SongSmith Rhythm Picker
Computer technology has allowed/enabled us to do many things and certainly has propelled and expanded the knowledgebase of many fields further than all of the collective years before its emergence. Likewise, music technology has astounded and even bedazzled musicians with the power, empowerment, and reach that it has provided to them/us. We now live in a world where the “technology” allows us to skip over the “basics” and many times -do things with no real foundational knowledge except only the most cursory…
Microsoft’s Songsmith is the latest entry into this paradigm of “power without knowledge”…musical knowledge in this case. Songsmith is a software program that allows anyone to compose a song having only the most rudimentary of music skills.
This program makes good on its songwriting promise and is one of the first (or one of the first this interesting -there are a couple of other similar ones) entries in what will no doubt be an increasing number of similar, better, and smarter music applications. So…what is it and what does it do? Songsmith is a software program that allows you to listen to a rhythmic beat/pattern such as R&B, Reggae, Rock, Salsa, etc. and simply sing a melody into the microphone and it renders the combination into a completed song by adding intelligent harmonic accompaniment (drums, bass, piano, guitar, strings).
After using this program, I’ve found that it actually does NOT do a bad job analyzing the melody (provided by you via the microphone) for appropriate chords and accompaniment. It is as simple to use as they state that it is.
While somewhat “CHEESEY”, this video does a great job at explaining what it is… After reading through the comment threads associated with the video on YouTube a number of people (I’m assuming musicians) have commented on how bad (with regard to pitch, no doubt) the singers are on this video. I would argue, in defense, that purpose of the software is to take the average “shower” or “car” singer’s voice and show what can be done with it, even if they stray from a tonal center or centered pitch:
There are a number of questions that technologies like this bring to mind:
1. What does technology like this do to the traditional process of song writing?
2. Does this type of technology circumvent a basic understanding of music?
3. Does this technology help promote any/some/many of the goals of music education?
4. Could this technology be used to explore aesthetic/arts outcomes for those not technically “musicians”?
5. What does this type of technology bring to the proverbial “table” for established musicians?
6. Does the very existence of these types of technologies foreshadow a future, extremely sophisticated derivative of software that will lessen the need for traditional musicians?
7. Do you fear this type of technology as a musician?
8. Are you excited by this type of technology as a musician?
9. Are you insulted by this type of technology as a musician?
10. Will you ignore, embrace, integrate, or advocate for or against this type of technology into a curriculum?
One of the very useful aspects of this program is the ability to export what it does via a MIDI file. Once any audio is converted into a MIDI file the usefulness of the program creating the source audio expands exponentially.
Download a free trial of Songsmith here. The trial allows you six hours of usage with no limitations. Find out more about Songsmith here. The full version is $19.95 U.S. (What does that low price do, if anything, for consideration of inclusion into your classes or personal inventory of software?)
Love it? Hate it? Excited? Appaled? Thoughts?
Let me say first that I have not watched the YouTube video yet, as I am at school and unable to access it. That being said – Educationally, this may be a nice tool for something like a general music class – provided that it is used correctly. For example, it may be neat to have a student sing and see what the program comes up with for its accompaniment. Then, it could be useful to explore what chords are used with the given melody. Then it might be logical to ask the class why certain chords were used and how it fits with the melody. This could be a catalyst for someone to begin a more sincere interest in music.
As a musician, I can’t help but feel somewhat uncomfortable with this technology. I have felt for a long time that a lot (not all) “popular” music is not very creative. It seems to me that while this software is able to create “intelligent accompaniment”, it is not at all creative. Though, while I’m uncomfortable with it, I am not neccessarily worried about it because it harbors no creativity whatsoever. I speculate that what will really be missing in the software’s “composition” is actual human emotion & creativity.
I don’t think I would necessarily advocate for this type of software, but used correctly, and in perspective, it could be a useful tool for getting students interested in music.
[…] loop programs we saw a few years ago. This also caught my attention even more when I then passed by J Pisano’s blog on Microsoft’s new offering – songsmith. It seemed strange – this program seems to be going the other way. Doing more for the user. Do […]
What a fun toy for kids! Chances of this software being used for more than fun are slim. Depth, diversity, production and human touch are definitely lacking. Enjoy kids.
This product serves a valid purpose as a ‘foot in the door’ in my opinion! Applications don’t go farther that for the absolute beginner, but for the absolute beginner, this program provides a method by which they can feed the enthusiasm which they may have for music, without been hindered by complicated technology.
I think this kind of technology needs to be very analyzed very critically. It may be helpful to introduce some folks to music/composing, but I see some potential problems I see with it:
-Perpetuating the ‘cult of the amateur’ (Andrew Keen’s term), arming absolutely anyone with the ability to create and publish music, thus continuing to inundate the web with low quality content that does not foster sustained listening/thought
-Degrading the skills of real composers
-While it may encourage some people to think about creating their own music, it does so in an extremely superficial way from which they are unlikely to ever advance (or if they advance, it will only be as the technology itself does), for real composing takes hard work.
I really think my first concern is the greatest, though. I’d recommend reading Keen’s book (called The Cult of the Amateur), as well as articles from the New Atlantis journal of technology & society.
There are definitely pros and cons to all new music technology inventions. Yes, it is awesome in that it gets people excited about music. It also can provide interesting tunes or beats that you can use for projects or slideshows, etc.
However, we have to be careful that we don’t start to view music like this: “All i have to do is open this program and click this button to make music!” It provides a lazy way to not have to actually learn ABOUT music to make it.
Sure, people who aren’t musically inclined may not be able to write a four page Sonata, but that doesn’t mean they can’t learn the very basics or have a real musician show them how to actually compose a song. We never want to take the easy way out, which technology definitely provides us with.
This definitely has both pros and cons. This can be useful in helping people become interested and excited about music, but it should definitely not be the end.
The danger is that people will use this as the easy way out: A way of not having to take the time to actually learn about music and compose and build it YOURSELF, rather than have a computer program build it for you.
Of course, the people out there who are not musically inclined are not going to be able to write a four page Sonata, but that doesn’t mean they can’t learn the basics about music, or sit down with a musician and be shown how the musician composes music. We never want to become so lazy that we rely on computers or technology for something so important and inspiring as music.
I personally have no qualms with this type of technology. It is an effective way for non-musicians to experience the joy of creating their own music. I support this program for two main reasons:
1. I assume that most people who use this software cannot create their own music without the help of a software. Or they use the program to spark an idea or concept that they will then implement in their music.
2. I’m not expecting major record labels to hire a untalented artist to create their jingle using this software. The music being created is another creative outlet allowing people to create something that they can call their own and take pleasure in.
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by pisanojm: From MusTech.Net: Excited Or Insulted? Writing Songs With Only “Shower” Experience -Microsoft Songsmith http://bit.ly/KR3pb…
[…] around MusicTech.net I found one particular post that fascinated me. The post is about a new Microsoft program called Songsmith. This program […]