Praise from Mr.Hunter S. Thompson for“The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side.” That negative side.... must be the shitty AI music...
Fine piece, Ted. I write novels and find that much of what is being written now, in American fiction at least, reads like it came from AI . That's not the case...yet!...but perhaps will be someday soon. Things like gorgeous description, exploration of the heart, and the use of a setting to display the emotions of the characters within that setting are fading in contemporary fiction. "Yes. No. I don't know." seems to be at the apex of fictional conversation. It's dull. It's everyday. It has little finesse. But, like musicians, novelists will always be here, and some are still writing with real creative verve, a feature unknown to AI. Take care. Many thanks.
One question that emerges from your thesis about normalization of new technologies also might apply to emotions. If so, the pointed questions you ask in closing might be rendered moot. A next generation might simply become socialized into not processing romantic failure in the jazz idiom or as Chopin expressed it.
An even more cynical result would be teaching AI that "this is what heartbreak" sounds like (or raising a sail or a good-natured public humiliation, etc.) and it will come to emulate those emotional states.
After that, the question is whether one train AI to write in the vein of Satie? Perhaps. But the trick will be getting the software to do what Grieg or Miles Davis did: have that initial spark to that sets down a pattern of tones or beats that communicates a particular idea in a novel way that resonates with human experience.
"It’s just like the Tin Man from Oz. What’s missing is the heart." – I'm not sure that's the best figure here, given how the Wizard of Oz tells the Tin Man to understand what a heart is: "A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others." So if AI music actually does spread and become familiar, as you describe, then it will have a heart in the Wizard's sense.
As a fan and collector of film composers and their music--from Hugo Friedhofer to Erich Wolfgang Korngold--I find the revelations in this article less surprising than depressing. But they also tie into my 40 years of steady week-end work as a "local musician," accepting gigs from big bands, small groups, country club managers, party-givers, etc. Now such gigs are vanishing along with the acoustic pianos once maintained by approx. 20 clubs in Chicago-Milwaukee and numerous points between. Equally concerning was the disappearance of services like local musicians unions, the monthly tabloid from A.F.M., and even the overnight bankruptcy of IAJE (Internaational Association of Jazz Educators, formerly NAJE). And the passing, not long ago, of the impactful George Wein was also a reminder that Newport in New York (later, JVC Festival) had come to a wrap some time ago. is all of this an accurate reflection of the state of live music? of the business of live music? And, speaking of jazz, of the state of the art?
I've been accused for years of being artificially intelligent, however I could write a lifeless piece of music like that without thinking very much, too. Thank god... there is a future for me yet.
Hey Ted! I loved your potential theme song for "Honest Broker" so much I ran through a local park in slow motion . . . uh, "avoid clichés like the plague."
Interesting post. Loving The Honest Broker.
I just listened to the AI-created theme song. It's definitely more humane than waterboarding. But don't play it three times in a row.
Praise from Mr.Hunter S. Thompson for“The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side.” That negative side.... must be the shitty AI music...
Fine piece, Ted. I write novels and find that much of what is being written now, in American fiction at least, reads like it came from AI . That's not the case...yet!...but perhaps will be someday soon. Things like gorgeous description, exploration of the heart, and the use of a setting to display the emotions of the characters within that setting are fading in contemporary fiction. "Yes. No. I don't know." seems to be at the apex of fictional conversation. It's dull. It's everyday. It has little finesse. But, like musicians, novelists will always be here, and some are still writing with real creative verve, a feature unknown to AI. Take care. Many thanks.
One question that emerges from your thesis about normalization of new technologies also might apply to emotions. If so, the pointed questions you ask in closing might be rendered moot. A next generation might simply become socialized into not processing romantic failure in the jazz idiom or as Chopin expressed it.
An even more cynical result would be teaching AI that "this is what heartbreak" sounds like (or raising a sail or a good-natured public humiliation, etc.) and it will come to emulate those emotional states.
After that, the question is whether one train AI to write in the vein of Satie? Perhaps. But the trick will be getting the software to do what Grieg or Miles Davis did: have that initial spark to that sets down a pattern of tones or beats that communicates a particular idea in a novel way that resonates with human experience.
Well, I hope you don't use that as your theme! Seems very generic and doesn't match the creativity of your work.
"It’s just like the Tin Man from Oz. What’s missing is the heart." – I'm not sure that's the best figure here, given how the Wizard of Oz tells the Tin Man to understand what a heart is: "A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others." So if AI music actually does spread and become familiar, as you describe, then it will have a heart in the Wizard's sense.
Bravo!!👏Well-elaborated and said!
"if I ever switch careers and become a meteorologist, this would work nicely for a rainy day weather forecast"
Ha!
As a fan and collector of film composers and their music--from Hugo Friedhofer to Erich Wolfgang Korngold--I find the revelations in this article less surprising than depressing. But they also tie into my 40 years of steady week-end work as a "local musician," accepting gigs from big bands, small groups, country club managers, party-givers, etc. Now such gigs are vanishing along with the acoustic pianos once maintained by approx. 20 clubs in Chicago-Milwaukee and numerous points between. Equally concerning was the disappearance of services like local musicians unions, the monthly tabloid from A.F.M., and even the overnight bankruptcy of IAJE (Internaational Association of Jazz Educators, formerly NAJE). And the passing, not long ago, of the impactful George Wein was also a reminder that Newport in New York (later, JVC Festival) had come to a wrap some time ago. is all of this an accurate reflection of the state of live music? of the business of live music? And, speaking of jazz, of the state of the art?
No joy in mudville, mighty AI has struck clams.
Nice one again mate ... AI is so scary for real writers - particularly those who do it to make a living... i wrote this a while ago about journalistic fears ... https://leighgbankspreservationsociety.blog/2021/02/16/bill-of-human-rights-for-machines-has-me-quaking-in-my-journalistic-bots/
Well, the song sounds like EDM popcorn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjxNnqTcHhg
I've been accused for years of being artificially intelligent, however I could write a lifeless piece of music like that without thinking very much, too. Thank god... there is a future for me yet.
My favorite part of the AI-created theme song was the fade out.
Hey Ted! I loved your potential theme song for "Honest Broker" so much I ran through a local park in slow motion . . . uh, "avoid clichés like the plague."
That's a jaunty tune. That sort of sound is commonplace in commercials now and I had no idea where it was coming from. Thanks for the info.