The remote, non-face-to-face group music performance program provided by Google Labs utilizes a 'Shared Piano.'
The remote, non-face-to-face group music performance program provided by Google Labs utilizes a 'Shared Piano.' The advantage is that virtual instruments can be used with just a computer keyboard without installing any separate apps or programs.
The leader called the band members to the practice room. However, there were no instruments, and they hadn't actually gathered. This was an experiment attempting to see if non-face-to-face ensemble playing was possible during the so-called 'untact' performance in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. They utilized 'Shared Piano,' a remote, non-face-to-face group music performance program provided by Google Labs (Experiments with Google). Although it is named after the piano, it is not limited to playing only the piano. Various types of instruments, including percussion like drums, as well as string and wind instruments, can be virtually played.
Since they were a band of office workers, coordinating practice times was difficult, and due to social distancing policies caused by COVID-19, it was hard for them to meet in person. So, they attempted a virtual ensemble performance by pressing the computer keyboard instead of actual instruments. "I can manage the basic beat, but it's hard to add fills with the keyboard," said Kim Hyun-seung (32), the drummer. 'Fill-in' refers to showing more elaborate and complex playing at points where a measure or phrase ends when playing drums, or at any point where the performer wants to insert something. He lamented that it was not easy because he had to keep time with the keyboard instead of hitting it with drumsticks. On the other hand, Han Jin-young (32), the leader and keyboardist, who could connect a synthesizer he owned at home to the computer and play it like usual, did not feel much difficulty. "Anyway, we weren't trying to do a real ensemble performance; we were just trying to get a feel for it."
Popular as an alternative performance among music hobbyists
The method for using Shared Piano is easy. One person opens the room and sends a link address, and those who want to play together can enter the online practice room through that link. Up to 10 people can join, and since they can see each other's faces on screen, it can be utilized for music education or collaborative work through instrument playing. The advantage is that virtual instruments can be used with just a computer keyboard without installing any separate apps or programs.
Even Han, who had known about this shared piano before, it was the first time he used it seriously on this day. Since he could already do music activities using 'MIDI,' or virtual instruments, with a computer from the start, there was no reason to use a basic platform like a shared piano. However, the situation changes when it's not solo composition and arrangement, but an ensemble performance. Although it is possible to send MIDI-worked audio files and have other members record their respective instrument performances and layer them on top, performing together in one place is impossible. Han said, "Of course, if it were a contactless ensemble, it would be possible using video conferencing platforms like 'Zoom,' but there are limitations such as sound quality or slight time differences, so the shared piano can sometimes be an alternative."
Google's shared piano is a case of applying more advanced technology to contactless performance, but in fact, there were many instances of attempting remote ensembles since the early stages of the COVID-19 spread. The beginning was from primitive remote ensembles started when citizens in Turin, Italy, who couldn't leave their homes, opened the windows of their attic balconies and played instruments like guitars and clarinets. Other citizens who heard the instrumental music coming from outside the window also opened their windows and leaned out to join the ensemble, and even citizens without special instruments participated by singing along.
An idea also emerged to expand this spontaneously created contactless ensemble to the whole world and realize it specifically. At <One World: Together at Home>, planned jointly by Lady Gaga and the World Health Organization (WHO) and held on April 18th, about 60 top international musicians participated, including Paul McCartney, Elton John, and Celine Dion. Through a relay online concert that lasted for eight hours, each musician streamed music to the world through LAN lines from their own location. Although it lacked the grandeur of a stage, it was comparable to <Live Aid>, which was held before an audience of 170,000 people in two venues in the UK and US for African famine relief in 1985, broadcasted via dual live feed.
Jeonju World Sound Festival also with non-face-to-face performances
While the <One World> performance gathered many musicians into one show, presenting their music sequentially, there have also been cases where they overcame technical limitations and challenged themselves to perform in a real-time ensemble with musicians from all over the world. At the opening performance of the Jeonju World Sound Festival held since September 16th, Russian, German, Taiwanese, and other overseas 13 countries and 9 regions were connected in real time for an 'Online Sinawi' ensemble. Initially, musicians from each region followed their own performances sequentially, but towards the end of the performance, they all participated in a joint ensemble for the Arirang performance. The high praise was given to the performance technical team, located in the orchestra pit of the special Sinawi team at the Korean venue, who moved flawlessly according to the conductor's direction without 'lag.'
