Vivace Personal Accompanist:

Smart Computer Accompanist Changes Tempo With A "Live" Musician

by Dr. John Kuzmich, Jr.

The value of play-along materials is well documented in jazz education. Jamey Aebersold's series of play-along recordings and Peter Gannon's Band In-A-Box deserve a place in the annals of jazz education instructional materials. One would think that in 1995 such music education instructional materials would be flooding the market. Of all the subjects in public school instruction, music education is perhaps the least receptive to high technology. When comparing the contents of a professional music journal with science or math journals, the disparagement in high technology applications becomes obvious. Some of the most innovative, user-friendly technology is around the corner for music educators. The biggest breakthrough technology in music education instruction materials has just occurred with the release of Vivace by CODA Music Technology. It encourages music students to practice by offering true interactive instruction! Vivace is a unique system that provides musical accompaniments that actually listens to and follows the soloist. This computer-driven accompaniment system can and will revolutionize the way students learn and the way educators teach music. It does this with either piano, full orchestra, basso continuo (cello and harpsichord), or jazz ensemble accompaniment. Vivace is the first technology to provide musical accompaniment that actually listens to and follows the soloist's tempo changes, just as a human accompanist would.

Vivace uses a sophisticated computer algorithm that allows the system to analyze instantaneously what the soloist is playing and provide a pre-recorded accompaniment that follows the soloist's tempo changes with no perceptible delay. Easy to setup, it requires only a single cable to connect Vivace's compact electronics module to a computer, and Vivace's stand audio outputs hook up to any standard stereo system. The student or teacher simply inserts the desired music cartridge into the Vivace control unit, clips a small microphone to their instrument or clothing, selects "Play" on the computer screen, and begins playing the solo line from the corresponding sheet music. The microphone picks up the sound that reaches a circuit board in the Vivace box, which translates the signal into digital information. This data is sent to a personal computer where the Vivace software is installed in the hard drive. The patented algorithm analyzes the data and, predicts how a human accompanist would react to the soloist's tempo. This analysis is sent back to the Vivace box where the data is fed into a processor which controls a synthesizer which plays the correct accompaniment sounds at the proper time. Standard stereo speakers broadcast the high-quality accompaniment. The computer screen interface controls also allow the soloist to start playing at any point in the piece, repeat difficult-to-play segments automatically, remove instruments from the mix, adjust the degree to which Vivace follows the player's tempo, and more.

Within just a few hundredths of a second, Vivace responds intelligently because Vivace not only can let students lead, it also can take the lead. Many beginning students find it easier to have the tempos set for them. Vivace can do this through a feature that allows the student or teacher to choose the degree to which Vivace should follow the soloist's tempo, ranging from 100 percent to not at all. In short, Vivace allows students and teachers to customize the music to fit their particular needs -- just as they would with a human accompanist. They can change the key, create customized practice loops, tune their instruments, and choose their own accompaniment instrumentation. For example, when playing the full Mozart clarinet concerto, students can choose to have the accompaniment performed in any key; with either piano or full orchestra. With jazz, the student can "sit in" with a professional jazz combo and select which instruments they want to hear, in any key or tempo. There are additional educational features that allow students to:

* Transpose and play the accompaniments and solo lines to any key

* Change the pre-set pitch and tempo from very sensitive to completely off.

* Customized practice settings can be set and saved customized , including cuts, repeats, keys, and more.

* Customized instrumentation lets students select which accompaniment instruments are to be played. For example, a clarinetist and a trumpet player playing Dixieland together can turn off their parts and Vivace will play only the other instruments' parts. This allows performers to play with a professional ensemble without having to find any other live musicians.

* Create practice loops to work on hard passages

* Turn repeats on or off and cut passages to shorten works

* Look up definitions of musical terms and symbols

* Read information about each composer and composition

As if the mechanics of the technology wasn't enough, the repertoire at present includes over 1,100 brass and woodwind solos from easy solos to the most difficult concerti. To ensure superior musical quality, CODA commissioned top studio musicians to record the accompaniments. The high school starter pack, for example, includes Mozart concertos for flute, bassoon, and clarinet. Solos by Bach, Borodin and Creston for alto sax, Barat, Haydn, and Hindemith for trumpet, and dozens of others for the various band instruments: Fifty in all for only $250. A similar Starter Pack for the middle and junior high level is also available for only $250. Without reservation, each starter pack contains a wealth of music and represents a great buy! In addition, there are hundreds of solos available individually from $30 to $35 depending on the length and type of accompaniment and the total number of titles (1-15) included. An orchestral accompaniment is more expensive to develop. In many cases, several versions of the same solo are available so that your student can study a preferred published version of the music. Vivace's jazz accompaniments include selections from the Jamey Aebersold jazz library and will soon contain additional jazz styles, including 40+ dixieland band titles. Presently, the jazz selections include Jamey Aebersold's volumes #2, Nothin' But Blues, #3, The II/V7/I Progression, #6, Charlie Parker, #12, Duke Ellington, #25, #31, All-Time Standards, #31, Bossa Novas, #41, Body and Soul, #50, Magic of Miles Davis and #54, Maiden Voyage.

