardless of my thoughts, Mizore-senpai was staring intently at the videos of past sessions.
“Even though it’s the same song, everyone is different and it’s interesting…” In Mizore-senpai’s eyes, I felt a rare, passionate flame that wasn’t there in her usually calm gaze.
—Yes, that is the charm of a session.
Everyone thinks different things depending on the time of day and the day, and it changes from moment to moment.
When you forcibly bring that together in a band, it’s only natural, but mysteriously, the same song becomes a different piece of music every single time.
Of course, there are basic rules like playing notes that match the chord of that measure, not letting the rhythm slip, and observing the timing of coming together and separating, but that’s it.
Today, I consulted with the manager and had him include many songs with notes that could be played on the oboe.
I was looking forward to Mizore-senpai’s performance myself.
And then, the session began.
Mizore-senpai was warned about the “one drink” rule, and she hurriedly exchanged her money for a drink and went up on stage.
I also ordered a random soft drink for my one drink and went up on stage with my guitar.
Spring nights are chilly, and I still wear winter clothes at night, but once hit by the spotlights, it immediately felt hot.
—”Spotlights have magical power.” There is such a saying.
Spotlights give the magical power called “brilliance” equally to both the one they hit and the one who sees them.
When Mizore-senpai was hit by the spotlight, her glossy indigo hair, which seemed to lack a single split end, looked even more beautiful.
Her chest, which was usually not emphasized as it was hidden by her uniform, was hit by the strong light of the spotlight, creating stronger shadows on her waist and emphasizing her bust, making me unintentionally swallow hard.
The T-shirt tucked into the hem of her trousers emphasized her chest even more.
Pure, yet erotic.
I was made to realize she was someone who embodied that perfectly.
Regardless of my surging thoughts, Mizore-senpai stood in the center of the stage next to me.
She was being taught by the PA person how to set up the microphone.
PAs in live houses exist to adjust the somewhat irrational band sound.
For example, the speakers placed in front of the performers, called “monitors,” produce what is called a “foldback” sound.
The drums, guitar, vocals—their directions are all aimed uniformly toward the audience, but in a band ensemble, it can be hard to hear the other parts.
To prevent that, they purposefully “set up separate microphones” for the drum and the speaker part of the guitar (called the cabinet) and “fold back” a mix of the vocals and others’ sounds to the performers.
This allows the performers to try to balance things themselves by hearing their own sound and the sounds of others.
Of course, those sounds are also played for the audience through separate speakers.
The spotlights flickered into full swing, and the song finally began.
The drummer took the count by hitting their sticks—”One, two!” In this live house, it was a standard number.
It’s a famous song, but with some slight arrangements.
Namely, solo parts were added for everyone.
Everyone produced sounds that seemed enjoyable.
Most of the performers were meeting each other for the first time, but everyone was radiant with smiles.
The indescribable, supreme feeling of performing with strangers.
—This is truly the joy of music.
—It’s been this good since the first time I had sex!
It felt that good.
Mizore-senpai also looked stiff and nervous at first, but once the first chorus ended and we entered the second verse, that seemed to ease up a bit.
Mizore-senpai usually performs in a rigid way, but by the time we entered the A-part of the third verse, her face was rarely flushed and she was smiling.