This seemingly reckless attempt emerged as an alternative when it was decided that the Jeonju World Sound Festival would also proceed with unprecedented full non-face-to-face performances due to the aftermath of the COVID-19 spread. It was a thought reversal considering the situation where one would have to spend nearly a month in self-quarantine, excluding the time needed to synchronize, after gathering musicians from around the world to Korea and then returning them to their home countries. Although contactless ensemble emerged as an alternative, due to the inevitable trial and error caused by lag and errors that occur even when using the most advanced communication technology multiple times, it was unavoidable. Park Jae-cheon, Executive Director of the Jeonju World Sound Festival, stated regarding this attempt, "In a situation where many cultural artists have no choice but to use the most developed digital technology, we wanted to experiment with what kind of influence our cultural materials can have on civilization again."
Experimenting with real-time non-face-to-face ensembles across the world, thousands of kilometers away, is still a challenging endeavor that requires concentrating considerable capability, but the speed of technological development is also fast enough that domestic scope has seen commercialized technology. By utilizing 5G communication networks with high transmission speeds, along with Mixed Reality (MR) and Extended Reality (XR) technologies, it has become possible to perform a simultaneous ensemble minimizing lag, even from locations as far apart as Seoul and Busan, involving three or more singers and performers against various performance backgrounds. A representative from Emotionwave, an artificial intelligence music technology specialized company that developed this service, said, "We can also do automatic performances by combining performance information based on over 50,000 pieces of music big data with artificial intelligence, and we can use it for auxiliary applications such as improving the acoustic sense."
Reporter Kim Tae-hoon anarq@kyunghyang.com
View original text:
http://weekly.khan.co.kr/khnm.html?mode=view&code=116&artid=202011061524321&pt=nv#csidxf4a55642df185b188aca2bf78d2d79d
Performers using Google Labs' 'Shared Piano' are preparing for an ensemble performance. / Google Labs
The leader called the band members to the practice room. However, there were no instruments, and they hadn't actually gathered. This was an experiment attempting to see if non-face-to-face ensemble playing was possible during the so-called 'untact' performance in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. They utilized 'Shared Piano,' a remote, non-face-to-face group music performance program provided by Google Labs (Experiments with Google). Although it is named after the piano, it is not limited to playing only the piano. Various types of instruments, including percussion like drums, as well as string and wind instruments, can be virtually played.
Since they were a band of office workers, coordinating practice times was difficult, and due to social distancing policies caused by COVID-19, it was hard for them to meet in person. So, they attempted a virtual ensemble performance by pressing the computer keyboard instead of actual instruments. "I can manage the basic beat, but it's hard to add fills with the keyboard," said Kim Hyun-seung (32), the drummer. 'Fill-in' refers to showing more elaborate and complex playing at points where a measure or phrase ends when playing drums, or at any point where the performer wants to insert something. He lamented that it was not easy because he had to keep time with the keyboard instead of hitting it with drumsticks. On the other hand, Han Jin-young (32), the leader and keyboardist, who could connect a synthesizer he owned at home to the computer and play it like usual, did not feel much difficulty. "Anyway, we weren't trying to do a real ensemble performance; we were just trying to get a feel for it."
Popular as an alternative performance among music hobbyists
The method for using Shared Piano is easy. One person opens the room and sends a link address, and those who want to play together can enter the online practice room through that link. Up to 10 people can join, and since they can see each other's faces on screen, it can be utilized for music education or collaborative work through instrument playing. The advantage is that virtual instruments can be used with just a computer keyboard without installing any separate apps or programs.
