Guitars, ukulele and digital. So it’s a completely different music also thanks to the AI

Technological innovation in the music field is not only creating disruption to the industry, revolutionized by artificial intelligence. The trend of digital music has many facets, not least that of instruments which, from the physical, take on “liquid” contours. Consequence of an audience that is increasingly immersed in Spotify and streaming, despite the recovery of the vinyl format which for some years has surpassed CDs in annual sales. So instruments such as guitars and flutes are revolutionized in their shapes and intended uses, also to avoid succumbing under the weight of production made only of bits.

This is the case of AeroBand (480 euros), a guitar that seems to have come straight from the Guitar Hero video game. From afar it looks like an electric model with traditional features but in reality it hides much more underneath. It has soft, silicone strings and support for nine different instruments, including acoustic and electric guitars, ukuleles and even a silent guitar. All thanks to an internal electronic module that transforms it into a way to play alone but also to record musicals on the computer, through the Midi output. As often happens in these cases, the “phygital” tool is also a means of training: AeroBand Guitar can be used together with the app for richer features, including the use of practice mode, which teaches how to govern complex chords and passages.

And practice is one of the purposes of re.corder (149 euros), a flute created by the Marche startup Artinoise. It has many educational features and options designed for disabilities, such as creating custom fingerings and the ability to play without having to blow. Born as an idea shortly before the pandemic, the goal is to simplify teaching the instrument to children and adults, combining classical learning with the potential offered by technology. For this reason, re.corder can be used in three ways: as a traditional ‘open’ sound recorder; through a pair of clipped earphones; as a Midi controller, to digitally save compositions, to also be used on Garageband, if attached to an iPhone or iPad, or via proprietary software. This way you can change the sound of the flute to that of other instruments, to create your own melodies. Re.corder integrates a series of touch-sensitive digital sensors that detect the position of the player’s fingers while a pressure sensor analyzes the force of the breath that generates the sound.

Decidedly not cheap is Claravox Centennial Theremin (1,599 euros), a special and limited edition of the theramin to celebrate the one hundred year anniversary of one of the very first electronic musical instruments in history. This object, widely used in avant-garde music, is played without any physical contact, exploiting the movement of the performer in the wave field. The result? Strange and particular frequencies, almost futuristic. The theremin was invented by Soviet physicist Lev Sergeevich Termen, also known as Léon Theremin. To play it, you need to move your hands in correspondence with the two antennas located at the top and on the side. One of the antennas controls the pitch of the sound, while the other regulates its intensity. The Moog example is made of solid walnut wood and features brass antennas, a true combination of tradition and innovation. Among its features, it has Midi and USB inputs and outputs to also use editing apps.

Populele 2 Pro Smart Ukulele (159 euros), produced by PopuMusic, sounds both like a classic ukulele and a way to learn songs. It features 56 LED lights that light up where you need to press to reproduce the exact note of a song being played. It is slightly larger than a traditional ukulele and features a built-in amplifier for creating distorted sounds. It exists in black, white, pink and green. It has Bluetooth to be connected to a smartphone but it also works very well on its own, given that it already has hundreds of works to perform in the library. And there’s a touch of AI: an algorithm records the sound and compares it with the ideal one. This way, you can receive immediate feedback and correct any errors.