Too loud; Part 2: First duet practice

Posted on Wed May 5th, 2021 @ 7:35am by Lieutenant Anthony Edwards Ph. D & Ensign Cameron Kore
Edited on on Wed May 5th, 2021 @ 7:44am

2,649 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: The Silent Scream
Location: Holodeck 1
Timeline: 5th of April 2395 16:15

=========== Fifteen minutes later at Holodeck 1 =========
Anthony was waiting patiently, dressed casually with a leather jacket to give himself the casual dressed up look, he had sprung it on her so it was only polite to wait until she was ready. He whistled to himself a simple old tune that a jack in the box used to play. It is simple for living things with muscle-active lips, however, Commander Data Chief Operations Officer of the USS Enterprise found it very difficult when he first started trying to whistle.

A few minutes late Cameron walked through the doors into the holodeck, she had changed into a pair of black trousers and a formal blouse. “I was always taught to dress like you’re performing to a crowd, even when practicing.” She told Anthony.

“Yes, my parents did too. Something to do with the dress maketh the performance. I think they meant your clothes make you feel like you're performing whether you’re just practicing or otherwise. Which I guess means it improves the performance in the long run. However, I hated dressing in a three-piece suit like everyone thinks Piano players are supposed to when they perform.” Anthony said.

“Part of the performance is looking the part.” Cameron said. “Computer replicate me an Amati Ceremonese style violin, 4 by 4 size and a matching bow, on a stand.”

The holodeck whirred slightly and the violin appeared set on a small metal stand. Cameron headed over and picked it up. “Not quite the style I learned on but close enough.” She started to make a few adjustments to fit her.

Once the violin was to Cameron’s liking Anthony said “Computer I would like a white Bösendorfer baby grand with a medium firmness white stool.” He smiled at Cameron, “That is nothing like I learned on we could only fit an upright at home, But I have seen the staging area for it in the lounge and if we’re going to practice to put on a performance a full Grand would fit to also but it wouldn’t fit you on it as well.”

“Right, let’s see if I can’t strangle a tune out of this thing, jog my memory some.” Cameron picked up the bow and started to play a few simple notes to get a feel for the violin.

“Well Jog my memory, would you like some scales just to refresh your muscle memory. I mean your brain won’t have forgotten it but your arm and hand muscles might take a while longer to remember where the chords of the violin are. I am sorry I can’t help you to find them, I was never taught the Violin.” Anthony said.

“Sure, I’ll use whatever I can to jog the old memory.”

Opening the lid of the piano slightly so he could listen as Cameron played. He couldn’t read violin music but like all musical instruments a bad note would stick out like a pin to an eardrum. They ran through the scales together for about ten minutes and Anthony could still hear the wrong notes in the scales but they were now coming much fewer and further apart now. Anthony decided to stop as they finished the next run at the top. As he stopped playing He asked “So how are you feeling so far? I can hear that you're getting closer as we play so something simple might be possible now if you’re feeling up to it.”

“What did you have in mind?” Cameron asked, playing the scales had been good, a few duff notes here and there but that was expected after several years not playing.

“Ladies choice,” Anthony said simply.

“Let us see” Cameron ran the bow a few millimeters above the strings miming the motions of the song that was going through her head. “How about“ She started to play, a simple song often played at weddings.

Anthony was almost carried away. He smiled, the song, which was Pachelbel canon in d, was not only simple to play but sounded beautiful, he had heard it so often used and was even hired to play the piano part at weddings. Even knew a couple of his friends that had used it as the bridal party’s arrival in comparison to the often gaudy and much more hammer on the keys till someone hears you of ‘here comes the bride’. He picked Cameron’s timing perfectly. It was a little slow for the song but note perfectly, he was able to lead into the next part. “Nice Choice.” He said over the Pianoforte.

“I’m glad you know it.” Cameron said as she continued to play. “I know it’s a little better a duet with a cello but we’ll have to work with what we have.”

