By Sukanya Ganesh — Jun 17, 2024

🎼 AI in Modal Music

AI is revolutionizing modal music, making it dynamic and accessible, and revitalizing composition, analysis, performance, and education.

Photo by Marius Masalar / Unsplash

Today's Highlights

How AI is helping in modal music

Learn - a couple of courses to further your knowledge in AI

AI Jobs - a listing of fresh jobs related to AI

In Other News - a few interesting developments we're tracking

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming various creative fields, including music. In modal music, which features unique scales and structures different from Western classical music, AI aids in composition, performance, analysis, and education. This integration revitalizes traditional modal forms and fosters innovative cross-cultural musical explorations.

Composition and Creativity

Songwriting Assistant - Imagine you're a songwriter looking to compose a new tune in the Dorian mode. An AI-powered music composition app suggests chord progressions and melodies that fit this mode, helping you create a unique piece without needing deep theoretical knowledge.
Music Generation - You're working on a film score and need a piece in the Phrygian mode to create a specific mood. AI software generates several music options based on this mode, giving you a starting point or even a complete composition.

Analysis and Understanding

Music Analysis Tool - As a music student, you want to understand how a particular jazz solo uses the Mixolydian mode. An AI analysis tool breaks down the solo, highlighting the notes and phrases that adhere to this mode, making it easier to study and learn.
Pattern Recognition - You're researching traditional Indian music, which often uses different modal systems (ragas). An AI tool analyzes recordings, identifying and cataloging the specific characteristics of each raga, helping you compare and contrast them.

Performance and Improvisation

Interactive Jam Sessions - You're a guitarist practicing improvisation in the Lydian mode. An AI-based app listens to your playing and suggests real-time improvisation ideas, helping you explore new musical ideas and improve your skills.
AI Accompanist - During a live performance, your band wants to experiment with modal jazz. An AI-driven keyboard app provides a dynamic and responsive accompaniment in the chosen mode, freeing you to focus on your solos.

Educational Tools

Learning Platform - You're learning about modal music and want to practice the Aeolian mode. An AI-powered learning app offers interactive exercises and instant feedback on your practice, making it easier to master the mode.
Automated Tutoring - While composing a piece in the Locrian mode, you use an AI tutor that suggests corrections and improvements to your work, ensuring your composition stays true to the modal characteristics.

Cultural Preservation and Innovation

Preservation - You're interested in preserving traditional Middle Eastern music. An AI tool digitizes and analyzes old recordings, helping you understand and archive the modal structures used in these pieces for future generations.
Fusion Music - As a composer, you want to blend Western and Indian musical elements. An AI system helps you integrate the Ionian mode from Western music with an Indian raga, creating a seamless fusion of both traditions.

In these ways, AI enhances various aspects of modal music, making it more accessible, understandable, and creatively expansive for both musicians and listeners.