The entire Vivace system includes the Intelligent Accompaniment software, a professional multitimbral 32-voice sample-playing Proteus synthesizer from E-mu Systems with internal digital reverb with user-selectable settings, internal acoustic pitch-to-digital data converter, internal computer interface, and twelve-note chromatic tuner, cables, tutorial and user manual, foot pedal, a sample repertoire cartridge and two clip-on microphones, which sells for a suggested retail price of $2,295. Music cartridges start at $30 each and include up to 15 music titles. Educators should investigate the possibility of seeking technology grants as a source for funding Vivace.

The Vivace system runs on a Macintosh with a 68030 or faster 25 MHz processor. By early 1995, a Windows version will be available. Do not let the suggested list price deter you from evaluating it or purchasing it. Believe it or not, the important thing to consider is that it really works as advertised! There is a 60-day full refund period if you aren't completely satisfied with Vivace for any reason! It is presently designed for band instruments and jazz combo applications, and long-term plans include software cartridges for vocal, keyboard and string repertoire which may require a different Vivace system, rather than simply new software cartridges. The difference in complexity between wind instruments and vocalists and strings is significant enough that a change in the technology is being researched. In addition to the jazz cartridges, there are also a middle school, junior high school, high school and instrumental solo series cartridges available, as well.

In 1994, the Music Educators National Conference (MENC), in cooperation with the Consortium of National Arts Education Associations, announced completion of the highly regarded National Standards for Music Education. They offer a foundation for education assessment on a student-by-student basis and provide a solid foundation for music education well into the future. The content standards in particular specify what students should know and be able to do in the art-related disciplines. For music, there are nine content standards. Vivace can effectively teach to six of those content areas by helping students achieve a majority of these standards. Vivace allows you to individualize and expand music learning and engage students in challenging, cognitive experiences that encourage them to make musical decisions affecting their ultimate success. These standards are listed below, along with a brief description of how Vivace can be used to achieve them.

* Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music. Vivace helps students of all abilities perform solo repertoire accurately and independently. Each student is free to perform his or her own expressive interpretation of the music. The system provides specific feedback on intonation, establishes a steady rhythmic content which can be changed without affecting the pitch, and allow students flexibility in creating practice loops.

* Improvising melodies, variations and accompaniments. Students can develop improvisation skills independently and efficiently within a harmonic context that is provided by the professional rhythm section. Unique capabilities of the Vivace edition make it possible jazz accompaniments to be slowed when a student is working out a tough progress, or transposed to all twelve keys for an even greater challenge. The Dixieland repertoire includes authentic, fully improvised parts for trumpet, clarinet, trombone, tuba, piano, bass and drums.

* Reading and notating music. The Vivace solo series and starter packs include over 1100 solo titles for brass and woodwind instruments ranging from simple solo pieces to major concerti. Pitch and rhythm reading skills are reinforced by the study of each work. Students can turn both the solo and accompaniment parts on or off for any part of the piece, which enables them to selectively check (and correct) questionable rhythms and pitches independently.

* Listening to, analyzing, and describing music. This standard indicates that by the time a student reaches high school, he or she should be able to identify simple music forms aurally and describe the various historical cultural and musical elements of the piece. All of Vivace's accompaniments are professionally created and stylistically correct and thus provide the rich musical interpretation necessary to apply the aural analysis skills indicated. The solo line can be played independently or with the accompaniment providing the correct pitches and rhythms so as to allow the listener to analyze its relationship to the accompaniment.

* Evaluating music and music performances. By connecting a cassette recorder to Vivace's stereo outputs, students can easily record their own personal performance with Vivace. Then they can listen for technical accuracy and evaluate the effectiveness of their personal interpretation. If a student finds he or she would like to try a section of the piece again perhaps a little faster or with a longer retard, Vivace is always ready to oblige!

* Understanding music in relation to history and culture. The Vivace repertoire includes works from Mozart and Vivaldi to Hindemith, Bernstein, and Copland. Each accompaniment is stylistically correct, and set in a piano reduction as well as the composer's intended orchestration. Information about each composer and composition is readily available to students from the Vivace Info Menu.

For more information about the National Standards, call MENC at 703-860-4000.

