To Shape A Sound

Boom! Ta-Boom! Ta-

Thumm, Thumm, Thumm, Th-

Wah, Pah-pa-Wah. Pah-

Pling, Pling, Plunk, Plunk, Pl-

Toot, toot, toot, t-

Plink-a-plink-a-plink-

A cacophony of sounds filled the air around me. For most people listening, it sounded like random noise. However, for those in the Music Club (myself included), it was our first playthrough of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue”. It was actually an arrangement for our gaggle of instruments. That was what the club president said, though I wasn’t sure. I was too focused on learning my own instrument to pay attention fully. What instrument was I playing? Well–

Tiooo, Tiooo, Tiooo-

That’s right, it was the oboe.

Hmm? How did I get here?

Well, I wanted to try out the Music Club a week prior, but it was difficult to join in the middle of practice. The president suggested I join when they began a new song, so I waited until the week they started the rhapsody. That led to yesterday, trying to find out what instrument I could play. They had me try the violin, trumpet, and a few others. We eventually settled on the oboe. Compared to the other instruments I attempted, I was able to pick up and play the oboe surprisingly well. Any other reed instrument? Nope. I was just good at the oboe.

The practice went on for two hours. We were only learning the first five minutes of the song this week. I wasn’t going to stay longer anyways, so that worked out well for me. Soon enough, practice came to an end, and the members began to pack up and leave the music hall. It only felt like a few minutes had passed, so I wanted to get a bit more practice in. I mean, I had joined the club late, so I was the worst at playing. The best way to work is with little effort, I always told myself. Though, I should at least put in the effort to participate well. I was a hypocrite, but I also was the one trying out the club after all. I asked the president, and she gave me permission as long as I cleaned and locked up afterwards.

I kept playing for another hour. I thought I was sounding pretty decent at this point, so I decided to pack up. I then walked to the storage room to put away the oboe. The oboe wasn’t mine, so I couldn’t take it home to practice. The music hall was only about the size of two classrooms, so it didn’t take that long to get from the stage to the storage room on the opposite side. I unlocked and opened the door. It was a mess of instruments disassembled into containers, missing parts stored in large boxes, and drum sets all over the floor. The oboes were supposedly stored on the left in the very back of the room. Of course it would be, I sighed to myself. I slowly made my way through the jungle, trying hard not to step on the equipment haphazardly lying around. It took a few minutes to make it to the back and another few to figure out where the oboes were at. It didn’t help that none of the shelves were labeled. After I found the shelf and stashed the oboe, I turned around and thrusted myself towards the entrance. I was about halfway through when–

Plink.

I heard a piano key played in the music hall. Hmm, I thought everyone had already gone home? Maybe I imagined it. I kept moving forward. Then once I was near the door–

Plink-a-plink.

Another key was pressed. And another. And another, until they slowly started to form a melody. More and more keys sounded through the air: the chords on the bottom, the melody on top. I had no idea what song the pianist was playing, but…

It wasn’t really good. The chords were always half a beat behind the melody. The melody, on the other hand, sounded like somebody pressed the notes of a scale in a random order. There were also a few…well more like a hundred mistakes. All in all, the pianist didn’t sound like he or she was actually a pianist.

At the same time though, I didn’t want to stop listening. The music wasn’t good, but it still danced with joy. You could hear the soul of the pianist: bright, cheerful, and having fun. The pianist never stopped playing, regardless of how they actually sounded. It was a performance for them and them alone. I sat down inside the storage room, closing my eyes and relaxing as I listened to the pianist play their heart.

I sat around for half an hour, but I couldn’t do that forever. I began to stand up; the little noise I made echoed throughout the music hall. Soon after, the music stopped. I heard the shuffle of a bag, then the scamper of footsteps running out of the hall. Before the pianist could leave the hall completely though, I managed to look through the storage room entrance. I saw the glimpse of a ponytail, and then the door a moment after. The music hall was silent except for the echo of my footsteps. I walked over to the stage where the piano rested. The lid was still open; the pianist had left it up. I pressed a key down myself before closing the lid. I grabbed my bag and left the music hall, walking into the second floor hallway and locking the door behind me. As I made my way out of the school, I thought back to the music I heard. A different kind of feeling spread throughout my body. A single thought flowed through my head:

Maybe I can listen tomorrow.

The next day came and went. I slept sat through the morning lectures. Mona and Aito were fidgeting slightly at lunch. Lego, meanwhile, was trying to find a date where we could all meet up outside of school. After that, I once again slept sat through the afternoon lectures and played the oboe with the rest of the club. The rhapsody was starting to sound less chaotic and more like, you know, a rhapsody. Finally, I went to the storage room and waited for the pianist from yesterday to play again. About an hour passed before I started to shift around slightly. It wasn’t that comfortable sitting on the floor. I kept shifting and squirming for another hour. I was starting to get bored waiting. Finally, the third hour passed. I wasn’t going to wait any longer. The school was closing up, and I was at my breaking point. The pianist never showed up. That’s probably because of what happened yesterday, I thought. I grabbed my things and headed home.

