virtual musician

http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=210300239&cid=NL_eet

I wonder if Local 47 et al. will protest this. I remember the story about how protests were lodged when RCA funded synthesizer development, supposedly because Sarnoff didn't want to be held hostage paying musicians.

The resulting machine was ludicrously difficult to use, and the few who more-or-less mastered it were academic composers like Milton Babbitt, author of the notorious High Fidelity mag article "Who Cares if You Listen?"

(see http://www.palestrant.com/babbitt.html)

One of Larry Fast's LP's explored a similar app in the late 80's, then run by some huge computer. The results were interesting, but not any kind of accompaniment that you would expect from even the most elementary knowledgeable player.
I watched some 19 year olds playing jazz standards at a silly outlet shopping center and what struck me was that although they were blowing clams all over the place, they were taking chances that a machine or a program has no conceptual ability to execute. I loved the energy, and that was what was important for the musician-audience connection, because most people dug it, and they kept walking further and further out on the plank in reaction.

OK, Big Blue won the chess match, but it takes a human to riff an abstraction of "mommas little baby loves shortnin' bread" in a solo during "Salt Peanuts".
Mike

I remember a breakthrough moment as a very young jazz player when I finally stopped being so f-ing self-conscious for a moment and concerned about being technically correct. It elicited praise immediately (and sent me right back into self-consciousness, but whaddaya want :grin: ).

It is wonderful to take chances. I've teased the spectacularly great pianist Christian Jacob that he never makes a mistake, therefore is not really pushing the envelope. His live playing got even more amazing after that----but he still doesn't make mistakes, at least that I can detect! Swings like mad too. The technique serves the music.

That looks sweet! Where do I get say... six of 'em?

iMe... It already has an ego.

:thumb: