How can AI help a symphony orchestra?
How can artificial intelligence help a symphony orchestra?
Initially designed to facilitate tedious everyday tasks, the tools of artificial intelligence tools have become increasingly popular in recent years, both in society and in the art world in general, whether for design invention, writing or innovation in sound composition. Today, how can artificial intelligence be used to benefit the music industry? In the field of music, scientific research has proved its worth. Artificial intelligence is capable of accompanying artists in their work, and even of bringing to life compositions created from scratch by technology.
What about helping symphony orchestras? Newzik takes a closer look at this vast subject to determine how these technological advances can be allies to musicians and conductors in large ensembles. Algorithms, optical score recognition, transposition and score dynamization: let's take a closer look at the new artificial intelligence technologies at the service of orchestration!
What innovations does artificial intelligence bring to music production?
In 2017, a humanoid robot took the place of a conductor to lead the work of an ensemble of human musicians in Italy. While this anecdote may seem straight out of a science-fiction film, it nevertheless reflects the exceptional nature of the latest innovations being implemented in society. In fact, the use of machines and the quest for innovation in music are not new. This is true, for example, of the practice of computer-assisted music, which began to develop in the 70s. Today, technologies are no longer content to simply accompany composition; they are overturning the code of art, almost taking the place of creative artists. Certain algorithms have made it possible to complete a Beethoven symphony using automated compositions, and a connected piano has been able to reproduce the piano playing of composer Glenn Gould.
When it comes to orchestration, most software programs use algorithms to analyze instrumental fusions, to study the differentiation of timbres or the evolution of symphonic techniques from one score to the next. In short, artificial intelligence has made it possible to create a new computer-assisted orchestration code that is useful for the artist, whether student, composer or conductor.
Here are just a few examples of innovations stemming from artificial intelligence technologies now being used in music:
Automated composition: it's possible to use software or artificial intelligence platforms to create a composition with just a few clicks. By guiding the machine, the latter will refer to listening to multiple sources available on the Internet to generate a sound extract according to the criteria required by the human.
Creative and interactive recording: audio recognition and audio recording is a very useful artificial intelligence innovation for a musician working alongside a band. With this technology, you can record a musical excerpt you've created, alone or with others, and share it with another musician via a tablet in a matter of seconds. Within a project, an ensemble can listen to a recording simultaneously.
Automatic score playback, update and transposition: have you always dreamed of listening to the music of a score as you play, in real time? Good news! It's now possible, thanks to the LiveScore feature developed by the self-learning artificial intelligence technology.
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Artificial intelligence to accompany orchestral musicians from creation to the stage
Today, artificial intelligence can help both individual musicians and ensembles of several musicians. The aim? To make life easier for players and help them to be more creative. Artificial intelligence tools make it easier for musicians to realize their ideas, without totally replacing the instruments of an ensemble.
AI: a real boost for composition and rehearsal
If the creative process relies heavily on an author's creativity and imagination, the music-writing stage can be greatly facilitated by digital tools. It's time to put paper aside and opt for efficiency. Writing notes and chords, correcting them, listening to them or saving draft scores on a cloud: IT tools and artificial intelligence can save a considerable amount of time for composers and musicians during rehearsals.
Goodbye music stands, hello virtual scores! Access to a large number of scores in a single medium has revolutionized the profession of conductor and ensemble musician. Used to rehearsing separately, the musicians in an orchestra need to be able to access all their musical material from anywhere, and distribute it remotely to all members concerned. In France today, 90% of symphony orchestras are equipped with digitizing copiers to digitize their scores. And this is just the beginning.
Thanks to artificial intelligence, a musician can now discover or broadcast a composition while he or she is simply writing or rehearsing it. Take a photo of a score, press the "Play" button and listen to the music directly from that score: technically, this is possible thanks to the LiveScore feature. Based on optical recognition technology, this artificial intelligence tool can transpose a score and play it at rythm while recording it. It is also possible to play the score with accompaniment, then share the recording in real time with fellow musicians working on the same piece, even from a distance. In short, artificial intelligence now enables orchestras to make rehearsals much smoother.
Artificial intelligence: a technology capable of reproducing human musical genius?
In addition to accompanying musicians in their rehearsals, the AI goes one step further: it is now capable of composing and reproducing symphonic music.
In 2019, a Chinese telecom company demonstrated that it was possible to complete a so-called "unfinished symphony" such as Schubert's Symphony No. 8 using artificial intelligence. Machine learning software has completed and played the composer's work on stage with the London Session Orchestra after nine months' work. The software's technique? Use algorithms to recognize and copy melodic, rhythmic and harmonic patterns.
Beyond the reproduction technique, this breakthrough shows an advance that could revolutionize music learning by helping some young apprentices to take up composition with little musical knowledge.
Even so, can we expect the robot to completely replace the work of human orchestration in tomorrow's world? From a pedagogical point of view, orchestration still remains a skill that relies on human creation. Not just anyone can be Beethoven or Schubert! What is certain, however, is that digital tools and AI are making real progress in facilitating the work of the artist-composer or musician, whether it's reading a score or sharing updates within an ensemble.
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