The next day began: breakfast, lectures, etc. Mona was still fidgeting in her seat, unlike Aito who seemed to have calmed down. Lego made plans to meet up this weekend, but Mona said she had other things to do. When Lego asked what though, Mona deftly avoided eye contact and the question. I thought Mona was trying to be studious, but Lego seemed to think otherwise. He told Mona to meet him after school, stepping in to whisper something in her ear. Mona’s eyes widened for an instant before recomposing herself and reluctantly agreeing. Afternoon lectures flew by, and the Music Club’s rhapsody began again. Besides a few mistakes here and there, it sounded pretty good. I guess after three days of playing together and my extra practice, it would naturally sound better. After the club and my practice session, I sat down in the storage room once again. I wasn’t sure whether the pianist would show up, but I wanted the chance to feel that feeling again. I even planned ahead this time–bringing a cushion and a few rubber bands. I passed the time with some tricks while sitting on the cushion, so I wasn’t as uncomfortable or bored as I was yesterday. About half an hour passed until–

Plink!

There it was. The moment after, a few more keys sounded. Then, music began dancing. It sounded similar to two days ago. More specifically, the chords were the exact same; however, the rhythm of the melody was different. So, I was pretty sure it was the same pianist. I closed my eyes, listening once again to the heart of the pianist.

After a few minutes, my curiosity got the better of me; I wanted to see who the pianist was. So, I made my way out of the storage room, this time making sure to be absolutely silent. I watched as she played the piano without grace, but with soul. A soft smile stretched across her face as her fingers jumped around on the keys. Her ponytails lightly swayed as her head bobbed to the inconsistent tempo. Her eyes flicked to the right, noticing me standing there with my eyes wide and mouth agape. She stopped playing. She looked at me, her smile replaced with panic, and I looked at her. The sun glinted on her hazel eyes.

It was Aito.

We continued staring at each other for a few seconds. An awkward silence formed as I tried to figure out what to say. It looked like she was struggling on that front too. Though, even after more time passed, there was only one thing I thought to say:

“Huh.”

More silence. Then Aito tilted her head, her panicked look turning into one of confusion.

“Huh?”

“Huh,” I repeated.

We both continued to stare at each other. Then, a small chuckle escaped our lips. After a little while, it became full blown laughter. We probably were both relieved that the other wasn’t a stranger. We both soon settled down, a small smile appearing across our faces.

“So you’re the mysterious phantom pianist! I guess an artist can play too.” Aito seemed slightly annoyed at that comment.

“I like it,” she said spitefully. I waved it off with a slight chuckle.

“I know, I know. I can hear that.” Aito’s face blushed red, probably from embarrassment. She probably realized that I heard her last time.

“So, why are you trying to learn music anyways?” Aito’s face quickly became downcast. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, seeming to struggle whether or not to tell me. Then, in a hushed voice–

“...not…at…”

“Hmm? I’m sorry, I couldn't hear you.”

“...good…it.”

“Can you say it louder?” If she wants to tell me, she should just say it without mumbling. Aito’s hands were trembling somewhat. Then, she clenched her fists and looked straight at me. In a loud and clear voice, she said:

“Because I’m not good at it.”

Now it was my turn to be confused. It seemed strange to me to do something only because you were not good at it. What happened when you became good? I wanted to ask her that question…but I couldn’t. Her face had a conflicted expression–her eyes looking down to the left–most likely regretting what she told me. So instead, I just smiled and responded, “Fair enough.”

Aito raised her eyes to meet mine; confusion and surprise were written all over her face. She seemed to wonder why I didn’t question her.

“What? It’s a good enough reason.” I acted aloof with a sly grin on my face. She was my friend. So, if she wants to tell me, she’ll tell me, I thought. Aito slightly smiled back.

“What are you trying to learn music for anyways?” I asked Aito. Aito reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She pressed a few buttons and scrolled for a bit before turning it towards me.

“This.” There was an advertisement for the Talent Show coming up a little over a month from now.

“And you’re learning to play on your own?” Aito nodded in response. I brought my left hand to my forehead, letting out an exasperated sigh. Aito tilted her head quizzically. The words, This is not something you can do on your own, circled through my head a few times. It was better to have someone help you rather than attempt it on your own. It would be good if someone could help Aito practice…wait a moment.

“Why not ask Lego to help you? Since you’re not playing an actual song, I’m guessing you have no idea what you’re going to play?” Aito flinched slightly as her eyes flicked away, giving me the confirmation I needed. “He plays the piano, so he could probably help you get better.” Aito tilted her head down, deep in thought. Then she lifted her head up and looked me in the eyes once again.

“Sure.”

“Okay then! We can ask him tomorrow, it’s already pretty late.” Aito concurred. Aito sat down at the piano to play a bit longer. I took a seat and listened. The new feeling in my chest became warm as her heart danced across the keys, albeit still sounding not great.

A half hour later, we had grabbed our stuff and left the music hall, once again locking the door behind us. We walked down the empty, second floor hallway, our footsteps echoing as we made our way to the stairwell. All of a sudden, Aito ran slightly ahead of me. Once she was a few meters away, she spun around with a big smile on her face; her bright and cheery personality had shone through.

“Thank you.”