Musical Creativity Research Articles

‘The song factories have closed!’: songwriting camps as spaces of collaborative creativity in the post-industrial age

This article explores ‘songwriting camps’, a contemporary form of collaborative music creation initiated primarily by record labels and music publishers but also by producers and enthusiasts. In such camps, musicians produce songs for various purposes, from commercial exploitation to self-actualization. This research explores the origins of industrialized songwriting, collaborative songwriting practices, and current thinking on creativity and copyright with a view to interrogating how songwriting camps relate to commercial songwriting practices in popular music since the early twentieth century. We find that camps have a proven track record of producing commercially successful pop songs and are deemed beneficial by songwriters for developing their careers and skills, networking, gaining industry contacts, and generating royalty income. We argue that while camps have adapted to the post-industrial age, characterized by digital music creation tools aiding musicians, they owe more to the past than is perhaps acknowledged. Songwriting camps are a microcosm in which many of the same tensions, strategies, goals, and relationships can be observed as in past structures from the Brill Building era, or organizations like Motown. Camps draw on features from these historical examples, such as: strategic, time-limited collaboration, clearly delineated roles, friendly competition among writers, and group evaluation.

Analysis of the implementation methods for emotion recognition in music based on machine learning

Music is a carrier of emotions, capable of triggering, expressing, and conveying people's innermost emotional experiences. With the development of digital technology, the recognition of emotions in music has been the subject of extensive research. From the viewpoint of application, MER is of great significance in music personalized recommendation services, psychotherapy, music creation, and music visualization. Currently, MER implementation methods based on machine learning are gradually becoming mainstream. This study starts from the basic knowledge of MER, first introduces the relevant research directions and research background of MER, and then proposes a three-part research framework combining MER and MEC. Based on this research framework, the machine learning algorithms and specific applications involved in the framework are introduced. Finally, the challenges and future paths facing the implementation of MER technology are proposed. Provide a reference for improving the accuracy and quality of using artificial intelligence methods to capture music characteristics and expressiveness.

Animal speech and singing synthesis model based on So-VITS-SVC

Currently, when researchers in deep learning and neural network technology have made significant progress, the author makes a new bold attempt to apply the technical principles of speech and singing synthesis with artificial intelligence to the field of animal speech and singing synthesis, using So-VITS-SVC4.0 framework, which was originally designed for human voice synthesis. Taking dogs as an example of a species and putting datasets of their sounds to use, the author is committed to capturing its sound characteristics and vocalization through model training and generating synthetic sounds with a high degree of similarity. This research may not only contribute to a deeper understanding of how animals communicate, but also open up new possibilities for animal sound art and music creation. With the continuous progress and improvement of technology, synthetic animal speech and singing by artificial intelligence may play an increasingly important role in zoological research and entertainment, bringing new perspectives and possibilities for communication between humans and animals.

Специфика жанра баллады в русском музыкальном творчестве XX века: определяющие свойства и исторический контекст

The aim of the study is to characterize the ballad and the specifics of its realization in Russian musical creativity of the 20th century in the historical context with the identification of the reasons for the author's appeal to the genre. The article presents the constant features of the genre, the main trends in the development of the ballad in the historical period under consideration, analyzes the principles of interpenetration of the ballad and other genres, and identifies the reasons for its popularity in composers' work and mass culture. For the first time on the material of diverse compositions of Russian musical academic art and samples of mass culture the manifestations of balladry in the framework of mixt combinations with large-scale genres (symphony, concerto, cantata, etc.) are studied. The ballad is considered from the point of view of a tool that allows authors to build the artistic world of the work, to appeal to various ancient aesthetic concepts, as well as to circumvent ideological barriers. This is the scientific novelty of the study. As a result of analyzing the available data, the author came to the conclusion: in the process of development in the ballad formed features that can be divided into constant and mobile. At the same time, it is established that such specific properties of the genre as allegorical statement, multiplanarity, mobility of categories of time and space, as well as the possibility of genre synthesis are determinant for the demand for ballads in musical art and mass culture.

