| Title | YOUR AI ENSEMBLE PARTNER YOO |
| Brand | YAMAHA CORPORATION. |
| Product / Service | YOUR AI ENSEMBLE PARTNER YOO |
| Category | E05. Advanced Learning Technologies |
| Entrant | HAKUHODO I-STUDIO Tokyo, JAPAN |
| Idea Creation | HAKUHODO I-STUDIO Tokyo, JAPAN |
| Production | HAKUHODO I-STUDIO Tokyo, JAPAN |
| Production 2 | MUSE CREA INC. Tokyo, JAPAN |
| Name | Company | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Minako Shintake | Yamaha Corporation | Strategy & Marketing |
| Akira Maezawa | Yamaha Corporation | Reseacher |
| Rintaro Kane | Yamaha Corporation | Project Management |
| Eriko Akao | Yamaha Corporation | Brand Management |
| Jyutaro Mochizuki | HAKUHODO i-studio Inc. | Creative Director |
| Takeshi Asano | HAKUHODO i-studio Inc. | Agency Producer |
| Yuji Nakamura | HAKUHODO i-studio Inc. | Art Director |
| Shoko Nagata | HAKUHODO i-studio Inc. | Designer |
| Hiroshi Koi | HAKUHODO i-studio Inc. | Creative Technologist |
| Tatsuya Kida | HAKUHODO i-studio Inc. | Creative Technologist |
| Akihiro Chaya | HAKUHODO i-studio Inc. | Creative Technologist |
| Miki Senoo | HAKUHODO i-studio Inc. | PR Planner |
| Takuro Nakajima | HAKUHODO i-studio Inc. | PR Executive |
| Yoshimasa Yokoyama | HAKUHODO i-studio Inc. | Frontend Engineer |
| Yasuhiro Uechi | HAKUHODO i-studio Inc. | Photographer |
| Hidetoshi Ouchi | 1up | Copywriter |
| Masataka Ota | MUSE CREA INC. | Music Production |
Playing the piano is rewarding, but the path to acquiring sufficient skills for self-expression can be lonely and arduous. How can we have more beginner pianists enjoy playing the piano? Our idea is to make the piano intelligent and make it the best partner who understands what and how a beginner pianist wishes to play, instead of being just a mere instrument. We tackle this goal using an AI pianist engine that understands and responds to expressive intents of human beginner pianists, such as timing, dynamics, articulation and tempo. By creating elaborate visual effects and immersive piano accompaniment to a beginning pianist, we aimed to create a more engaging piano playing experience for a beginning pianist.
We exhibited an installation called “"AI Music Ensemble Partner YOO” " where everyone can enjoy playing “"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” " at SXSW2018, and Yamaha Ginza Building, and our global flagship store in Tokyo. YOO appears on the screen as if it is sitting next to the players while they play and accompanying them so that they can fully enjoy the experience of playing the piano and exploring possibilities of music musical expression.