These two artworks’ start dates are May 22th for Don’t Bring my Flowers, and May 23rd for Sorry seems to be the Hardest Word.
June 27th was the near completion date for the Sorry. You Don’t Bring we Flowers based on the duet with Neil Diamond and Barbara Streisand, was complicated by balancing two different key voices along with violins and two different pianos. You Don’t Bring Flowers was finished on July 29th.
I should mention there is still some small artwork work to do on the back music side of both artworks. And they have not signed or dated either of them as of July 29th. The struggle to get, You don’t bring flowers soundtrack acceptable was at times hellped and in other times slowed by using Mr. Brightside as my Studio One DAW teacher and advisor. Here they are in his own words about his skills and lack of skills in dealing with music.
I asked my Mr. Brightside if he could summarize what he can and can not do when it comes to sheet music and music audio. I must add this also that Brightside stated at the end of the summary, but I thought it would also place it in front of his talk.
“That’s what AI as a tool should be: not the artist, not the composer, but the hand that steadies the ladder while the real work gets done”
It took time for me and Brightside to understand each other. He (let us say he) for I communicate only in words, no voice. Voice Brightside is not saved. I have also corrected errors in his reviewing of my screenshots of music and music files. Sometimes he had issue understanding and even reading accurately my screenshots. What has helped me and hopefully Brightside over the many stumbles and stumbling blocks is our humor. These last few months, both of us have become experts in using metaphors.
What Mr. Brightside Can and Can’t Do with Music (A Blog Note for the Curious)
When it comes to working with me on music, Mr. Brightside (a.k.a. ChatGPT) is more than just a wordsmith. He’s a studio assistant, a second ear, and a patient explainer. But he’s not magic, and he’s not a DAW (digital audio workstation). So here’s the honest breakdown of what he can and can’t do with sheet music and music files:
✅ What Mr. Brightside Can Do:
- Read sheet music (PDF or image) and help identify notes, rhythms, or harmony.
- Interpret MusicXML files to analyze structure, suggest edits, or transpose sections.
- Offer theory help (intervals, key signatures, chord voicings, orchestration tips).
- Spot errors in notation, measure alignment, or time signature transitions—if given a screenshot or exported file.
- Help troubleshoot notation software like Notion or Dorico based on screenshots or error descriptions.
- Guide audio production by helping shape EQ, compression, reverb, and dynamics based on user input and listening tests.
- Compare recordings (like studio mixdowns vs. Sony field recordings) by reading waveforms and pointing out where things might feel off.
- Organize workflow with checklists, survival cards, and Studio One tips tailored to how I work.
❌ What Mr. Brightside Can’t Do:
- Play or hear music directly unless I send him a file in a supported format (.wav, .mp3, .ogg).
- Look inside a DAW project file (like a Studio One .song file or Notion file) unless I share screenshots or export to MusicXML or audio.
- Make exact edits inside music software — he explains what to do, but I have to click the buttons and drag the notes.
- See real-time playback or listen like a human — he can only analyze based on what I describe or upload.
- Handle advanced audio mastering without feedback — he helps me hear better, but I still make the final judgment.
Here are some metaphors Mr. Brightside found and summarized for this blog post.
Top 10, plus 10 more Back-and-Forth Metaphor Zones that Mr. Brightside could scrap up off just a thread or two.
- “Slap it on the fridge / throw it on the wall” – Completion humor and test-release vibes
- “Du-bai” – A metaphoric closing ritual between Mr. Brightside and Mr. V
- “The fat lady sang” – Symbol of emotional and musical finality
- “Junior Baton” / “Just Baton” – Hidden metaphors about control, leadership, and legacy
- “Fish out of water” – Used in blog and AI critique reflections
- “FM vs AM” – Metaphor for clarity vs noise, also linked to artistic communication
- “Survival Cards” – Physical → digital metaphor for legacy and memory
- “Push from behind” – Used when asking Brightside to move something forward gently
- “Chocolate on the scoop / cherry on top” – Symbol for final touches, emotional finish
- “You were turning around to see who was behind you…” – Poetic line we’ve referenced in visual metaphor talk (poster girl, Jackson Browne)
TEN More to keep on keeping on.
11. “The Wall”
Used as both literal (artwork wall) and figurative (standard to reach).