The Creative of Isan Music in Soundscape, Battle of Naga

Objectives: This article is part of the research with the objective of creating Isan music in the soundscape, "Battle of Naga." Methods: The researcher used a creative process in music creation, consisting of two parts. The first part is song design, where the researcher took five parts from the story of Sinxay on the Battle of Naga to use as the song structure. Isan melody was used to reinterpret and give new meaning. The melodies included Lai Thang San, Lai Thang Yao, Lai Ka Ten Gon, Lai An Nangseu, Phaya poem reading, and Sinxay melody. The second part consisted of finding the soundscape from Isan musical instruments through the process of playing and adjusting the sounds using technology. This involved capturing sounds of Naga, water, wind, atmosphere, and various situational sounds from the story, and projecting the sounds of Isan musical instruments into water, mixing them with actual instrument sounds. Results: The sounds included the sound of Naga, water, wind, atmosphere, the sounds of situations happening in the story, and the sound projection of Isan musical instruments into the water mixed with the actual sounds of the instruments. At the same time, the sound was mixed with the blowing of wind into the microphone to create the sound of the Garuda’s wings. Additionally, the researcher used the microphone to rub against a fishtank to create sound effects for accompanying the music, such as in the battle scene. Conclusion: The creative process used in this research successfully blended traditional Isan melodies with innovative soundscapes, creating a unique auditory experience for the "Battle of Naga." This approach not only preserved the cultural essence of Isan music but also introduced new dimensions through the use of technology, enhancing the storytelling and emotional impact of the music.

Analysis the Enhancement of User Game Experience Based on Digital Media Designing

In the context of the digital era, video games, as an emerging form of entertainment, have become the focus of research in terms of their design and optimization of user experience. This study focuses on the application of digital music in games and its impact on player experience, aiming to reveal how music elements deepen the immersion and emotional resonance of games. According to the analysis, digital music significantly enhances game immersion and players' emotional engagement through dynamic music systems, close integration with game narratives, and innovative applications in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) games. In particular, games such as Traveler provide players with a unique empathic experience and deep emotional impact through well-designed music and sound interactions, demonstrating the central role of music in enhancing game narratives and building game worlds. However, the study also points out the technical, subjective, and culturally sensitive limitations of digital music in game design, challenges that need to be faced and overcome by future game developers and music creators alike.

Comparative Symbolic Analysis of the Ethno-Fusion Genre: Insights and Perspectives

Abstract This study explores the integration of music and technology, illustrating their potential to collaboratively push the boundaries of musical exploration. Despite traditionally being viewed as unrelated, the combination of these two fields can significantly contribute to the progress of musical development. This study uses advanced computational methods to build a dataset filled with symbolic musical sequences that belong to a specific genre. This dataset is shown to be highly accurate and provides a detailed analysis of frequencies when examined closely, highlighting its quality and depth. We subject our dataset to comparative analysis with the renowned MAESTRO dataset, employing chromagrams to examine audio signals, rhythms, chords, solos, and note patterns in MIDI format through a variety of methods. This comparison underscores the superior quality of our sequences relative to those in the MAESTRO dataset, emphasizing the meticulousness of our sequence creation process. Moreover, we conduct internal evaluations of our dataset using both three-dimensional and two-dimensional approaches to melody representation, confirming its viability for future scholarly work. This effort seeks to enhance the music field by integrating computer science insights and methodologies, expanding the scope for future music technology research. It highlights the collaborative potential between musical creativity and technological advances in ongoing studies.

