"I don't believe you, I don't believe you…" The young man in front of him was like a leopard poised to strike, his black curly hair falling casually, his face expressing the utmost seriousness, as if facing a matter of life and death. He shook his head vigorously."Julio…" Hugo's voice had barely begun when the young man cut him off, "Call me Pepe." Hugo then casually said, "Pepe, why don't you believe it? I just said I could compose a rock song without a guitar, but I didn't guarantee it would be high quality.""Liar!" The young man named Pepe was none other than the guy who had given Hugo a flyer at the car dealership that morning. He knew Neil, and although they weren't close friends, they had met more or less in the same circle. This young man's full name was Julio Pedro Cesar Casa, and just by his name, you could tell he was Brazilian. The dazzling combination of his given name, patronymic, mother's surname, and father's surname was quite a mouthful.Pedro had just seen Neil and went over to say hello, then he saw a transformed Hugo. He quickly recognized him as the "Wall Street type" from that morning and quipped, "It seems Wall Street has a pretty good amateur life." In fact, two streets north of Skid Row was Los Angeles's Wall Street, where many financial centers were located. But just one street apart, it was like two different worlds, a stark contrast that made people sigh even more.Unexpectedly, Neil told Pedro that Hugo was an excellent guitarist, which aroused Pedro's strong suspicion. A thousand words couldn't compare to a real-life demonstration, so Hugo started playing on the street. This, in turn, sparked Neil's competitive spirit, and the two began to duel with their guitars on the street. Although an acoustic guitar duel lacked the auditory stimulation of an electric guitar, the dazzling high-level techniques still attracted many onlookers.When Hugo was in Glory to Death, he was responsible for the melody guitar. His understanding was more in melody and composition. If it was purely about speed, that wasn't Hugo's strong suit; he was far from the world-famous guitar shredders. However, Hugo's technique was extremely skilled, with excellent finger work for strumming, plucking, and tremolo picking. His left hand pressed down on chords, while his right hand flew across the five guitar strings, creating a terrifying whirlwind of changing music that made hearts beat faster and blood rush, reaching a climax with the shifting of his fingertips.If Hugo's tricks were endless, then Neil's guitar technique could be described as perfectly balanced. His control over rhythm and speed reached a state of complete freedom. Neil's plucking speed was at least twice as fast as Hugo's. The continuous blur of light almost made it impossible to see the outline of Neil's fingers; one could only feel a phantom sweeping across the vision. The fluid melody transformed from a babbling brook into a surging river, roaring down, breathtakingly spectacular. More importantly, Neil wasn't just fast; his mastery of rhythm was superb, like a river rushing towards the sea, with rapid currents and gentle flows, twists and pauses. The entire listening experience was like riding a roller coaster or a rafting boat, thrilling and exciting.In fact, if one really had to distinguish who was better, it would be almost impossible, because Hugo focused more on melody guitar, while Neil was more skilled at rhythm guitar. Even though they played the same instrument, they had different specialties, making it impossible to declare a winner. But what was certain was that both were excellent guitarists. Although performing on stage was another matter, with factors like coordination with other band members, ability to control the atmosphere, and on-the-spot performance state all having an impact, the excellence of both was beyond doubt.Hugo and Neil dueled on their guitars for three rounds, their equally matched, superb competition pushing the street's atmosphere to a climax. Those who came to Skid Row tonight for Rock Night, even if not band members, were seasoned music lovers and could naturally discern quality. Hugo and Neil, two highly skilled guitarists, quickly drew applause from everyone around. The fervent discussions and exclamations prompted many nearby to whistle.In professional fields, superb professional skills can always easily win the applause of insiders—of course, the prerequisite is that one must have genuine talent, otherwise, showing off in front of an expert will lead to a more miserable outcome. But clearly, Hugo and Neil both earned applause.Pedro was even more amazed. He had no idea that Hugo was so skilled, and even Neil, whom he knew, seemed to have improved his technique significantly. This immediately caused him to fundamentally change his perception of Hugo, and he didn't hesitate to express his admiration and praise for Hugo.In fact, these young people like Pedro were all like this; they might be rebellious, cunning, or troublesome in front of outsiders, but in the realm of music, they were very simple. They focused solely on music, becoming friends easily due to shared musical interests, and openly expressing their appreciation out of admiration for musical prowess.This simplicity was also the reason why many classic rock bands ultimately met their demise: conflicts in musical philosophy. While many bands also broke up due to internal conflicts among members, and other factors cannot be ruled out, it is undeniable that disagreements in musical philosophy indeed led to the decline of most bands.Afterward, many young people around also got the itch, took out their guitars, and started jamming. Everyone discussed and exchanged ideas, creating a lively atmosphere. Centered around Hugo and Neil, a small circle of over twenty people formed, allowing Hugo to truly integrate into this group. This was the charm of music; even if it was the first time meeting, it didn't matter, because music could be the bridge for communication between them.However, the pleasant atmosphere quickly changed due to differences in everyone's views on music. Pedro lamented the indispensable position of the guitar in rock music, to the point where the roles of other instruments were overlooked. Pedro was actually complaining on his own behalf, as he was a bassist, and what he stated was true: up until before 2000, the guitar held a transcendent position in rock bands, with guitarists in many famous bands often enjoying the same immense popularity as the lead singer.For example, Slash from Guns