Generally, a 50-50 setting is best because it truly mimics what happens with a real accompanist allowing some give and take. If you want Vivace to take complete control of the situation, it can be set so that the soloists needs to follow a strict tempo which is ideal for jazz applications. It is also possible to set the temp to very slow and to create practice loops that allow the student to go over and over a passage with or without a metronome clicking in the background. You will be surprise to see how well Vivace can follow retards and even occasional fermatas. I was surprised to witness Vivace's ability to listen for the correct starting note and begin when it hears a specific pitch in a specific octave. Vivace can even wait while the soloist improvises on non-tonic chord tones. A foot pedal feature also allows control for proper re-entry of the accompaniment following an extended cadenza. Your students will be able to save, on computer, all of the personal preferences he or she has set up while preparing a solo for contest, even the reverb to imitate the hall where that student will be performing!

Jazz educators should note that Vivace systems can be used separately as a sound module for the popular Band In-A-Box program. In the near future, many additional jazz styles and titles will be added. Please note, because of copyright, the repertoire cartridges do not include the written accompaniment. But for an addition $5.00, play-along books for each of the Jamey Aebersold cartridges can be included from the publisher.

What makes the Vivace technology so exciting for jazz educators is that you can easily customize any play-along track by changing tempos and/or keys and duplicate it for your students on cassette for additional practice at home. This ability to customize individual play-along tracks is an advantage in motivating your students to practice tunes in different keys. Change tempos is also an advantage with the Vivace system over traditional compact disc, cassette or LP play-along materials. For example, a tune such as "Giant Steps," may be beyond a student's ability because of the tempo, but you can duplicate the tune at a slower tempo without changing key. When your student masters the slower tempo, make another copy of it at a faster tempo until the student can satisfactorily practice with the original fast tempo.

In testing Vivace for this review, it was setup in a middle band room so students could practice with Vivace cartridges on the solos of their choice before and after school and during lunch. The students were using it constantly. It was good to observe that it encouraged more students than usual to learn solos. Students quickly learned that good intonation is important when using Vivace. If pitch was poor, Vivace would not function as effectively. Consequently, students recognized that their pitch needed to improved and they made a conscious effort to play in tune! At the middle school level, this sensitivity is appreciated by the band director! The success of Vivace has prompted my school to host a large county solo & ensemble festival on April 1, 1995. It is important to note that students in this festival will need to practice with Vivace "live" before the festival. To make it easier for the students in different schools who will be unable to practice at my school with Vivace, play-along tapes will be made available for students who want to use Vivace at the festival as a preparation step and not as a substitute for practicing with Vivace. See the side bar for details.

What do you do if you have string students who always want to use Vivace? Though the string starter packs are not yet available yet, violin students can readily play the flute repertoire cartridges even though the manufacturer does not promote it or guarantee it to work. At my school, our violin students quickly did just that at their request! You might also consider doing this for cello students with the trombone repertoire. Note: in some cases, string applications may not work because of double stops, extreme vibrato, inaccurate pitch, etc. More testing and development needs to be done by Coda Music with appropriate modifications so that it performs up to their standards.

Another use of Vivace that I discovered was that it is also great for tuning in the band rehearsal because it is easy to use and all can see from a distance via the computer monitor display. If the band or a section of the band is having intonation difficulty on a passage, simply stop, focus attention on one student at a time and have the band observe the monitor display. You will be amazed at how quickly the band will take notice of which notes are out-of-tune and whether the particular notes are sharp and/or flat. Just leave Vivace running and the students will initiate this process on their own! The microphone provided by Coda Music is sensitive for use at the distance commonly found in a band room. I also found Vivace very useful for staging challenges. Simply pick out the solo for the challenge, set Vivace to take complete control of the tempo and you'll quickly find out who is the best musician on the challenge audition!

In it first edition, Vivace is living up to everything it is advertised to do. It works! Because Vivace is designed equally well for classical and popular music, I strongly believe that all music educators will need to know about this innovative interactive technology. The repertoire presently available is very impressive. Pedagogically, the Vivace system offers a valuable feature for jazz educators with the ability to change keys and/or tempos digitally along with the capability to legally make duplicated cassette copies for additional practice at home making the price of the Vivace system an economical asset. Note: the jazz repertoire is a high priority with Coda Music and many more publications from Jamey Aebersold and other companies will be added in the near future. I foresee innovative software opportunities in the Vivace system such as its suitability for sight-reading applications. The expansion of repertoire in the areas of vocal, keyboard and orchestra music is also a high priority for the publisher. For more information about this innovative product, contact Coda Music at 6110 Bury Drive, Eden Prairie, MN 55346 or call at 800-843-2066 or 612-937-9611.

Side-Bar

Vivace has capabilities built-in into its hardware to produce practice tapes for students to use at home. Because the play-along accompaniment is a Vivace creation via its computer hardware, there is no copyright violation when the play-along track(s) is duplicated for student use at home.