AI-assisted piano allows disabled musicians to perform Beethoven

Congratulations to those disabled people

I very much disagree because these people are not the ones playing the music, a computer is. The disabled person might as well be putting a CD into a player and pressing play for all the contribution and "effort" they're doing. That's on top of the irony that this is for the purposes of playing music that was composed by a disabled person. And let's not forget other disabled pianists who were abled to thrive like Michel Petrucciani, Norman Malone, Alexander Scriabin, Paul Wittgenstein, and Darrius Simmons.

Keeping rhythm by moving her left arm, she powerfully pressed the keys with the back of her right hand, with the AI-assisted piano filling in the notes to complete the performance.

Unlike more traditional auto-play, the "Anybody's Piano" stops if a player hits the wrong notes.

Oh, gee, is this really such a big advance over the Tutorial functions found in a PSR-E373 (available for less than US$200). That thing also fills in the left hand to accompany my right hand (or the reverse) and it stops if I push the wrong note. It'd even change the tempo to match my actual entry speed to create something that isn't too unmusical. The only addition is that maybe I don't even need to play the whole right hand anymore - just the topmost melody line or the bottom-most bass line and it'd fill in the rest for me.

It is wonderful to hear that disable musicians are being a chance to play, whatever the help they get is. I have listened to classical music all my life, it was always playing at home. I have thousands of pieces on my computer but through all the year Beethoven has been my favourite. I adore An die Freiheit ("Ode to Freedom"), this was the first time a composer had written words for a symphony, it is the 4th movement and even after years I still get tears when hearing it. And the really miraculous thing is that he was completely deaf when he wrote it. I hope Kiwa Usami and other disabled musicians can carry on with their playing. There are many I have seen on YT and they have all been incredible.

AureliusToday  11:20 am JST

This is awesome news

Congratulations to those disabled people

They can now do what their hearts desire, what they love doing. AI at its best.

> First15Today  12:25 pm JST

Congratulations to those disabled people

I very much disagree because these people are not the ones playing the music, a computer is. The disabled person might as well be putting a CD into a player and pressing play for all the contribution and "effort" they're doing. 

Maybe but the 'program' stops if the wrong key is played. The player still has to know about music notes and the whats/hows/etc. to do it. And the computer itself is programmed with the song itself to 'help you along'. That program is written by a programmer, it's all 'zeros and ones' leading to greater accomplishments and wonderful things.

Like this beautiful Christmas concert.

Come to think of it, in a way it's not too far-fetched from that special electric drum kit that the one-armed drummer for Def Leppard has been using for decades now.

*I very much disagree because these people are not the ones playing the music, a computer is. The disabled person might as well be putting a CD into a player and pressing play for all the contribution and "effort" they're doing. That's on top of the irony that this is for the purposes of playing music that was composed by a disabled person. And let's not forget other disabled pianists who were abled to thrive like Michel Petrucciani, Norman Malone, Alexander Scriabin, Paul Wittgenstein, and Darrius Simmons.*

They get to perform on a stage, with an orchestra and audience. I think they very much deserve it considering the hardships they face every day.

Maybe but the 'program' stops if the wrong key is played. The player still has to know about music notes and the whats/hows/etc. to do it. And the computer itself is programmed with the song itself to 'help you along'. That program is written by a programmer, it's all 'zeros and ones' leading to greater accomplishments and wonderful things.

What you just described is the basis for Guitar Hero.

Not sure about this. I’m really on the fence about AI getting involved/helping out. Besides, as First15 pointed out, Beethoven himself didn’t need AI.

I adore An die Freiheit ("Ode to Freedom"), this was the first time a composer had written words for a symphony….

The original text was ‘An die Freude’ (Ode to Joy) written by Friedrich Schiller, and adapted by LvB. It was changed in 1989 by Leonard Bernstein to mark the fall of the Berlin Wall. The same “freude” that Bach uses in ‘Jesus bleibet meine Freude’ (Jesus, Remains my Joy AKA Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring) from Cantata 147.

https://www.classicfm.com/composers/beethoven/ode-to-joy-lyrics-german-english/

First15Dec. 24  02:48 pm JST

Maybe but the 'program' stops if the wrong key is played. The player still has to know about music notes and the whats/hows/etc. to do it. And the computer itself is programmed with the song itself to 'help you along'. That program is written by a programmer, it's all 'zeros and ones' leading to greater accomplishments and wonderful things.

What you just described is the basis for Guitar Hero.

There is a software that came out in the early 90s that help musicians and composers write and compose music. It's called Pro-Tools. It can do wonders and many serious and professional musicians use it today to write, record, compile music.

There's one catch, however. That stuff doesn't do you a bit of good if you ain't got the musicality in you. IOW, you have to know how to play an instrument in order to make it work for you.

And let's not forget, Stevie Wonder can't see a thing yet he plays his instruments just fine. He has trailblazed in the use of synthesizers for at least 50 years, those instruments utilize some programming as well. Of course synths have evolved even more with more automated and programmed features. Still, technology and AI has done him some good.

Phil Collins himself now has spinal injuries, when I saw him solo in 2018 all he did was sit in an EZ chair and sing his heart out for 2.5 straight hours. And he is teaching himself how to work with composing software. He has a few song demos made, they will have to be 'fleshed out' with real instruments played by other musicians. There's no guarantees on what can come from that but maybe, **just maybe** we might get another album from him. We can hope. His most recent tour wasn't dubbed 'I'm Not Dead' for nothing.

Once again, if you have a disability but have an inclination and talent for music (or other arts for that matter), technology can work for you!