Rich TrottIn his post on André 3000's piano album, Ethan Iverson is scathing. I'm personally not particularly interested in that aspect of it. I am more interested in something else he talks about. It really bothers Iverson that André 3000 gets wide exposure for anything he does simply because of who he is. https://bsky.app/profile/ethaniversonpiano.bsky.social/post/3loqtywbxus2f
I don't really have a problem with André 3000 getting automatic exposure. Context and stories are essential to experiencing art. When we listen to Nina Simone, a great deal of the listener's experience is informed by one's understanding of Simone's life experiences and viewpoints.
It also informs the listening experience to know approximately when and where music was written, recorded, or otherwise created.
Even in cases where we don't know a lot of information about a piece of music, that _absence_ of knowledge is important. It can contribute to mystery, prod conjecture, contribute to an element of suprise or curiosity, and so on.
And that is as it should be. People who love music roll their eyes when someone says something like, "You love Van Halen, and now you can ask an AI to just generate a lot of music similar to Van Halen's! It's gonna be great!"
People who love engineering and technology might find that exciting or interesting, and loving those things isn't better or worse than loving music. But the idea that such a thing would have broad appeal to music-lovers is ridiculous.
The purely audio experience is important, but so is awareness of the people and times that produced that audio. If I love the instrumental music of Frank Zappa, it's because it's by Frank Zappa and everything that means and implies. It is not just because it _sounds_ like it's by Frank Zappa.
This is true even for people for whom the love of Zappa's music is _in spite_ of the fact that it's by Zappa. That contradiction is part of the richness of the experience.
All that evaporates if I'm just typing into a prompt "Play me instrumental music that sounds like Frank Zappa."
(As an aside, machine learning models already are useful tool for music creators, but not so much for music consumers. If they do become useful for consumers, it will almost certainly not be in the "create music that sounds like this artist I like" vein.)
Because so much of the music listening experience is informed by context, personalities, stories external to the actual music, and so on, it is only natural that people will be more interested in art created by an artist they know and love. It's what makes bad art by great artists so interesting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Y8YVHRM03g
Self Portrait: A film about Bob Dylan, kind of
If "bluffing in the snow" were music on a SoundCloud getting 57 views, I suspect Iverson might be less harsh about it. He might even find it interesting and charming on some level. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTHyxlupBiw
André 3000 - bluffing in the snow (Official Audio)
I'm not remotely the pianist Iverson is. He is incredible. I get by on piano. Nobody needs to put me on a concert stage any time soon, or ever, really, but I play well enough in a few genres that I get invited from time to time to do public performances.
Ethan--if I may call him "Ethan"--even once made some generous comments about something I played. But I think it's related to my preceding comment (about getting 57 views on SoundCloud).
I had made some relatively obscure Homestar Runner fan-art as opposed to something getting a lot of media attention (like André 3000's album). Therefore, I imagine, it did not not chafe and even perhaps got judged on a generous curve. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skVwx2RC8yE
Skills Of An Artist (Homestar Runner cover in the style of Vince Guaraldi)
(Thanks, Ethan! It continues to be the highpoint of my pianistic life that you had something kind to say about something I made!)
As I already said, I'm OK with the attention André 3000 is getting. It's natural, and I'm interested too and will give it a listen. I won't be surprised if I never come back to it, but I do want to hear it at least once.
I've been posting videos of my cat getting onto my shoulders while I play "Maple Leaf Rag". I play very poorly in these videos. The cat bats at my head or digs its claws into my shoulder and everything--tempo, rhythm, dynamics, accurate notes, you name it--it all goes out the window. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJXUvNnvoRY
"Maple Leaf Rag" with help from my cat
André 3000 recorded a bunch of piano improvisations in low fidelity on an iPhone and it's bringing joy to people. If it brings joy to three people to watch me stumbling on a Scott Joplin rag while my cat digs his claws into my neck, then great. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn1SNGqgYMI
"Maple Leaf Cat #2"
Just as long as the hype machine doesn't pick it up and put it in front of millions of people. I mean, on one level, that might be cool, although I'm guessing it would be awful in ways I can't imagine. But either way, it would certainly verify Iverson's contention that this is all, in fact, broken.
(The preceding thread of 20 posts didn't start as a way for me to post about my own half-assed cat videos. Honest!)