Time for a Rosslyn anthem! Ahem, an anthem?! Maybe someday soon. For now, let’s start with a simple song. “Lakeside Rehab” (lyrics in “Potsherds & Poet-sherds”) is the capricious “experiment in co-creation” I mentioned yesterday. It’s an AI generated folk song — a surprisingly catchy folk song, IMO — about Susan and my outlook back in 2006 as we dove into this now-almost-eighteen-year Rosslyn adventure.
Here’s a little backstory, scrapbook-style, starting yesterday morning in the dark in the kitchen in the midst of my morning dog-dad ritual.
This morning, waking at 5:00, breakfasting with Carley, dabbling with a few verses, I was interrupted by an invitation to share and collaborate. An experiment in co-creation. A capricious experiment. Perfect timing!
(Source: Potsherds & Poet-sherds)
The timely temptation from Suno, “a ChatGPT for music”, blipped across my radar at the right moment. Click.
Caveat emptor: I’m fascinated with AI. Concerned. Sober. But also amazed. You may remember some of my ChatGPT explorations last year including “ChatGPT & ‘Dear John’ Letter Writing”, “A Place Where Stories are Told”, and “Opossum O’Clock”.
The possibility that an AI generator could invent a functional, appealing song? Within seconds?! Hhhmmm…
I dug up some writing fragments about our 2005-6 Rosslyn infatuation (and our devil may care decision to about-face 100% of our lives with a pipe dream to transform this derelict property into our home…) to feed the machine.
I pushed out a few poet-sherds, offered a conceptual recipe [for the flavor of song I desired], and waited. My expectations were low. They were instantly surpassed. I was awed. An hour vanished as we volleyed back and forth. Carefree. Capricious. Each iteration stretching or simplifying, distorting or clarifying. The experiment is ongoing, but the excitement that I felt, that I feel is real and profound. I resisted the urge to control the narrative. Teamwork takes a team. Humility offers an opportunity to unlearn and expand and shift. After all these fragments are benefitting from a fresh infusion of perspective and will. I think…
(Source: Potsherds & Poet-sherds)
Rereading those lines from yesterday I can’t help but feel a little goofy. Is it really collaboration with an AI? Teamwork? The humility is real, but the collegial tone is probably somewhat misplaced. That said, I genuinely believe that the most meaningful value with AI generators for me and other creatives is collaborative. I do not see this technology as a replacement for artists, authors, musicians, and other creators. I understand the worry. And the debate is fascinating and worthwhile. But, at best, AI might be leveraged as a creative component of creators’ quivers, a robust resource and empowering tool. Perhaps time will prove me wrong, but I’m optimistic and insatiably hungry to discover the artistic alchemy just beginning to dawn.
And enough pontificating. On to the song.
Here’s the result of this morning’s experiment. The words are no longer my own. They are ours. And they’re no longer (just) parts of poems. They’re lyrics. They’re a song.
(Source: Potsherds & Poet-sherds)
If that Instagram embed (song + video) didn’t load for you, you can listen to “Lakeside Rehab” on Suno as well. Note that the image with the song was automatically generated and has nothing to do with Rosslyn. I may be able to change that, but I haven’t figured out how to do so yet. Ditto for the premature drop off. There is still plenty to figure out here, but… Wow!
I won’t pretend these are the verses of a song I might have composed on my own. They aren’t. My inputs likely stand apparent to you, but the cobbling together, the mosaic, the music was the work of another. And the most magical collaging of all was conjuring the musical accompaniment. Again and again. Until it sounded like the song I wanted to hear.
(Source: Potsherds & Poet-sherds)
I may have spent about an hour playing around in this AI music sandbox. And it was genuinely difficult to extract myself. It’s just so easy to keep tweaking and experimenting. And it’s not difficult to wish-list additional customizable control into v4. And what ways will this technology continue to expand and empower creative brainstorming and iteration?
I can’t wait to find out.
NB: If you’re intrigued, check out this video.
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