“Pachelbel composed it for string quartets. Somewhere in the late 17th century and the first decade of the 18th. When or by whom it was transposed to a piano I can’t tell you but we are the first I have ever heard play it as a piano violin combination. Though it still sounds pretty.” Anthony said with a smile, it had been a very long time since he and Flea had last played together and he could, if he closed his eyes tight, almost hear Flea in the way Cameron played.

“I think I’ve heard it played like this before a couple of times but never played it myself. It’s a very nice slow song.” Cameron said before a loud screech broke the pleasant sounds. “Damm.” she said and stopped playing “Sorry.”

Anthony cringed as the screech happened. “You think that is bad, wait until you hear middle c snap on a piano like this. It was fine, it will get better with practice. If you think that was bad you should have heard Flea when she was starting out.”

“Flea?” Cameron asked, not recognising the name from anywhere.

“The wife of my deceased brother. She was a few years younger than my brother when he was killed in a training accident. I was only a few years ahead of him in the Academy because of my years of civilian training before entering. They married straight out of high school which was just as well because three years later he and my father were both dead in the same accident.” Anthony said remembering it almost like it was yesterday.

“That is most unfortunate, were you all close?” Cameron asked, not certain quite what to say.

“Yes my family were always very close and now includes Flea. She, like Michael, is younger than the rest of us, her best friend since shortly after Michael introduced them has been Sandy, my sister, and civilian dance instructor.” Anthony said then continued with what he was saying. “It was a very sore point for me for a while as I had only just left the academy myself I was a newly minted Ensign which meant I hadn’t accrued any leave to return and be at the funeral. Well, Sandy was there at least and had Fleet send us a copy which is almost like being there. Then of course a year later my mother found life without her husband and youngest Child to difficult to deal with and she just didn’t wake up one morning, her doctor said myocardial ischemia but I know it was a broken heart.”

“Surely they would have given you compassionate leave, it was your father after all?” Cameron asked.

“Distance and travel times were less than optimal. Yes, I was certainly offered compassionate leave Starfleet aren’t monsters but when you’re four sectors away and only just out of the pleasure cruise. Dad hated stasis tubes and Michael was the same. They both would have hated having to wait for me to get there to be buried. I have visited their graves every time I was ever near Sol and I was there for my mother’s funeral, so it was for the best.” Anthony said with a smile. “Shall we try again or are you wanting to get a Case study for a psych degree started.” He added a wink to show he was teasing.

Cameron smiled. “From the top then?” She gave her shoulders a flex and started to play again.

Smiling now happy to play the music again as it was a beautiful piece. Peaceful it was probably a much better piece to play to induce peace than Rachmaninov. Any Rachmaninov. With looser shoulders and arms, Anthony could hear Cameron relaxing into the piece too.

As they played they soon got to the section Cameron had misplayed, hesitating only for the slightest moment as her mind raced to get the right note in the right order in her head she powered through hitting each note in turn perfectly. She gave Anthony a small smile as she progressed to the next series of notes.

Something came to Anthony, something his mother had been telling him for years before she died, “Cameron I would like to pass on to you something my mother used to say almost like a mantra. I am passing it on to you because you almost seem scared of the wrong notes. Relax and let the music flow through you.”

“I wouldn’t say I’m scared of hitting the wrong notes. More apprehensive,” Cameron said after a few seconds. “I haven’t played in so long, I know things won’t be right straight away but messing up in front of someone just makes things feel worse.”

With a wink Anthony purposely missed a note and carried on, then another then simply said “The notes don’t make the music, the heart does, the ears of the receiver hear and the brain interprets and decides whether or not the receiver likes what was played. You know the note was wrong and I know the note was wrong, Very few people we play for will and even fewer if we make it sound roughly right will care.”

“The piano seems a lot more forgiving with wrong notes though, A and B are generally close enough to not notice it too much. Compared to a violin.” She continued to play not wanting to deliberately make a mistake like Anthony did.

