Waterloo Researchers Create LyricJam, an AI-Supported Tool for Writing Song Lyrics

University of Waterloo researchers developed a technology WITH A real-time system of providing inspiration to music artists when in the process of songwriting. Called LyricJam, the program utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) in producing lyrics for live instrumental music. The development of LyricJam was led by a Waterloo Engineering professor and members of the university’s Natural Language Processing Lab.

The lab researchers have been studying artificial intelligence for years in their application for creative works. The research led to the invention of a system that observes artists’ style and musical expressions, whilst having the capability to creates lyrics based on AI observations.

The lyric-producing system relies on different aspects of music, such as tempo, instrumentation, and chord progression. The lyrics are then synthesized as a means of mirroring emotions and mood conveyed by the live music.

Thereafter, Professor Olga Vechtomova, of the Waterloo Engineering Dept. with a cross-appointment in Computer Science, along with Waterloo graduate students Dhruv Kumar and Gaurav Sahu were able to develop LyricJam.

How Does LyricJam Work?

The system constantly receives raw audio clips while the artist/s play their sample of instrumental music. The AI’s neural network processes all musical information in creating lyric lines. An artists can then utilize the lyrics provided by LyricJam or simply take inspiration from it.

The AI’s neural network is designed to learn the words, stylistic devices, and lyrical themes that are correlated to various details of music.

How Professional Musicians are
Responding to LyricJam

During a user study held by the research team, participants were inspired to improvise on the lyrics generated by by LyricJam. Some professional artists also changed a few chords and took a new creative direction than what was originally planned. Some others based their lyrics on the AI-suggested lines using improvisations that really went on the same direction suggested by the AI.

The overall view gathered from musicians is that the co-creative aspect of the experience, made them perceive LyricJam as an uncritical jamming partner. As such, they were encouraged to continue playing the instruments even if they were not into writing lyrics.

More than 1,500 users have tried LyricJam since it was released and made accessible in June, at https://lyricjam.ai . Moreover, the Waterloo Research will be presented next month at the International Conference on Computations Creativity.

Tips For Your Music Room To Make You More Productive

Do you feel watched while practicing?

One of the basic requirements for a place where you can practice well is that you feel free and unobserved or you can contact curtain makers to make you a curtain that you can use in your music room. When making music, there is nothing more obstructive than thinking about whether someone is listening and how this person evaluates your “performance”. Then it becomes really difficult to immerse yourself in the music and feel free. Really find a place where you can blatantly make mistakes and do so. It can’t sound so nice either! Above all, you should be allowed to be loud in this place and not have to worry about whether you are disturbing someone.

Rest while practicing

The fact that you need a music room where you don’t disturb others, but not only to protect the others but above all to feel freer while practicing, make sure to have peace and quiet while making music. You could communicate to your roommates or family members that you do not want to be disturbed while practicing. For example with a sign that you hang on the door. It is best not to have your cell phone in your music room or at least switched to flight mode. Because, as a study from 2015 shows, notifications, ring tones, and humming have a major impact on our ability to concentrate. It is better to practice 10 minutes effectively and without distraction than 30 minutes in which you pick up your cell phone several times and surf the Internet. Because we practice every mistake that we make through unfocused practice and then need time again to correct it.

Place while practicing

Held in a corner between a lot of other things, it just doesn’t practice that well. It is really important to have space when making music. For example, I really enjoy walking around the room while practicing. That loosens me up and I feel more comfortable playing. We also learn much better in motion. Also, I feel like the space that is available to me directly affects my posture. If I have space, I stand up straight and take up a certain amount of space. If I only have a small corner available, I tend to collapse physically and stand hunched over.

Okay while practicing

Ok, everyone is a little different, but I find it very hard to take it when it looks like a bomb has hit me around me. In the past, too, my first act was to create order in the rooms of the university. The chairs had to be neatly placed against the walls and the notes and notes from my predecessors had to be put in a heap. Disorder distracts me enormously, maybe you know that? Especially when they are caused by things that need to be worked through. My mind then drifts away constantly and busy myself with what I still have to do. For me, it is definitely worth investing a few minutes in tidying up before practicing than trying my luck in the chaos.

Equipment for your music room

We don’t really need a lot of tools when making music, but I find a music stand very useful. They come in different heights, some are lighter and others are very stable. No matter which one you buy, make sure that you adjust it to the correct height as you practice. You have found the right height when your eyes fall on the notes with your head upright. So you don’t have to tilt your head to read the notes. You may have to stand a little further away from the music stand for this. Why is that so important? When making music, an upright posture helps to prevent tension and that the breath can flow freely. A suitable chair is just as important as the music stand – of course only if you want to sit down while practicing. It is important here that your thighs are at a right angle to the floor when you sit. In the interview with oboist and physiotherapist Sophie Stahl, I included an exercise on how to adopt a healthy posture while sitting. If I am supposed to determine a real must-have for your practice location, then it is definitely a pencil! It’s best to always have it ready and not have to start looking for it when you need it. Because often we don’t do it after all and don’t include important findings in the grades. Caught? I definitely know it!

The vibe in one place

Do you always practice in the same place? We tend to link activities to a specific location. That helps us get “in the mood” in this place. We relax on the couch, eat at the dining table, work at the desk, etc. You probably know that it is much more difficult to be productive on the couch.

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