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Concert to be Performed from Beyond the Grave

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the digital-resurrection dept.

rtphokie writes "Raleigh, NC based Zenph Studios is hosting a live concert performed by two piano virtuosi long since dead. Zenph developed software which digitally transcribes performances even from the scratchy recordings. A more faithful transcription of timing, key and pedal pressure is achieved using Yamaha's high resolution version of MIDI."

12 of 196 comments (clear)

  1. Holograms by justdweezil · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Coupling a performance like this with a 3D Projected likeness of the artist would be mindblowing. The projection wouldn't even have to be very good.. but being able to visualize the person while hearing the digital "passion" in their notes.. live.. would be something amazing.

  2. Just a tad misleading... by EvilCabbage · · Score: 2, Interesting

    ... not that I'm surprised by a Slashdot (or submitted article) being misleading, but there's not much to crow about here.

    We're talking about a slightly more modern idea of the old player pianos. Stuff that matters indeed..

    1. Re:Just a tad misleading... by RedWizzard · · Score: 2, Interesting
      This MIDI file is fed through a high-performance Yamaha piano and the concert is played live on the piano in the concert hall.
      It's not really live though, is it? It's just a different (and technically very advanced) form of recording and playback.
  3. Not the same by ShamanDave · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Part of the charm of Glenn Gould's recordings stems from the fact that you can hear him humming along with the music if you listen carefully. I guess he drove recording techs nuts.

    1. Re:Not the same by mendax · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Let's not forget Glenn Gould's beloved piano that he hauled around with him wherever he went. The humming and the piano were the bane of recording engineers. But then the man was a true eccentric. But will the "performance" reflect accurately the eccentricies of his performance style? At least they need to put a guy wearing what looks like Gould's winter wardrobe (which he preferred to wear even in the summer) on stage in front of the piano to give it at least some authenticity.

      --
      It's really quite a simple choice: Life, Death, or Los Angeles.
    2. Re:Not the same by Quirk · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Glen Gould was a supreme recording tech. He stopped playing publicly "on 10 April 1964 in a Los Angeles recital". The list of Gould's idiocyracies would fill a few pages. He would steep his hands and forearms in steaming hot water to loosen them and increase the circulation. Those who witnessed this ritual said his arms would come out burnt red. He loved recording technology and was a master of the craft. Some detractors have suggested his later output reflected his virtuosity as a technologist more than his ability as a pianist, but those who heard him live state unequivocably that his mastery of the keyboard was unparalleled, especially his ability to play at a blinding speed.

      --
      "Academicians are more likely to share each other's toothbrush than each other's nomenclature."
      Cohen
  4. Re:transcribing polyphonic notes by kebes · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Exactly. These are famous last words, but: "how hard can it be?"

    You have the exact musical score, and that as a first-guess MIDI file should be pretty good (but will lack "feeling")... then you have an algorithm (genetic algorithm maybe?) that varies the exact timing and release of keys and stuff, until it best approximates the original recording. Since you're starting with the real musical score, getting the notes right shouldn't be the hard part... the rest of it should be the hard part.

    In fact, you can always ask a music expert what notes are being played, and guide the algorithm appropriately. Any human composer can tell you what notes are supposed to be played... the hard part is specifying microsecond timing of how the keys/pedals are pressed and released.

    Now, IANAM (musician), but I have programmed fitting routines many times... so what am I missing?

  5. Re:This was done 12 years ago with Gershwin by cascino · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This was done 12 years ago with Gershwin
    That project was similar, but it's not quite the same thing. The Gershwin recordings were done using player piano rolls recorded by Gershwin himself - i.e.: his performances were already in a MIDI-like format - whereas this project is starting from the raw audio recordings of Gould and Cortot and creating MIDI files. In both cases the "concert" featuring dead performers' MIDI files is the headline grabbing story.

  6. My thoughts by jessecurry · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I love the idea that they can transcribe polyphonic notes with such clarity. I think that being able to hear these piano masters from a real piano and not just recording would be a great experience, I wish that I could see it live.
    One of the huge benefits I see is that now electronic music artists can incorporate classical pieces as done by the actual artist instead of a poor transcription. I don't know if anyone has heard tracks such as Gotti's Revenge, but I find that electronic music that integrates classical or otherwise note heavy songs has a much better sound.

    --
    Those who know, do not speak. Those who speak, do not know. ~Lao Tzu
  7. Re:FYI: the Yamaha XP Midi format and virtuosism by eh2o · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Microtiming is control of event timing, but not necessarily *absolute* timing., e.g. the inter-onset time between two near-coincident notes.

    Virtuoso pianists (typically having 15-20 years of formal training starting at age 2-4 years) have exceptional control of microtiming.

    Non-virtuosos are very sloppy when it comes to timing. Non-musicians are even worse. Each category is like an order-of-magnitude difference.

    There are plenty of virtuoso pianists who are totally dead in the "emotion" department.

  8. the technology, or something similar by rawshark · · Score: 3, Interesting

    A few years ago I heard a CD made with this (or a similiar) technology.

    The way the technology was described to me was as follows: as you know a piano works by having a small hammer attached to each key. The recording technology has a modified piano where below each hammer is a pool of mercury. When the key is struck the hammer enters the pool, completing an electrical circuit, this causes a line to be drawn (???) on a piece of paper. Another modified piano will read the piece of paper like a player piano.

    We listened to music performed by Richard Strauss. It was very cool.

  9. Re:polyphony by JJ · · Score: 2, Interesting

    If this could be extended to vocal performances then I know of the perfect recording to utilize. I heard it on the Dr Demento show many years ago, it was an operatic aria by a castratti, a "modified" human. The vocal power was that of a man but the range encompassed both that of a woman and a man. Quite an eery performance when you considered that the singer paid a huge sacrifice to become a great singer. Many operas were written so that only castratti could perform certain roles and are now non-performable.

    --
    So long and thanks for all the fish . . . !!!