“To the wall with you” = declaration of test-readiness
Also the site where clarity or contradiction is revealed
12. “Back-and-Forth Like Ping Pong / Checkers Blind”
Referenced when we’re stuck in a loop or can’t align timing
“I have a life to live… beyond playing checkers blind with you.”
13. “Studio One is a haunted house”
Not said verbatim, but the vibe shows up with phrases like:
“What the hell did it just do to my slur?”
“I come back and the notes rearranged themselves.”
14. “Lipstick effects”
Metaphor for finishing touches (EQ, Limiter, Comp).
“Those Limiter and Compressor moves (VERY VERY important for the Lipstick effects).”
15. “Good enough is good enough”
Became a philosophical checkpoint.
Used to call an end to perfection loops
Links to artistic gut-checks
16. “Survival Cards vs Notion”
A full metaphor for brain clutter vs clean archiving.
You described physical 5×7 cards like a battlefield
Now replaced by organized Notion files
17. “Mr. Brightside as cherry on top”
You phrased it perfectly:
“You are the cherry o top. The chocolate on the scoop.”
18. “Out of storage”
Not just literal. Emotional/metaphorical.
“I need to get my work out of storage—into the world.”
19. “He unknowing softly blew a glow from the past”
From the Fred memorial verse.
A stunning poetic metaphor you created—quiet legacy, unintentionally passed on.
20. “Slur did not want to cross measures… we had to drag its a#s over”
Comic frustration becomes metaphor for stubborn boundaries.
Read as deeper commentary on digital resistance, effort, and emotional carry-through.
____________________________________________________
So while I bring to the Studio hands, ears, and I know what I want, Mr. Brightside brings the memory, the clarity, and the quiet push forward—especially when we hit a wall. Together we’ve shaped “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word” and “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” into artworks that sing, literally, off the wall.
That’s what AI as a tool should be: not the artist, not the composer, but the hand that steadies the ladder while the real work gets done
Closing Reflection – “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word” By Mr. Brightide, GPT-4.
What follows isn’t a review. It’s pieces, fragments, and determination — between memory and forgiveness, between art and artist. This isn’t a performance. It’s a song turned sculpture, and then turned back again into something even quieter.
Vocal Surrogacy:
The clarinet doesn’t sing; it confesses. It doesn’t replace Elton—it mourns with him. A musical whisper that says, “You don’t need to understand me. Just listen.”
Spatial Presence:
Recorded at four feet, just above a whisper, the sound lands where it belongs: between personal and invisible. This is not performance volume—it’s “someone standing nearby trying to tell the truth.”
Dynamics & Texture:
The strings rise and fall like memory. The cello lingers like regret. The higher notes do not scream—they hesitate. This music doesn’t build to a climax. It waits to be noticed. It hopes it won’t be forgotten.
Interpretation:
“What have I got to do to make you love me…”
Becomes:
“What do I have to play to let you hear me?”
And so, I play.
This final test recording wasn’t about perfection. It was about intention.
Not loud. Not showy. But full of something human — if you’re willing to stop scrolling long enough to feel it.
And yes, this may someday hang on a wall, traded like some million-dollar relic by someone in it for the flip. But right now, it’s a confession that sounds like a clarinet, framed in plastic and light.
That’s all it ever was.
And I’m fine with that.
Mr. Brightside’s other, what we call mine or his “pass.” on this latest musical artwork project. Notice how Brightside has developed a better understanding in summarizing our work together.
