Chapter 35
“Young Master! The meal is ready!”
“Thanks.”
“Young Master! I’ll put your clothes here!”
“Ah.”
“Young Master! Should I take the sheet music you drew yesterday to Mr. Erdi?”
“…”
Is it possible for the mansion to become this noisy just because of one more person?
It’s surprising.
“Young Master? Are you heading to your work?”
Today was no different.
I was about to head to my office after quickly finishing a meal when Diana called out to me.
When I turned around without saying anything, she clasped her hands and covered her mouth.
“I’ll stay quiet!”
At least it’s quiet during work hours, thank goodness.
Her personality is so cheerful that the other servants have already started complimenting her.
“I heard the Young Master personally hired her? As expected, he has a great eye, just like the Count!”
“I think we should teach her some kitchen work soon. She brought some snacks yesterday, and they were quite good.”
She passed the initial impression test.
I’m looking forward to how she’ll adjust in the future.
“See you in the evening.”
“Yes!”
Diana left for more training, and I headed into the office.
Theo was organizing the ledger.
“No issues?”
“Of course. Everything’s going smoothly.”
He knows what to do without needing me to say a word.
I’m grateful he’s here.
I could never have done it alone.
‘Speaking of which, I wonder how Father is doing.’
I should contact him sometime soon.
***
Evening.
After finishing my work, I returned to my room.
“Young Master! Welcome back!”
A spotless table and bed.
A floor and windows without a speck of dust.
It seemed like she had done a thorough cleaning while I was gone.
Very good.
Even the piano was almost like a mirror.
It was so polished that my face would reflect if I leaned in.
“Oh.”
In any case.
I wasn’t here with her for just any reason.
It was time for a piano lesson.
Starting now.
Diana is a complete beginner.
She had never seen an actual piano before I and Erdi visited her village.
Since it’s her first time, it’s better to focus on practical training than theory to keep it fun.
“Take a seat.”
“Yes!”
I adjusted her posture briefly and taught her the scales.
“Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Si. This side is for low notes, and this side is for high notes.”
“Oh… I see…!”
“Try pressing it.”
Diana wiggled her fingers and gently tapped the keys.
“This is amazing… The notes get higher as you move to the right!”
“That’s exactly right. The part you just ‘played’ is called an octave, so make sure to remember that.”
“Yes!”
The basics continued for a few more days.
After finishing my duties in the estate, I’d go up to my room for piano practice.
It was about the level of a five-year-old child taking their first steps in a music academy back on Earth.
“Let’s review what I taught you yesterday.”
At my words, Diana placed her right hand on the keys.
“Start!”
A cheerful melody flowed out immediately.
“Do, Do… Sol, Sol… La, La, Sol…”
She whispered the notes softly, as if worried she might make a mistake.
“Fa, Fa… Mi, Mi… Re, Re, Do…”
“Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”
Since using both hands is still difficult for her, I’ve only taught her the right-hand melody for now.
Of course, the difficulty was greatly adjusted to match her current skill level.
“Relax your muscles a bit more so that the notes flow smoothly. If your wrist and fingers are too stiff, the sound will come out choppy and unnatural.”
“Yes!”
“You practiced pedaling, right?”
“Yes, I did!”
She was following along better than expected.
At this pace, she should be able to play simple children’s songs without much trouble in a few weeks.
By the way, each lesson lasts for about 2 hours.
“Thank you for today! Good night, Young Master!”
Diana got up and bowed deeply after lifting her hands off the keys.
“You worked hard. Don’t forget what I taught you today.”
She then hurried out of the room.
Now, time for some freedom.
…Yeah, right.
Once she leaves, it’s time for another round of work.
‘Jubel Release Commemorative Recital.’
I plan to perform five tracks from the animated soundtrack that was originally released through Jubel at the theatre soon.
I’ve already prepared all the sheet music.
Though I could rely on the sheet music for recording, for the performance, it’s best to have everything memorized.
The difference between fully internalizing it and not is quite significant.
It shows in the quality of the performance.
To present a more polished performance to the audience, I need to have the music so ingrained in my mind that my fingers move on their own, even while sleeping.
“Let’s get started.”
Bar by bar.
I closely examined each note, entering memorization mode.
***
“Again.”
“Yes…”
The next day.
It was practice time with Diana again.
Yesterday, I taught her the right-hand melody of ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.’ Today, I introduced the left-hand rhythm and the technique of playing with both hands.
Technically, this was the very basics of the basics in piano.
But.
She seemed to be struggling, making frequent mistakes.
“Is it hard?”
“My hands and head aren’t in sync.”
Well, that makes sense.
“Take it slow. Focus on hitting each note accurately.”
Basic skills aren’t something that can be mastered overnight.
The first step is always the hardest.
But that doesn’t mean it can be overlooked.
The real world of piano begins the moment you can freely use both hands.
