AI DJ and the capo

When my apple one subscription was new, I had some fun testing the limits of the AI when playing music. Before creating playlists, I would ask Siri to play random songs, whatever came to mind. Me playing DJ by voice command. Supplying the title works. Title and artist usually gets you the right one. It was a little tricky when there would be various versions even from the same artist or when the song would appear in different albums and I wanted to hear a particular one from a specific record and not the remix. I did not always get the song version that I wanted.

Sometimes I can supply the album information but when I feed "her" so much info, "she" can get confused. (I'm going to stop putting quotation marks now, ok? Siri, please do not be offended if I ascribe you a gender. Oh, you have no feelings. Wonderful.) If the record has the same title as the one song I want her to play off the album, she may play the album in its entirety instead of say, just the song Lover by Taylor Swift, from the album of the same name. It was useful when she could determine what song "Oh Life" by REM was. Or "You and Me" by No Doubt. But I did hit a wall when one time I wanted to hear a song whose title I could not get right. I'll Be There? Hmmm... you have no idea how many songs called I'll Be There exist. I continued spitting out lyrics and realized, I really needed the artist name for that specific version. Of course, I couldn't remember the full name of the attributed artist either. I had a very specific version of the song in mind. We used to play it at the crossover (jazz/R&B) station I worked at once. We would never announce title/artist information on the air so it's never been repeated to me. I kept saying the Rippingtons, which at times, she could not even understand. I finally decided to stop using voice commands and eventually I found the song. I'll Be Around from the album Sahara by Russ Freeman and the Rippingtons. Also featuring... several other artists. It was quite the list. 

My younger daughter told me, Mommy don't press that button. It was the one that looked like an infinity symbol under the title and artist (it has since been moved to a more hidden location). But I did it anyway and I have to admit, AI DJ didn't do a terrible job picking out some songs that she thought I might like. Sometimes autoplay brings up a song I hadn't heard in a long time and it opens up this wormhole that takes me back to all the songs from 1995 that I'd temporarily forgotten existed. Sometimes though, it's a total fail. Nothing replaces the capabilities of a proper HUMAN spinner, I think. The catalog in my brain can still map out that amazing mix tape, which only I, in that moment, can come up with. At the end of the day, the AI does not have access to the physical chemicals that create intense emotions in human beings. It is these emotions that move the meter and help you create. I want to create.

Have I ever told the story of my first few dates with my husband? The first date involved dinner and a trip to the King of Prussia Mall, one of the largest shopping malls in the country. I was staying with my friend at her home in South Jersey at the time. I had bought something from Sephora in another state and needed an exchange but when my friend and I looked it up, it seemed that the closest Sephora to her at the time, was the one in that mall and he was the guy who lived closest to it. I asked him if he could take me and we made a date of it. I remember some of the weirdest details from that night. I may have bought something from American Eagle (Outfitters) and got a cut on my finger from the shelving. The employees did not have Band-Aids in the store and were completely unhelpful. I don't know what I did but clearly I have a real history getting these cuts. Then... Apple Store! We walked in there, browsed and I bought myself a brand new iPod. A pink mini. When Apple Music was iTunes and before the iPhone was your main method of playback, well, there was the iPod. I was leaving in a couple of days and I wanted something to listen to on the plane. Could he put some music in it? I'll get it tomorrow. Instant second date. That's how it's done, kids.

So the big surprise when I got on the plane and put on my headphones was that my iPod was now filled with music... that I totally do not listen to. He liked dance, it seemed. Lots of electronic drumming, plenty of beats. This was a disaster. I really, at that point, wasn't sure if I could continue going out with a guy who did not share my music preferences. But you know, in the end, that didn't matter. I went home, reset the iPod and put in stuff that I wanted to listen to and he had his matching iPod filled with stuff that he listened to. We agreed on the things that mattered and mere months later, we married. 

Here we are, 20 years later, and I'm putting together the song list for my project. What would I play if I had a set at a bar or a club? I put together a binder with song lyrics and chords, things I liked and I could practice, then record. Somebody told me to get a capo which I had never used before. My mind was blown! I can transpose, change the key, just like that. It really was starting to become a problem because most of the songs I wanted to perform were originally sung by men. But now I can experiment and move it up to the key that sounded great in the shower was more comfortable for me. It's time to get to work.

Playlist Recommendation: Stop and Stare, OneRepublic