N' Roses, Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield from Metallica, and Eddie Van Halen from Van Halen. These are all legendary guitarists, with an unimaginably vast following.Many classic rock songs from this period would have a dedicated section for the guitar to play the melody, which clearly shows the absolute dominance of the guitar.Facing Pedro's complaints, Hugo didn't agree, because he knew that after entering the twenty-first century, bands actually emphasized overall cohesion and musical diversity more, as seen in Linkin Park, U2, Coldplay, OneRepublic, My Chemical Romance, and Simple Plan.This is primarily a matter of musical trend development. Most metal rock bands of the 1980s were obsessed with technical innovation; complex playing techniques and intricate arrangements were the trend, pushing rock technique to a peak. During this period, metal bands brought rock to a new high, with intricate and advanced techniques being a must-have skill for every band. This is also why Hugo and Neil's guitar duel attracted so many onlookers earlier, because people's emphasis on technique reached a new height, and rock enthusiasts were keen on technical competition and improvement, making high-difficulty lead guitar the core of metal bands. The excellence of technique was also reflected in the arrangement style; music of this period was mostly guitar-driven, with complex arrangements being mainstream, incorporating a large amount of emotional release into distorted silver tones and extreme volumes, pushing metal rock to an extreme. During this period, the importance of the guitar to metal rock bands was unparalleled.But entering the 1990s, this technical innovation gradually reached a dead end. Rock bands entered a monotonous predicament, and the emergence of numerous copycat bands made it difficult for metal rock to find new ideas. Thus, in the first half of this decade, new metal, with its open and concise structure, gradually rose and became mainstream in the latter half of the 1990s, redefining the landscape of rock music. Compared to technique, feeling held a more important position in new metal bands. Although there were also technically proficient bands within new metal, most still opted for simplification, dominating the scene. Their playing techniques might not have been outstanding, but they were able to present music in the simplest way through diverse arrangements. The absolute dominance of the guitar was replaced during this period.Finally, after the turn of the twenty-first century, the development of new metal bands declined again, while musical diversity and fusion reached a new height. At this time, rock bands emphasized the collaboration between instruments and the overall integrity of the band. Strong technical skills were essential, but rigidly honing technique was also not advisable. How to use technique to serve feeling, and how to integrate musical ideas into melodies, became new challenges. At this point, no instrument was irreplaceable, and at the same time, more diverse top-tier techniques were valued by bands. It can be said that the development of rock music entered another phase.It was 1992, and nu-metal music had not yet taken shape. At this time, Hugo proposed the idea that a rock song could be composed without a guitar. In a situation where 80s metal rock was still strong, Hugo was immediately attacked by the people around him. This allowed Hugo to personally experience what it was like for "new things to always face heavy blows." The position of mobile phones in social culture at that time was probably better than Hugo's current predicament.Pedro, with a indignant expression, shouted, "Liar! You clearly said just now that you could compose an excellent rock song without a guitar! You said it!" After speaking, Pedro looked around at the others, seeking allies, which was clearly not difficult, as everyone around him was Pedro's ally, including Neil.Hugo chuckled, "Alright, even if I said that, then tell me, why do you think it's not possible?" In Hugo's view, whether it was technique or emotion, both served music. The musical philosophy he embraced was solid technical foundation, excellent playing skills, rich interpretive methods, and diverse elemental fusion, expressing the vibrant colors of rock music in his own way."Because…" Pedro opened his mouth to state his reason, but for a moment, he couldn't articulate it. This was mainly because music composition inherently had no fixed patterns; if fixed patterns appeared, it would be plagiarism. So, trying to lay out strict rules was indeed very difficult.This was still the situation in the early 90s; at that time, pop was pop, rock was rock, and hip-hop was hip-hop. However, after entering the 21st century, jazz fused with soul and pop, R&B fused with rock and hip-hop, and various styles blended, making it increasingly difficult to accurately define a single music genre.Hugo directly interrupted Pedro, "Just because the mainstream is like this now, because Nirvana is like this, AC/DC is like this, Metallica is like this, The Stone Roses are like this, The Smiths are like this, does it have to be this way?" Hugo's string of words silenced everyone around him. Pedro stared at Hugo dumbfounded, and Hugo clearly wasn't finished, "I didn't know when rock started advocating for the mainstream. Is only following these so-called mainstreams authentic rock?"This series of rhetorical questions left everyone speechless. Neil, who was sitting next to Hugo, even began to ponder deeply. These remarks seemed shocking but were hard truths."Shouldn't we break free from constraints and create our own style? If not, then why were we so happy when Nirvana achieved success?" Hugo's words didn't deliberately emphasize his tone; they were in his usual gentle, spring-like voice, yet they quietly penetrated everyone's hearts, resonating profoundly."But… but…" Pedro was like a stubborn child, still wanting to argue, but found he couldn't articulate a coherent point. It was Neil, who had been sitting beside them, who spoke up, "Since that's what you think, and you say you can do it, then provide the evidence!"Neil's words immediately made Pedro grasp at a straw, "Yes, prove it, can you prove it?"Hugo looked at the gazes fixed on him—eyes that were hot, expectant, and challenging. He felt a slight warmth on his skin. Far from being intimidated, a sense of soaring ambition welled up within him. So, Hugo nodded confidently, a brilliant smile on his face, "Why not?"His words resonated with conviction!