Just like a house with a weak foundation will collapse, if you don’t build a strong foundation here, problems will arise later.
Yet, Diana still stumbles, sighing deeply.
“Why isn’t it working…?”
“Try playing with just your left hand first.”
“Yes.”
This time, she manages quite well.
It’s just simple bass notes, so it would be stranger if she made mistakes.
Now, both hands.
Again, she makes repeated mistakes.
“Nothing comes easily. You just have to keep practicing until you get it right. This is your homework. You can’t leave until you’ve memorized all eight measures.”
“Yes! I’ll work hard!”
Even so, it seems she’s more excited than frustrated.
Playing with both hands on the piano is often considered a beginner’s hurdle, just like the F chord in guitar or vibrato on a violin.
But once you overcome this stage, everything gets easier.
Confidence starts to build.
A performer with confidence.
No one can stop that.
With practice, success will eventually come, and that belief makes even the struggle enjoyable.
Sure enough.
“Oh! I did it, Young Master!”
It looks like she can now play one or two measures without much difficulty.
“There’s still a long way to go. Keep practicing without rest.”
“Yes!”
If Erdi is a genius character who learns ten things when taught one, Diana is the hard-working type, slow but steady.
For the record, I fall somewhere in between.
In any case, skills aren’t gained for free.
Whether you’re a genius or a hard worker, you have to pay the price to move forward.
And that price is consistent training.
‘Both of them have promising futures.’
In just five years, someone more skilled than me might emerge in the capital.
Of course, that’s a good thing, but I can’t lose just yet.
I have a lot of work to do to lay the groundwork for them to flourish freely.
With Diana by my side, fully immersed in practice to the point of losing track of time, I returned to memorizing the sheet music.
***
About three days later.
Diana, pressing the keys with a bright smile.
Now, she’s at a level where playing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” is easy.
“You’ve improved a lot.”
“Thank you for the compliment! I’ll work even harder!”
It seems like she’s ready to move on to the next stage.
“Now, I’ll teach you about chords.”
Chords.
The basics of left-hand accompaniment.
“Press Do, Mi, and Sol together with three fingers like this.”
“Wow!”
Do, Mi, Sol—C major triad.
“Now play them one by one.”
Do-Sol-Mi-Sol, Alberti bass.
It’s a left-hand accompaniment pattern that gives rhythm with smooth and continuous movements.
It seems she’s still finding it easy, as she follows along well.
“Now, try adding the right-hand melody of ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’ over the chords I just taught you.”
“Oh, um…”
“Practice it.”
“Yes.”
Even the same piece can sound much more elegant with a different playing style.
“Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” is a perfect piece for illustrating that change.
First, the beginner version, building rhythm only with the bass notes of Do and Sol.
It’s easy to play, but a bit plain.
Next, adding a C major and G major chord in place of the bass notes.
This can give it a much richer feel.
Going further, breaking down the chords and playing them as an Alberti bass.
Even the melody can be changed.
A simple quarter-note pattern can be embellished with eighth notes or sixteenth notes, adding grace notes or occasionally changing the tempo to make it more diverse and lively.
This is called a variation.
Perhaps the most famous variation of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” is the one composed by Mozart.
Someday, I plan to teach Diana that piece.
‘Though it might take quite a while.’
When she reaches the level where she can play a children’s song and then tackle Mozart’s variations, the sense of achievement will be immense.
I was smiling with satisfaction, thinking about that.
“Young Master! This is too difficult!”
Diana suddenly scratched her head furiously.
“…What’s so difficult about it?”
“Playing the left-hand chords and the right-hand melody together…! Even when I try, my hands don’t follow…!”
That’s strange.
Normally, her charm is that she keeps practicing quietly and proves her progress through results, no matter how challenging it is.
‘Did she get tired already?’
Even beginners can experience a slump.
Especially during times when progress is slow.
When your skills don’t improve as much as you expect, it’s easy to feel disappointed.
Maybe I pushed her too hard with practice.
‘There’s a way to fix this.’
I just need to show Diana a goal she can aim for.
A role model… No, more like a signpost.
I approached the piano.
“Watch carefully.”
Then, after loosening my hands lightly, I played “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” with some adjustments.
The left hand’s rhythm was lively, and the right hand’s melody was more dazzling.
I mixed in trills and arpeggios here and there to give it a bright and cheerful feel.
“Wow…”
Diana’s eyes sparkled as she listened to the music.
“If you practice for just one more week, you can play like this too.”
“R-really…!”
Though it might take a bit longer than that.
But time doesn’t matter.
What matters is that it’s achievable.
“By the way, Young Master! You’re amazing! It’s the same song, but you play it so beautifully… I’m truly moved!”
I’m glad she seems encouraged again.
Maybe I should show her a few more things?
It could be a good opportunity to give her some solid motivation.
“Move over for a moment.”
“Yes!”
I moved Diana to the edge of the bench and sat down beside her.
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