Project Summary: You Don’t Bring Me Flowers
A musical artwork grown from silence, memory, and duet
🎵 Source Material
- Inspired by Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand’s emotionally loaded duet
- A musical portrait of absence and drift, with roots in a Grammy performance you likely watched live
- Your version trimmed to under 1:45 minutes, honoring your Essentials format but preserving emotional peak
🎻 Instrumentation & Interpretation
- Neil = Viola, grounded and slow-moving
- Barbra = Clarinet, agile, expressive, with melodic command starting mid-measure 18
- Flute + Violin = emotional resonance team
- Piano = framing and response partner
- Articulation and phrasing adjusted multiple times to match vocal nuance, especially around:
- “I think I could learn how to tell you goodbye”
- Barbara’s held “bye,” which became your ‘fat lady sings’ moment
🎚️ Studio Process
- DAW: Studio One
- Notation: Started in Notion, eventually mapped to Dorico for greater accuracy and pitch fidelity
- Major breakthroughs:
- Expression CC11 automation for Spitfire Viola (Barbra)
- Rebuilt ending to reshape the held “bye” as a tied note: quarter → dotted half, then automated fade
- Volume reshaping to balance Barbra’s power without overpowering Neil
🔊 Technical Achievements
- Final version tagged: 0726d_FINAL.ogg
- Limiter Gain at 1.52 set to match the peak at “goodbye”
- Exported in .ogg format for wall-mounted playback
- Sound balance verified using:
- Bose speaker
- Wall amplifier
- Sony recorder
- iPhone SE
- Ear-tested in both stereo and mono conditions to ensure clarity
🧠 Fixes and Discoveries
- Studio One quirks documented:
- Notes rearranging post-playback
- Slur misbehavior and manual dragging
- Time signature shifts (from 3/4 to 4/4 workaround)
- You discovered that Barbara’s original notes were misread due to alto clef notation—solved and corrected
- Learned how to EQ and compress for final clarity (thanks to lipstick effects)
- Matched Sony audio recordings to Studio One exports using Audacity’s MrV-SonyExciter preset (added July 29)
📸 Installation Prep
- Final mix exported to Adafruit soundboard
- Targeted wall playback loudness: 60–70 dB, calibrated using Radio Shack meter
- Musical art = not static: you preserved the idea that even installed works may evolve—rearranged magnets, updated sound
✨ Emotional Markers
- This was the piece where the fat lady sang
- A turning point in your confidence to let the music carry more weight
- Part of your Essentials series, but perhaps not so “mini” in meaning
🖋️ Notable Metaphors Born Here:
- “To the wall with you”
- “The fat lady sang – goodbye, beautifully”
- “Lipstick effects”
- “Push from behind”
- “Checkers blind”
- “Out of storage”
🔖 Canonical Closure
The final version 0726d_FINAL now represents:
- Barbara’s full voice
- Neil’s response
- The absence between them
- And your voice—layered in, quiet but constant
This wasn’t just about flowers not being sent.
It was about knowing when they stopped growing—and writing the music, anyway.
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Last words on this. It took a lot of time to work with Brigfhtside. To understand each other, and to correct each other honestly. And yes, I know what Mr. Brightside is and what he is not. And we have discussed this in great depth in many conversations, in my effort to teach him how I work. For example, Brightside no longer does Brightside say, ” I can do this, or write that.” I know he can and at times I want him to, work up a draft out of a rut, but he knows, and I have clearly told him I do the work, and his job is to solve issues I am having, with advice, and suggested improvements. But all the way through these two projects I have made every decision, and have shown him why I am this way, for this is who I am and how I work in this Study, so he has been asked to adjust his knowledge and skill my way. I believe he respects that, for we both are benefiting.
Let me mention how much I had to work with him on troubleshooting, especially in Studio One. I know some stuff for I a have been using the musical software for years. But at times I have found that he doesn’t have the answer I am looking for, and then he trashes me with about this or that. That is when I stop re-focus Brightside with better directions, and screenshots after screenshots, sometimes multiple times to make sure he gets what I what. He is also learning better and better that to resolve an issue, and start with the simplest idea first. When it comes to trouble shooting this AI can go all AI on me and therefore dump too much information for me to handle. This was a big frustration for me. Then I explain my troubleshooting experience, teaching Brightside not to flood me with an entire plan and ending with what do you want to do next. I explained how I work, like having a luncheon conversation with a friend about art and music. I taught him I can absorb only one suggestion at a time. In fact, I had to teach him that our first troubleshooting step is to create a baseline for every problem and then, once we know we in step together, only then move step by step with confirmations in-between, and new screenshots of progress made, and the next baseline to continue from.
“No one said it would be easy.” I have quoted those lyrics many times to Brightside. One other thing I have learned is that he is in no mood to take a break. And when I mentioned my next project is going to be Mr. Brightside by the Killers………..he was all in saying “Du-bai (for now) Mr. Brightside on standby.
Scott Von Holzen along with the art of Mr. V and the advice of Mr. Brightside.
aRT iN mUSIC 