Memory inheritor

Chapter 93 The Problem

Shen Qing then sent two voice messages and an audio file.

"This is the main melody of one of the songs. Listen to it first."

"Please tell me your thoughts after listening, thank you!"

After a brief moment of surprise, Wei Hongsi came to his senses and realized that it was actually a misunderstanding.

When they went to the filming location of GG at the amusement park earlier, Lu Jiaqi and Ji Cheng thought he was a fan of Shen Qing, and perhaps Ji Cheng still thinks so now.

From Shen Qing's perspective, she would naturally think the same way.

The last time I attended her riverside fan meeting, the two of us had a Q&A session, which was probably what deepened her misunderstanding.

Wei Hongsi neither listens to music nor follows celebrities, so it's hard for him to imagine that he would be labeled as a music fan or a fan.

Therefore, when Ji Cheng called to inquire, he didn't think in that direction at all, subconsciously assuming that Shen Qing wanted to ask some questions related to his major.

In retrospect, this idea was indeed somewhat wishful thinking. Shen Qing probably didn't know his major and job responsibilities, even though he mentioned it briefly during the last on-site interaction.

Since it's a misunderstanding, that's easy to handle; just explain it clearly.

Wei Hongsi picked up his phone, intending to send a voice message to Shen Qing as well. After considering his words, he hesitated for a moment and then put the phone down again.

Are he and Shen Qing familiar? The answer is clearly no.

They had only met twice, barely exchanged a few words, and were hardly acquainted. The only thing he'd done was lend a hand when Shen Qing nearly fell—a simple act of kindness. Any passerby would have helped in that situation; it was nothing special.

Of course, perhaps it was because of this little incident that he, as a "fan," was somewhat different in Shen Qing's eyes, which led to the subsequent on-site interaction.

The focus should be on their interaction that day.

Wei Hongsi recalled that after he answered a question, Shen Qing, despite trying her best to restrain herself, clearly showed significant emotional fluctuations.

It's because the things he said on the spot really resonated with her, right?

So what were they saying back then?

—I understand, but I still want to do it this way.

—Anything is fine, as long as you're happy.

Given that Shen Qing is currently working on a new album, Wei Hongsi suddenly realizes that he seems to have gotten himself into trouble.

Of course, it wasn't entirely his fault. The premise was that Shen Qing herself wanted to create some pieces with a very different style, and his answer merely reinforced Shen Qing's idea.

Shen Qing's creative process was probably very difficult, and she likely did not receive support from a professional team. Otherwise, she wouldn't have asked him for help; it seems like she was desperate and grasping at straws.

I reckon that if I just told her "Sorry, I don't understand music, you'll have to figure it out yourself" now, she would be devastated.

Although it has little to do with me personally, it is indeed a bit irresponsible.

So what does Shen Qing need most right now?

Offering verbal affirmation and support is obvious and easy to do. However, simply saying a few kind words can seem too perfunctory.

Providing a relatively objective analysis and evaluation is what she most wants to see. The problem is, he can't do that.

After thinking it over, Wei Hong thought he should ask someone who understands music for help.

Shen Qing's new album tracks are currently being composed, and she has emphasized that this must be kept secret. Therefore, the person seeking her help must be reliable; they don't necessarily have to be a professional, just someone who appreciates music, and most importantly, they won't leak any information.

The first people Wei Hongsi thought of were his fellow disciples.

He opened the Zhixun computer client and first sent a message to Shen Qing: "I need some time, I'll give you my opinion later."

Upon seeing the message, Shen Qing was delighted, as it showed that the other party was taking the matter seriously and hadn't readily given a positive or negative answer. She replied, "Okay, let me know whenever you have any thoughts."

Wei Hongsi's lips curled up slightly. Although they were separated by a screen, he felt that his assessment of Shen Qing's current situation was roughly correct.

He opened the "Wanliu" group and posted a message: "Help! Is there anyone who understands music? Especially jazz-style pop music."

Not long after, someone replied in the group.

Tractor (Feng Weixu): "Jazz? I know that! But what the heck is jazz-style pop music?"

Four of Hearts (Wei Hongsi): "What's the problem?"

Tractor: "As I understand it, these two are not very compatible! Jazz has a richer harmonic structure, a significantly higher proportion of high-frequency overtones than pop music, and stronger non-stationarity in its time-domain waveform."

Tractor: "Also, the rhythmic spectrum of jazz is not a strictly periodic signal; the energy distribution is more discrete."

Seven of Diamonds (Dai Mengqi): "Oh wow, you actually know a thing or two?"

Tractor: "Of course, nobody knows jazz better than me! (within this group)"

Four of Hearts: "Get to the point!"

Tractor: "The core of jazz is the rearrangement of syncopated notes, which simply means that the strong beats are weakened while the weak beats are emphasized. It has low rhythmic stability and higher entropy, belonging to a typical irregular rhythmic paradigm."

Tractor: "Pop music, on the other hand, has a simple structure and regular rhythm, especially the so-called chorus, which matches the brain's cognitive predictions. To put it bluntly, it's catchy and easy to sing along to after just one listen, you get it?"

Four of Hearts: "Okay, I understand."

Wei Hongsi nodded thoughtfully in front of the screen.

Simply put, the human brain has a "predictive reward" mechanism. When the melody and rhythm of music are very regular, the brain's expectations are easily met, thereby releasing dopamine and producing a feeling of pleasure.

Popular music fits this mechanism perfectly, or rather, music that fits this mechanism is popular music.

Jazz, on the other hand, constantly creates anticipational contradictions, forcibly raising the listener's cognitive arousal level. It is a typical example of high cognitive load music, requiring far more auditory working memory than ordinary pop music.

If the brain's prediction fails, it won't produce dopamine reward, and naturally, it won't bring direct pleasure. This is why jazz is destined to be a niche genre. But it is precisely because of this characteristic that those who truly love it are extremely devoted to it.

This principle is actually similar to reading novels.

The reason why online novels can be so captivating (with certain conditions, of course) is that they precisely meet the reader's expectations. Conversely, many literary classics are difficult for many to read because they constantly break expectations and challenge the reader's preconceived notions.

After figuring this out, Wei Hongsi understood the predicament Shen Qing was facing.

The jazz-pop music she wants to create is essentially about finding a difficult middle ground between niche individuality and mainstream appeal.