Even Han, who had known about this shared piano before, it was the first time he used it seriously on this day. Since he could already do music activities using 'MIDI,' or virtual instruments, with a computer from the start, there was no reason to use a basic platform like a shared piano. However, the situation changes when it's not solo composition and arrangement, but an ensemble performance. Although it is possible to send MIDI-worked audio files and have other members record their respective instrument performances and layer them on top, performing together in one place is impossible. Han said, "Of course, if it were a contactless ensemble, it would be possible using video conferencing platforms like 'Zoom,' but there are limitations such as sound quality or slight time differences, so the shared piano can sometimes be an alternative."
Google's shared piano is a case of applying more advanced technology to contactless performance, but in fact, there were many instances of attempting remote ensembles since the early stages of the COVID-19 spread. The beginning was from primitive remote ensembles started when citizens in Turin, Italy, who couldn't leave their homes, opened the windows of their attic balconies and played instruments like guitars and clarinets. Other citizens who heard the instrumental music coming from outside the window also opened their windows and leaned out to join the ensemble, and even citizens without special instruments participated by singing along.
An idea also emerged to expand this spontaneously created contactless ensemble to the whole world and realize it specifically. At <One World: Together at Home>, planned jointly by Lady Gaga and the World Health Organization (WHO) and held on April 18th, about 60 top international musicians participated, including Paul McCartney, Elton John, and Celine Dion. Through a relay online concert that lasted for eight hours, each musician streamed music to the world through LAN lines from their own location. Although it lacked the grandeur of a stage, it was comparable to <Live Aid>, which was held before an audience of 170,000 people in two venues in the UK and US for African famine relief in 1985, broadcasted via dual live feed.
Jeonju World Sound Festival also with non-face-to-face performances
While the <One World> performance gathered many musicians into one show, presenting their music sequentially, there have also been cases where they overcame technical limitations and challenged themselves to perform in a real-time ensemble with musicians from all over the world. At the opening performance of the Jeonju World Sound Festival held since September 16th, Russian, German, Taiwanese, and other overseas 13 countries and 9 regions were connected in real time for an 'Online Sinawi' ensemble. Initially, musicians from each region followed their own performances sequentially, but towards the end of the performance, they all participated in a joint ensemble for the Arirang performance. The high praise was given to the performance technical team, located in the orchestra pit of the special Sinawi team at the Korean venue, who moved flawlessly according to the conductor's direction without 'lag.'
This seemingly reckless attempt emerged as an alternative when it was decided that the Jeonju World Sound Festival would also proceed with unprecedented full non-face-to-face performances due to the aftermath of the COVID-19 spread. It was a thought reversal considering the situation where one would have to spend nearly a month in self-quarantine, excluding the time needed to synchronize, after gathering musicians from around the world to Korea and then returning them to their home countries. Although contactless ensemble emerged as an alternative, due to the inevitable trial and error caused by lag and errors that occur even when using the most advanced communication technology multiple times, it was unavoidable. Park Jae-cheon, Executive Director of the Jeonju World Sound Festival, stated regarding this attempt, "In a situation where many cultural artists have no choice but to use the most developed digital technology, we wanted to experiment with what kind of influence our cultural materials can have on civilization again."
Experimenting with real-time non-face-to-face ensembles across the world, thousands of kilometers away, is still a challenging endeavor that requires concentrating considerable capability, but the speed of technological development is also fast enough that domestic scope has seen commercialized technology. By utilizing 5G communication networks with high transmission speeds, along with Mixed Reality (MR) and Extended Reality (XR) technologies, it has become possible to perform a simultaneous ensemble minimizing lag, even from locations as far apart as Seoul and Busan, involving three or more singers and performers against various performance backgrounds. A representative from Emotionwave, an artificial intelligence music technology specialized company that developed this service, said, "We can also do automatic performances by combining performance information based on over 50,000 pieces of music big data with artificial intelligence, and we can use it for auxiliary applications such as improving the acoustic sense."
Reporter Kim Tae-hoon anarq@kyunghyang.com
View original text:
http://weekly.khan.co.kr/khnm.html?mode=view&code=116&artid=202011061524321&pt=nv#csidxf4a55642df185b188aca2bf78d2d79d