Silly beginner quiz: tell the human player from computer

iternabe

While trying to learn MuseScore by recreating my practice piece digitally, I realized the computer is capable of playing the piano, too. So, for curiosity and fun, I made two recordings of the same piece, one played by me, and one played by the computer. Then I had my wife listen to both and asked her to pick out which is which. And she picked wrong! 🙄

Here they are. Give it a go. Tell what you think.
Human or Computer? Track A
Human or Computer? Track B

keff

iternabe The dynamics are different. In recording B I can hear the left hand being played loudly whilst some right hand thirds (???...I don't know the score) are kept soft. I choose recording B as played by yourself.

BartK

A is human. B sounds too unnatural.

WieWaldi

A is human playing. A has a very loud last chord cluster, saying: "finished - yeah!". You tried to mimic this in musescore with a volume increasing symbol "<", but this applied to some notes before. Humans wouldn't play it that way.
Anyway, good job putting the notes into musescore.

iternabe

WieWaldi A is human playing. A has a very loud last chord cluster, saying: "finished - yeah!". You tried to mimic this in musescore with a volume increasing symbol "<", but this applied to some notes before. Humans wouldn't play it that way.

Here is the last system of the score.

MRC

In the last system of the score you just posted, there's a note that has been transcribed incorrectly (find it!). You play the right note, MuseScore (unsurprisingly) plays what's there: the wrong note.

iternabe

MRC In the last system of the score you just posted, there's a note that has been transcribed incorrectly (find it!). You play the right note, MuseScore (unsurprisingly) plays what's there: the wrong note.

@MRC Thank you! Great eye, and ear! This is also a perfect example of beginner (me) lacking the ability to recognize my own mistakes. I was listening to the MuseScore playback with more attention to the melody but apparently not enough to the accompaniment. Here is the correct score (that matches the human version).

keystring

I'd say the first is human, the 2nd is digital. In the first I hear slight variations of touch in the LH for repeated patterns. As keff pointed out, the software doesn't know that you're supposed to bring out the melody over the accompaniment, but you did know. (Will feel silly if I'm wrong)

MRC

iternabe I was listening to the MuseScore playback with more attention to the melody but apparently not enough to the accompaniment.

The way the accompaniment is played also gives good clues as to who is the human and who is the computer. The computer plays all the LH notes marked staccato exactly the same length (I think it's 50% of the total duration), it stays rigidly at the same tempo and it and doesn't phrase. You are more variable, and you play with natural phrasing.

You could heighten that natural phrasing by playing the left hand alone and concentrating on the lilting feeling: imagine people dancing a waltz. My first piano teacher sometimes made me dance. I felt silly, but it taught me to feel the music instead of counting it.

PianogrlNW

I think you played Version A and a computer played Version B. Version B sounds soul-less. Apologies if that was actually you playing. The tune sounds like Mein Hut der hat Drei Ecken.

keystring

PianogrlNW I think you played Version A and a computer played Version B. Version B sounds soul-less. Apologies if that was actually you playing. The tune sounds like Mein Hut der hat Drei Ecken.

..... Drei Ecken hat mein Hut.
Und wenn er nicht drei Ecken hat,
Dann is er nicht mein Hut."

😃

I think some of those old songs were given English names. "Lightly Row" (Suzuki) is actually "Haenschen Klein".

iternabe

Wikipedia - Carnival of Venice (Song)

SouthPark

I had not heard that one before! It is very nice and relaxing - and memorable. Both sound nice to me, but can understand the differences between the two. When the human puts in certain touches due to understanding where those touches (features) should be applied, where the computer hasn't been taught or doesn't 'feel' (like a human does), then the computers still have something to learn ... and that is great. They are welcome as beginners too - along with us all.

Does the computer process the music score sheet and then play the music? The technology is certainly remarkable if that is what is done. Leaps and bounds.

And reminds me sort of like this one (slowed down a bit that is!).

flac file - mex hat simplified
wav file - mex hat simplified (same audio as flac file)

(I made typos when playing it a moment ago, but I got this! I'll fix it!!)

iternabe

SouthPark Does the computer process the music score sheet and then play the music? The technology is certainly remarkable if that is what is done. Leaps and bounds.

@SouthPark The app used here, MuseScore, is primarily designed to create sheet music digitally. You can manually enter the notes and markings, or import from a MusicXML file. There also exists apps that can take a picture or scanned image of sheet music and then recognize and covert it to digital (MusicXML) format. Once the sheet music is digitized, MuseScore can play it back. The playback algorithm is pretty basic, as you have heard. I believe that is simply because the developer's goal is for it to be a verification tool, not as a performance tool. With the rapid advancement of today's technology, I can't help to wonder if it's not too difficult to create some digital sheet music player that sounds fairly realistic.

thepianoplayer416

Version A sounds like the small dynamics changes & short (staccato) notes came out better. Version B sounded like all the notes are similar.

Rob

Just like MRC, I spotted the error in B, right away, and assumed it was a note input slip in MuseScore.
Also the left hand broken chords in B, have perfect timing and dynamics, whereas A has a more 'human' feel.🙂

iternabe

Most of you identified correctly. MuseScore's playback algorithm can certainly need some AI enhancement in the articulation department 😉

I now have a silly followup question:

Are we identifying computer from human playing based on perfection (or sterility, monotonousness) vs imperfection (or imagination, musicality)? Where do you draw the line where the human playing's various effect is good (by intention of advanced players) or flawed (by lack of control in beginners like me)?