ATMI Plenary Speaker: Roger B. Dannenberg

"The Music Technology Revolution" (abstract)

Music and technology have always been connected. The concept of time as a dimension, pioneered by composers of the Ars nova, enabled polyphony and foreshadowed the scientific revolution. Printing and metallurgy played obvious roles in music. Where would the grand piano be without cast iron frames and steel strings? Recording, electronics, radio, the Internet -- all these technologies have made huge impacts upon music practice in artistic, economic, and cultural dimensions.

Today, more than ever, is a time of technological change. It does not seem an exaggeration to claim that we are in the midst of a musical revolution. Recording companies have lost control of music distribution, CD sales are on the verge of collapse, the iTunes Store surpassed Wal-Mart in retail music sales, and music production seems to be growing exponentially. A new generation of classic rock fans is emerging from Rock Band and Guitar Hero video games. Live music is spurred by CD release parties (now that almost anyone can afford a recording studio) but at the same time overwhelmed by recorded music or DJs, even at upscale social events. We have more music available to us now, including early music, "classical" music, "world" music, opera, jazz, and electronica, but orchestras and opera companies are failing at alarming rates along with major arts organizations of all kinds.

The revolution is not over. Most of the changes we have seen recently can be explained in terms of music storage (the CD, digital studio, and iPod) and transmission (radio, cell phones, Internet). It is remarkable that computers have been doubling in computational power every 18 months for 60 years, yet we have mainly used that power to move and store music more efficiently. While storage and transmission are obviously pivotal factors, I believe that ultimately computation will be seen as the major force of change. Computation gives us fundamentally new abilities that include searching, teaching, composing, performing, interacting, and playing with music. I expect these capabilities to emerge in the next decade, and we can see hints of the future within the research of today.

In the area of music search, computation allows us to search actual music content as opposed to searching catalogs of data about the music. Finding music with a certain rhythmic style or tempo, a similarity to a target track, or a certain mood is the goal of a great deal of active research, which is already finding some commercial applications. It seems that figuring out how to use music search and how to specify what we want will be as important as the underlying search technology.

Traditional music education has always involved a lot of individual tutoring. This is an ideal scenario for automation, but of course music educators will not be quick to put themselves out of business. The SmartMusic system is a good place to see both technical innovation and various attempts to enter the marketplace. With recent growth to over 100,000 students, it seems that there is a path that music educators and students find appealing, yet this product and others barely scratch the surface of what is possible.

Some have speculated that we are in a period of transition from a golden age of professionalism to one in which the amateurs are at the forefront. Increasingly, music technology is enabling amateurs (which is not to imply musicians of any less talent and ability than professionals) to compose, perform, record, and innovate without the mainstream institutions of orchestras, recording companies, or even roadies. In the future, computers will help amateurs adjust their recordings to sound like top studio players, augment live performances with virtual sidemen, and provide creative tools for exploring new musical directions. Some fear the diminishing quality of music when human expertise is eliminated, but my prediction is that creative use of automation will take music in new expressive directions.

Music and technology will continue to advance hand-in-hand. Whether the current revolution leads to a new period of stability, convergence, and development, or whether the frantic pace of change accelerates into a continuous blur is a question that time will answer. Meanwhile, we can expect interesting times ahead.

[photo credit: Amelia Williams]

Brief Bio:

Dr. Roger B. Dannenberg is an Associate Research Professor in the Schools of Computer Science and Art at Carnegie Mellon University, where he is also a fellow of the Studio for Creative Inquiry. His compositions have been performed by the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, the Pittsburgh Symphony, and at festivals such as the Foro de Musica Nueva, Callejon del Ruido, Spring in Havana, and the Conference on World Affairs. Dannenberg is well known for his computer music research, especially in real-time interactive systems. His pioneering work in computer accompaniment led to three patents and the SmartMusic system now used by over 100 thousand music students. He also played a central role in the development of the Piano Tutor, an intelligent, interactive, automated multimedia tutor that enables a student to obtain first-year piano proficiency in less than 20 hours. Dannenberg held a patent for large-scale interactive games controlled by crowd noise, and these "stadium games" have entertained many NFL fans. Other innovations include the application of machine learning to music style classification and the automation of music structure analysis. As a trumpet player, he has performed in concert halls ranging from the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem to the Espace de Projection at IRCAM, and he is active in performing jazz, classical, and new works as trumpeter in the Roger Humphries Big Band, principle trumpet with the Edgewood Symphony, and member of the Capgun Quartet.