Documentary songwriting in prison: ‘I am good ‘bout myself’

The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of prison residents’ songwriting experiences while engaged in Documentary Songwriters (DocSong) collaborative songwriting pedagogy. The research implemented a qualitative, case study portraiture design inside a prison in which the experiences of an individual ‘story source’ and group were explored. Key themes originated from the observational, spoken, audio-recorded and sung data procured from a week-long DocSong workshop. The songwriting participants and facilitator created a community that transformed the prison space into an environment in which the residents experienced individual actualization and collective liberation and liberated and restorative music creativity. The songwriting community members shared personal narratives that were replete with emotion, while also demonstrating and supporting each other’s emotional vulnerability and resilience. The group collaboratively created songs from spoken word using the DocSong approach, forming a strong emotional bond throughout the songwriting process. The individuals’ interactions within the group suggested that confidence, patience and the willingness to share were also practised within the songwriting context.

MIDI-based generative neural networks with variational autoencoders for innovative music creation

By utilizing variational autoencoder (VAE) architectures in musical instrument digital interface (MIDI)-based generative neural networks (GNNs), this study explores the field of creative music composition. The study evaluates the success of VAEs in generating musical compositions that exhibit both structural integrity and a resemblance to authentic music. Despite achieving convergence in the latent space, the degree of convergence falls slightly short of initial expectations. This prompts an exploration of contributing factors, with a particular focus on the influence of training data variation. The study acknowledges the optimal performance of VAEs when exposed to diverse training data, emphasizing the importance of sufficient intermediate data between extreme ends. The intricacies of latent space dimensions also come under scrutiny, with challenges arising in creating a smaller latent space due to the complexities of representing data in N dimensions. The neural network tends to position data further apart, and incorporating additional information necessitates exponentially more data. Despite the suboptimal parameters employed in the creation and training process, the study concludes that they are sufficient to yield commendable results, showcasing the promising potential of MIDI-based GNNs with VAEs in pushing the boundaries of innovative music composition.

디지털 테크놀로지를 활용한 음악 창작 수업 실행에 관한 질적 사례 연구: 행위자-네트워크 이론에 기반하여

This study aims to explore practices of music creation classes that utilize digital technology based on actor-network theory. For this purpose, the study conducted a qualitative case study of four middle school music teachers who incorporate digital technology in their music creation classes. The study revealed that the interaction between human and nonhuman actors in and out of school differed among teachers, such as the combination of heterogeneous things, entanglement of what is mine and what is not, alliances with actors beyond the school, and coexistence of old and new. The study also found that nonhuman actors exerted their own positive or negative thingpower on teachers, such as new attempts and challenges, becoming teachers as co-learners, excessive focus on technology, and unexpected occurrences, resulting in changes in teachers’ teaching practices. Based on these findings, it was suggested that there is a need for research that considers a variety of human and nonhuman actors involved in teachers' teaching practices and comprehends music creation classes using digital technology more diversely.

포디프레임을 활용한 오르골 제작과 창의적 활동을 포함한 융합교육프로그램의 교육적 효과

Objectives In this study, we investigated the educational effectiveness of a convergence education program in which students make music boxes and participate in creative activities using 4Dframes. Methods For the purpose, we developed a convergence education program that includes music box production and creative activities using 4Dframes. And this research was conducted with a total of 12 students, including 4 students of middle school, and 8 students of elementary school. Students were divided into four teams and took classes, and a survey consisting of 6 items on a Likert scale was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the program. Additionally, for qualitative research, three researchers independently analyzed video recordings and transcriptions, including students' activities, in-depth interviews, observation records, and evaluation meetings. Results The convergence education program consisting of a total of 10 sessions was developed and administered to students to confirm its educational effectiveness. Through the convergence education program that links music education, engineering, science, and technology activities developed in this study, changes in perception regard-ing students' enjoyment of music box making, self-evaluation of scientific inquiry ability, awareness of creative ability, preference for music concerto, heip with studying sheet music and playing musical insturments, and desire for music creation were confirmed. In particular, unlike traditional music classes where students play the piano while reading sheet music, they were able to gain a specific and intuitive understanding of playing music through creative activities such as making a music box with a 4Dframe and modifying it in various ways, and had a positive experience with music related activities. Conclusions Teachers can contribute to educational success by actively listening to students' ideas to stimulate their thinking processes, acknowledging the work students produce, and working collaboratively with students to explore the significance of these activities. Additionally, as digital technology makes it possible for students to take on the roles of composer, performer, and listener simultaneously. As future changes may occur in the way stu-dents engage with music in education, teachers must be equipped to design teaching methods that take advant-age of the opportunities offered by new technologies.