“Yes very. You want to know another very unforgiving note faux pas in the woodwind for not having a reed, the Flute is nasty, admittedly not as unforgiving as a reedy with a bad reed, but fair nasty. That said you’re right a violin and most of the non-plucked or hammered string stringed instruments because of the natural whine that is part of their natural being.” Anthony said before he continued, “That is why all the bowed strings need to be played with something else they all sound whiney without accompaniment.”

Cameron nodded then laughed slightly. “My godmother would be kicking my ass if she heard me talking this much while I was playing.”

“Yeah speaking while playing the violin is not that normal considering where your chin rest is. Though my mother would likely have slapped me in the back of the head for inciting bad posture in those I would like to play with me.” Anthony said, finally breaking into laughter.

Cameron stopped playing and joined in laughing, “A quick slap to the back of the head does seem to be a common treatment for bad playing.”

“Yep it was a fairly normal thing for us, Sandy seemed to get away with it but she was the dancer my mum really wanted.” Anthony said with a smile. “That isn’t to say that she treated any of us any better than any of the others. So was that enough for you for today?”

“Nah I think I’ve got a little more left yet,” Cameron put the violin back in its stand. “I will get a drink first though before we keep going. Computer, a glass of cold water.”

“Wise decision, but I would make it a jug iced and two chilled glasses. Piano playing might not be as saliva suppressive but a nice glass of cool water is always a good idea.” Anthony said.

Cameron smirked. “Computer, make that a jug of iced water, with two glasses.” The drinks arrived a split second later sat on a small plinth that materialised for them. Cameron poured herself a glass.

Getting up and pouring his own glass Anthony ever the kidder and asked “Does this count as the proverbial water cooler benign spoken around?”

Chuckling slightly Cameron sipped at her drink. “We’d have to work in a few solo pieces into a show if we ever did one so one of us can stop for a little, or at least so I can, you can play one handed.”

“Certainly you’re correct, Piano is a lot easier to play that way, there are also some comedic skits that have a two handed piece that sneaks drinks and food in short phases that drops a hand. Though if I was going to do those I would likely only do that during a show that we did in a holodeck my mother would kill me if I did it to a real concert piano.” Anthony said laughing.

“That would be fun to see, the comedic stuff not your mum killing you that is.” Cameron laughed and topped up her glass

“Yeah, I’m not that much into dying either there just no getting around it.” His statement was said nonchalantly but it was meant completely tongue in cheek.

“I plan on living for a long time yet so no funny business that'll get us killed by your mother right.” Cameron headed back over to where her violin sat. “Ready when you are.”

“Well then let's appease my late mother. She loved the song Candle in the wind and if I said anything about the original artist that played it, well let us see if you can guess what happened to the back of my head. It has quite a simple violin line.” Anthony said.

“I know the song but not how to play it, I'll need the sheet music.

Fair enough maybe for next time I am sure the computer Library will have it on file for you to look over, though for now, ‘Computer expand the piano stool to sit two and provide violin sheet music for Candle in the wind by Sir Elton John, on a music stand facing diagonally behind the left corner of the piano’s stool.’” Milliseconds later the stand appeared.

“Hhmmm, lets see.” Cameron sat on the stool beside Anthony. It had been some time before she’d read sheet music, never mind played off of it, she read through the first page miming some of the movements on the violin before glancing over her shoulder to Anthony. “Right, let's give it a try, no talking this time though I’ll need to concentrate.”

“I can play it through once so you can hear the piano line. It might even help you finger through the music if you hear it at the same time.” As Anthony said it he started to play. As he finished he stood up and helped Cameron and then said “Computer end program.” With a wheezing sound the music stand stool and baby grand piano all disappeared. “Same time next week Cameron?”

“Sure, I’ll try and get some practise in between now and then.”

“Well having a violin will certainly make it much easier, feel free to come over and we can practice together.” As Anthony said it he walked out the door and back to his quarters to get ready for his next Bridge shift.

OFF:

Ltjg Anthony Edwards Phd
Chief Science Officer

Ensign Cameron Kore
Nurse [npc Taliserra]

 

RSS Feed