Too Loud Part 4: Playing at home

Posted on Fri Jul 9th, 2021 @ 4:42am by Ensign Cameron Kore & Lieutenant Anthony Edwards Ph. D

1,576 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: The Silent Scream
Location: Lieutenant Edwards quarters
Timeline: 19th April 2395 18:00

Previously On Too loud part three: Anthony was left to practice Think of Me from Phantom of the Opera. He had survived the first playthrough but it got no easier. The following two weeks consisted of normal duties and trying to learn that song. He also thought to try learning the main theme of the same opera, which was almost less difficult than Think of me. While he was practicing, think of me, Cameron was still practicing candle in the wind as well as her normal nursing duties.

Now continuing from part three.

Anthony was once again sitting at his desk, he had been warming his fingers up for a few minutes and he hadn’t been playing anywhere near as loud since Cameron had caught him playing Rachmaninov for left hand only, he hadn’t meant to disturb her that day but it had worked out really well they had enjoyed a lot of time together playing together. He set both the autoroller and the metronome he had acquired from holodeck one last time he was there to a hundred and twenty-two beats a minute and started playing think of me. He knew Cameron might likely be next door but being off duty that wasn’t guaranteed.

Cameron had just emerged from her sonic shower when she heard the unmistakable sound of Anthony’s piano coming through the wall, she had already gotten a practice session in that morning and was feeling pretty confident at the new song. As she dressed she listened to him play and hummed the violin parts to herself.

As Anthony finished it that time. He was certainly better, but it still sounded too slow, so he had decided to up the tempo and try it again, he resolved this time to go directly to a hundred and twenty-six beats a minute on both the metronome and autoroller in the hopes of feeling the music properly. He started playing and exclaimed in his excitement of hearing the right tempo “EUREKA!” He kept playing. He knew it was incredibly unusual that the tempo changed but wanted to be positive so played through to the end.

The relatively loud exclamation surprised Cameron a little but she smiled as she continued listening, she wasn’t certain what had changed but his playing sounded just that little bit better. With nothing really planned for the rest of the day Cameron grabbed her violin and after stopping off at the room after Anthony’s to let them know she tapped the chime at Anthony’s door.

Anthony could guess who it was I mean it might have been his neighbours to complain, though he usually let them know he was going to practice without his headphones, except when he was cranky cause he left them somewhere, again except for when he was cranky he usually kept the noise down when he played, today however was a little louder than usual and he was happy now too. “Come in Cameron, it’s open.” He said with a smile.

Cameron stepped through. “Hey, heard you practicing, thought I might come to give you a hand.”

“Ah yes, I guess you heard my discovery then?” Anthony asked. “Think of me has a tempo of a hundred and twenty-six beats a minute, I thought it was a little slow the other day, it floats along at that tempo, it sounded a little draggy otherwise.”

“I hadn’t played the song in so long, can’t blame me for being a few beats off.” Cameron chuckled. “It sounded a lot better the second time around, you’ve done a good job.”

“I thought it did too, though having the right tempo I think made most of that difference to be honest. Though I have spent most of my time on it recently. Seeing as you hadn’t picked up a violin in years prior to us getting together as players I guess a hundred and twenty beats per minute isn’t far off at all.”

“It was an educated guess.” Cameron remarked, she sat herself down on Anthony’s sofa and put her violin up to her chin. “Ready when you are.”

During their conversation, the auto roller had rewound to the start for him so he was ready to start again as soon as Cameron had said it. He set the metronome once more and started playing, listening to the song and really taking in the sound of it now. He hated having to shuffle papers when it came time to play in a concert so he liked to play the music by ear. It made everything come a lot easier as he played the music and in the ears of the concert-goer it showed he took the time to make their experience better by knowing what he played.

Cameron smiled as they played, everything sounded perfect; the tempo, the pitch of each note, everything.

Anthony saw Cameron smiling and well smiles are contagious so he smiled too, he liked that the song was sounding perfect now. He was glad and from being happy, and knowing he didn’t have a good voice for a soprano’s song he started humming the vocal lines to it. “It sounds really really good Cameron.”

Not wanting to speak Cameron simply nodded as she continued, eventually reaching the final few notes she added a small flourish to end the song. “Almost perfect I’d say, all that practice seems to have paid off.”

“I’d say so.” Anthony tinkled again for a little bit playing around with one of the first tunes any keyboard player learnt and played around with chopsticks. After he played around with it for a few minutes he got up and went to his replicator, and said “Two glasses and a jug of cool water on a tray.”

With a quick whirling buzz of sound and light, the glasses jug and tray appeared in the opening of the replicator and he took it to the desk he was using also to be his keyboard. “Would you like a drink?”

“I’m alright for now thank you.” Cameron replied.

“Fair enough.” Anthony poured himself on as he had been practicing a while before Cameron had turned up. “Any other thoughts of what to add to our repertoire?”

“I’m better at folk music,” Cameron told him “We haven’t played any yet, I have got a fair few we could try out.”

“I’m up for it. I will be the first to admit that I am a much Rock musician but that certainly doesn’t mean I can’t play folk, just that I am not as well practiced with it.” Anthony said with a smile, “Could actually be interesting actually.”

Cameron thought for a song that Anthony had a fair chance of knowing, “How about this one, in Russian it’s called Dorogoi Dlinnoyu, you might know it as those were the days.” She started to play.

Anthony hadn’t heard of it as its original name but knew that those were the days had a very Russian tune and a with a smile asked “I expect this is one you want the lead on because most often most of the piano can either take the main instrumental lead, but I find for this song it ruins it? Pianoforte for the piano which leaves the other strings, well, in this case, your Violin to be the main harmony instrument.” As he spoke he started playing the piano part quietly beneath Camerons Violin making her take the lead as folk was more for the violin than the piano.

Glad Anthony knew the song enough to play it straight away Cameron smiled and continued to play, as with most songs she knew it had been a long time since she’d played but this was one of her godmothers’ favourites so she made Cameron learn it well.

As they got to the end of it Anthony laughed and said “I also know another Russian one which you might know. I know it as Dark eyes but I believe the Russian call it something else, though I expect the anglicised name was probably from the original meaning of the name.” Anthony said.

“In Russian, it’s Ochi Chernye,” Cameron replied. “a more literal translation is ‘black eyes’ but dark eyes works well too, I know it quite well.”

“I expected it wouldn't be completely perfect in translation. Russian isn’t, and being a doctorate in Language and Linguistics I should know. It’s one of about a half dozen languages with a tiny amount of words that directly translate to English. Through Greek and Italian, we get a fairly reasonable understanding. Though that can be said for most of the eastern side of Eurasia or the Middle east as they used to be known individually.” Anthony said with a smile, “Though with Russian as a family background I don’t need to tell you that.”

“Russian is quite the hard language, thank science for the universal translator.” Cameron chuckled slightly.

“Yes that little machine is very useful, the only thing is like all machines is that sometimes they break down, which is when officers like me come in very handy.” Anthony said with a laugh. “Let’s have a try of Ochi chernye then shall we?”

OFF:


Lieutenant Anthony Edwards Ph. D
Chief Science Officer

Ensign Cameron Kore
Nurse [Npc Taliserra]

 

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