생성형 인공지능(Generative AI)을 활용한 대중음악 창작교육 방안 연구 - ChatGPT 활용방안을 중심으로

The education curriculum for music composition utilizing generative AI, particularly ChatGPT, aligns with the new direction for improving creative and integrative abilities. This program is based on the enhanced capabilities in the musical realm brought by the upgrade to GPT 4.0, thereby allowing for personalized music creation support across various music genres and styles. The introduction phase focuses on learning to use AI and acquiring basic knowledge of popular music. The development phase involves undertaking creative tasks such as lyric, chord, and melody generation. In the conclusion phase, participants reflect on the process and share what they have learned. This study is significant as it serves as a model that provides concrete examples of music creation activities.

Harmonic Alchemy: Exploring Musical Creation through GANs

Harmonic Alchemy: Exploring Musical Creation through GANs

Research on the Application of Computer-Aided Electronic Music Technology in Folk Music Creation

Research on the Application of Computer-Aided Electronic Music Technology in Folk Music Creation

Musical creativity in music lessons in Croatia

ABSTRACT Music lessons in Croatia are characterised by the existence of three areas that intertwine and complement each other. Thus, in music lessons, students will listen to music, participate in various activities regarding their musical expression, and learn about music. A music teacher can choose which activities of musical expression he will carry out in his own educational process, and he chooses them according to his own interests as well as the abilities of the students. This paper aims to determine the perception of upper primary school students regarding the musical creativity activities in music lessons. Students (N = 128) from two schools in the Vukovar-Srijem county participated in the survey, and one group of those students actively participated in musical creativity activities. The research results show that students generally have a positive opinion about musical creativity activities. The students who have participated in the musical creativity activities highly rate their competencies for participating in various creative activities.

Collaborative music making in the digital age: fostering creativity in vocal ensembles

ABSTARCT The article examines the role of collective music-making in the era of digital technologies in enriching and stimulating the creative process of vocal ensembles. The research utilized online surveys, questionnaires, and statistical data analysis for a comparative analysis of the impact of digital tools and online platforms on the creativity of students. Statistical methods, including comparative analysis of mean values and calculation of t-indicators, were employed for processing and analyzing the obtained data. Since t ≈ –6.85, which is less than the tabulated value of –1.655, it indicates that the difference between the mean values of the control and experimental groups is statistically significant at the significance level of 0.05. The analysis results indicate a statistically significant influence of using digital tools and online platforms for music creation on students’ creative process. The survey also revealed that digital tools allow for sound experimentation (28%), provide accessibility and flexibility in learning (27%), offer immediate feedback (20%), and enhance interactivity and collaboration (25%) through online platforms. This work expands understanding of effective approaches to integrating digital tools into music education and enhancing teaching methodologies aimed at developing students’ creative potential. The findings underscore the importance of integrating digital technologies into music education to enhance the quality and effectiveness of teaching in vocal ensembles. Thus, the research fills a gap in contemporary knowledge regarding the optimal use of digital technologies in vocal ensembles and may be beneficial for educational institutions and music teachers seeking to optimize teaching and student development processes in the modern digital environment.

