The Computer Doesn't Listen

Singing or playing music with other people who are listening and making music at the same time is the height of music for me: duets, trios, quartets, playing with a piano accompaniment, playing in a band or orchestra. Then music becomes communication with the other musicians, between us and the music (the composers and arrangers), and with listeners. Necessarily, when you're learning how to play your instrument and to improve your playing, you have to play alone, but playing alone is never as enjoyable as playing with and for other people.

During the long corona virus lockdown, I occasionally played with some other musicians, but not often. Now that we're emerging from it, I've started playing with a saxophone quarter and with a community orchestra. Recently, I played with people I'm not used to playing with. A Dutch friend of mine, visiting Israel with his saxophone, suggested that we get together, so last week we sat outside in a his father-in-law's front yard and played some standards to the accompaniment of his computer. He introduced me to Ireal pro - I may be the last musician in the world to be acquainted with it. Now I've downloaded it to my phone, and I'm convinced.

My Dutch friend (my daughter's brother-in-law as well as a friend) knows a lot of songs by ear and practices by playing them with the computer. We had a good time as a trio: two alto saxes and a computer. The computer never gets distracted or lost. But it also doesn't hear what you play and respond to it. That's why I've always resisted playing with an electronic assistant.

It's a crutch  I might never outgrow. As it plays the accompaniment, the chords appear on the screen, with the current measure lit up, so you can't get lost. It tells you what notes are in the chord and what scale goes with that chord. So you barely have to use your ears to know where you are and what to play. But I have to admit to myself that I need that crutch. It makes working on songs enjoyable, and helps you to play them right. I think I'll improve if I keep using it. Today I played "Pennies From Heaven" with it on my baritone, and having the backup track supply the rhythm and the chord changes definitely kept me steady.

Another advantage: it doesn't mind if you make a mistake, and if you improvise and get lost or play shit, it goes on about its business unperturbed. Since it's uncritical, maybe I'll be free to take chances.