High 2 · Reading series
Lesson 47 · A Song with a Borrowed Beat
Audio track 47
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Our music club wrote a song for the festival. The rhythm in the chorus sounded exciting, but one member recognized it from an artist we all followed. We had not copied the recording, yet our version was close enough to make us pause.
We listened to the original again and discussed what we admired: the unexpected pause before the final beat. Instead of repeating the pattern, we experimented with a different pause and changed the instruments. We also planned to name the artist when explaining our influences on stage.
The process took longer than using our first idea. It made the song feel more like ours. One member said that every piece of music grows from earlier sounds. That may be true, but it does not mean we should hide the work that inspired us.
When we performed, the audience heard a new rhythm. We heard our own decisions inside it. Creating something original had begun with listening carefully to someone else.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
音乐社为校园节写了一首歌。副歌的节奏很带劲，但一位成员听出，它很像大家常听的一位音乐人的作品。我们并没有复制录音，可新歌确实相似得让人停下来想一想。
我们重听原曲，讨论喜欢的是什么：最后一拍之前那个出人意料的停顿。我们没有照搬整段模式，而是尝试另一种停顿，换了乐器。我们还打算在台上介绍创作所受的影响时提到那位音乐人。
创作比沿用第一版花了更多时间，歌却更像我们自己的。一名成员说，每段音乐都从更早的声音中成长。这也许是真的，却不意味着该隐瞒启发过我们的作品。
演出时，观众听见新节奏；我们在其中听见自己的选择。创造原创作品，是从认真倾听别人的音乐开始的。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- rhythm
- 节奏；副歌一开始与旧作相似。
- chorus
- 副歌；重复出现的歌曲部分。
- recognized
- 辨认出；成员听出相似点。
- recording
- 录音；未直接复制原音轨。
- pattern
- 模式；没有照搬原节奏。
- experimented
- 试验；改变停顿和乐器。
- influences
- 影响来源；计划在台上说明。
- inspired
- 激发灵感；原作对社团有影响。
- performed
- 演出；校园节表演新版本。
- original
- 原创的；新歌承载自己的决定。
Background notes (Chinese)
受到作品启发与直接照搬之间存在需要思考的界线。社团分析自己喜欢的节奏元素，改动具体编排，也准备说明灵感来源。