Imagophony as a Postmodern Concept

The purpose of the study is to substantiate the concept of imagophony within the postmodern perception of the imagological aspects of musical creativity. The research methodology is based on the search and analytical, semantic and musicological methods of intonation, harmony and instrument analysis. The scientific novelty of the study is the introduction of the term imagophony and its definition into the scientific discourse. Conclusions. The article examines the use of the term imagology and its derivatives (imagemes, imagothemes, imagotypes, etc.) from the literary discourse to the multidisciplinary one, shows the transformation of the semantics of the term imagology from a reference to the image of the Other as belonging to a different (concerning the author) national culture to a flexible one that adapts to the intentions of the author of the study. The article analyses the range of musical works that have received imagological coverage in scientific discourse and applies the terminological apparatus to them. Based on the analysis, the author proposes to introduce the term imagophony to denote sound images representing the established ideas in the musical culture of one nation about the musical culture of another nation. The stages of the historical evolution of imagophony are outlined: protoimagophony (some works by G. F. Handel), early imagophony (W. A. Mozart’s Turkish Rondo, L. van Beethoven’s song cycles of European peoples), classical imagophony (G. Puccini’s operas Turandot and Cio-Cio-San and some other Romantic and post-Romantic periods), post-imagophony (works of the late twentieth and early twenty-first century of the neo-folklore tendency), overcoming imago-phony (folk rock at a mature stage of development). The article shows the peculiarities of the imagophonic composer’s approach in interacting with ethnophonisms and modern instrumental techniques. Prospects for further branching and semantic expansion of the imagological terminology are outlined.

Band Chemistry: Interpersonal and Group Dynamics in Rock Music

ABSTRACT The subject of band chemistry, or the interpersonal and collective dynamics within a rock band and their effects on longevity and musical creativity, has received little explicit scholarly attention. Drawing primarily on the words of musicians, this paper explores band chemistry in all its fragility and fickleness, easily disrupted and occasionally fortified by the ever-evolving interpersonal relationships of band members, commercial success or not, management and managerial change, producers, life on the road, drug and alcohol abuse, and the distribution of writing credits and royalties, among others. The paper argues that the intangible quality of band chemistry is most responsible, for good or bad, for the longevity of bands, and a major factor in their creativity while together.

Research on the Integration of Guzheng Performance and Music Aesthetic Principles

The purpose of this study is to explore the integration of guzheng performance and music aesthetics, and to reveal the unique status and value of guzheng art in modern music aesthetics. Through the method of literature analysis and theoretical discussion, this study first sorted out the historical development of guzheng performing art, and analyzed its aesthetic characteristics and evolution process in different historical periods. Then, the research deeply discusses the basic principles of music aesthetics, including formal beauty, emotional expression, cultural connotation and so on, combined with the specific practice of guzheng performance, analyzes its embodiment and application in music aesthetics. In the process of research, through the aesthetic analysis of the classical works of guzheng, it reveals the unique expression of guzheng music in the aspects of sound beauty, structural beauty and emotional beauty, and discusses how these aesthetic characteristics can be conveyed and sublimated through the performance art. The results show that the performance of guzheng is the display of musical skills, and the concrete practice and embodiment of the principles of musical aesthetics. Through its unique timbre, playing techniques and cultural connotation, guzheng music shows rich aesthetic value and can occupy an important position in the modern music aesthetic system. The research also points out that the aesthetic value of the performance art of guzheng lies in the inheritance of its traditional culture, and in its innovative application in modern music creation and performance. Through the integration of guzheng performance and music aesthetic principles, this study provides a new perspective and method for the theoretical research of guzheng art, and also provides theoretical support for the development and innovation of guzheng performing art.

Piano harmony automatic adaptation system based on deep reinforcement learning

Piano harmony is a combination of multiple notes, which plays a vital role in enriching the expression of melody. However, research on the piano harmony automatic allocation system is insufficient, and the practical application of reinforcement learning technology is scarce. Based on this, this paper determines the key of the piano harmony automatic allocation system through the in-depth analysis of piano harmony, then arranges the piano harmony with the help of reinforcement learning rather than manual methods and designs a complete piano harmony allocation system it provides powerful help for piano music creation. Sufficient experiments show that the piano harmony automatic orchestration system based on reinforcement learning proposed in this paper has high accuracy, and the orchestration effect has a similarity of 93% with the creation of musicians, which the majority of piano scholars have recognized.