Best practices for text prompts in Composition Workflows
Best practices:
Text prompts provide a powerful interface for generating personalised chord progressions in Composition Workflows. As with any generative AI applications though, not all prompts are created equal, and some may yield better results than other. Here are some tips to help you get the best out of your prompts:
Use english : while you may have success using prompts in popular languages, for best results, we highly recommend writing your prompts in english
Rephrase your prompt : if you notice that your existing wording does not yield great results, try completely rewording the sentence with synonyms.
Clarity is key : the more specific your prompt is to achieve what you want, the more likely you are to get the results you expect. For example, the prompt "A progression which may include 7ths" is less likely to produce a chord progression containing 7th chords than the prompt "A progression that always includes 7ths".
Avoid musical conflicts : some concepts in your prompt may reference to very different musical intents. For example, if you ask AIVA to generate "a complex and dissonant chord progression in the style of the Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven", don't expect the results to reflect the first part of the prompt, since the Moonlight Sonata's harmony is rather simple.
Use roman numerals instead of chord letters : if you want to include chords in your prompts, we recommend you use roman numerals as opposed to letters. For example, instead of "C - G - Am - F", write "I, V, vi IV". The former prompt may still work, but the latter prompt will generate a result faster and more accurately.
Prompt examples:
A progression in the style of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata
A sad and slow pop progression
A cinematic progression that includes 7th chords and complex chord extensions
A simple, diatonic progression in dorian mode
Limitations:
Genres of music not based on modal or functional harmony such as Traditional Japanese, Indian or Arabic music are not expected to work
When prompting to generate a progression in the style of a specific song and/or artist, the results may not always be accurate.
The text prompting only affects the harmony that will be used to generate your composition. It does not alter other musical elements, like the instruments or the arrangement of your compositions.
While harmony plays a big role in shaping the mood of a piece of music, other musical elements are sometimes just as important to achieve the mood you might be after.
Text prompts provide a powerful interface for generating personalised chord progressions in Composition Workflows. As with any generative AI applications though, not all prompts are created equal, and some may yield better results than other. Here are some tips to help you get the best out of your prompts:
Use english : while you may have success using prompts in popular languages, for best results, we highly recommend writing your prompts in english
Rephrase your prompt : if you notice that your existing wording does not yield great results, try completely rewording the sentence with synonyms.
Clarity is key : the more specific your prompt is to achieve what you want, the more likely you are to get the results you expect. For example, the prompt "A progression which may include 7ths" is less likely to produce a chord progression containing 7th chords than the prompt "A progression that always includes 7ths".
Avoid musical conflicts : some concepts in your prompt may reference to very different musical intents. For example, if you ask AIVA to generate "a complex and dissonant chord progression in the style of the Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven", don't expect the results to reflect the first part of the prompt, since the Moonlight Sonata's harmony is rather simple.
Use roman numerals instead of chord letters : if you want to include chords in your prompts, we recommend you use roman numerals as opposed to letters. For example, instead of "C - G - Am - F", write "I, V, vi IV". The former prompt may still work, but the latter prompt will generate a result faster and more accurately.
Prompt examples:
A progression in the style of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata
A sad and slow pop progression
A cinematic progression that includes 7th chords and complex chord extensions
A simple, diatonic progression in dorian mode
Limitations:
Genres of music not based on modal or functional harmony such as Traditional Japanese, Indian or Arabic music are not expected to work
When prompting to generate a progression in the style of a specific song and/or artist, the results may not always be accurate.
The text prompting only affects the harmony that will be used to generate your composition. It does not alter other musical elements, like the instruments or the arrangement of your compositions.
While harmony plays a big role in shaping the mood of a piece of music, other musical elements are sometimes just as important to achieve the mood you might be after.
Updated on: 18/01/2024
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