How to Write Better AI Music Prompts: Advanced Guide

Master AI Music Prompts: Advanced Techniques

The difference between mediocre AI music and stunning tracks often comes down to prompt quality. This advanced guide teaches professional-level prompt engineering techniques that dramatically improve your results.

The Advanced Prompt Framework

The GEMS Formula

Genre + Emotion + Musical Elements + Specifics

Example:

"[G] Cinematic orchestral [E] building from hopeful to triumphant [M] with soaring strings, powerful brass, and timpani [S] 90 BPM, 2 minutes, epic climax at 1:30"

Advanced Techniques

Technique 1: Temporal Descriptions

Describe how music changes over time:

"Starts with solo piano, gentle and introspective. At 30 seconds, strings enter softly. Builds gradually with drums joining at 1 minute. Full orchestra climax at 1:30, then fades to piano alone"

Technique 2: Reference Stacking

Combine multiple influences:

"The emotional depth of film scores meets the energy of electronic music, with the warmth of analog synths and the precision of modern production"

Technique 3: Sensory Language

Use non-musical descriptions:

"Music that sounds like golden hour sunlight, warm and nostalgic, the feeling of looking through old photographs on a quiet Sunday afternoon"

Technique 4: Negative Constraints

Specify what you don't want:

"Upbeat pop but NOT cheesy or generic, energetic but NOT aggressive, modern but NOT cold or sterile"

Technique 5: Technical Precision

Use musical terminology:

"Minor key, 6/8 time signature, arpeggiated synth patterns, side-chain compression on the bass, reverb-heavy atmosphere, 128 BPM"

Genre-Specific Advanced Prompts

Cinematic/Epic

"Epic orchestral crescendo, starting with distant, mysterious strings in D minor, gradually adding layers: French horns at 0:30, full brass at 1:00, choir and timpani at 1:30, massive climax with all sections at 2:00, heroic resolution"

Electronic/Dance

"Progressive house track, four-on-the-floor kick pattern, filtered saw synth building over 32 bars, drop at 1:00 with supersaw lead, side-chain pumping, energetic breakdown, second drop bigger than first, 126 BPM"

Ambient/Atmospheric

"Slowly evolving ambient soundscape, granular textures, pitch-shifted piano fragments, long reverb tails, barely perceptible changes over time, meditative and timeless, like floating in space, no percussion"

Jazz

"Late-night jazz trio, walking bass line, brushed drums, Rhodes piano playing sophisticated chord voicings, modal improvisation feel, smoky club atmosphere, 110 BPM swing feel"

Common Mistakes and Fixes

Mistake: Conflicting Descriptions

❌ "Calm and energetic ambient dance music" ✅ "Ambient textures with subtle rhythmic pulse, meditative but gently moving"

Mistake: Too Vague

❌ "Good background music" ✅ "Warm acoustic background music for cooking video, cheerful but non-distracting, gentle guitar and light percussion, 95 BPM"

Mistake: Overloaded Prompts

❌ "Jazz rock pop electronic classical fusion with guitar piano synth strings brass drums choir" ✅ "Jazz-influenced electronic with piano and subtle brass accents, sophisticated but accessible"

Prompt Templates for Every Situation

Background Music Template

"[Mood] [genre] background music for [use case], [energy level], [main instruments], [tempo] BPM, [key characteristic], [duration]"

Song Template

"[Emotion] [genre] song with [vocal style if applicable], [verse description], [chorus description], [overall arc], [tempo] BPM"

Ambient/Texture Template

"[Atmosphere] ambient soundscape with [texture types], [evolution description], [spatial quality], [emotional undertone]"

Testing and Iteration

The A/B Method

1. Generate two versions with slightly different prompts
2. Compare specific elements
3. Identify what works
4. Combine best elements
5. Generate final version

The Ladder Method

1. Start with basic prompt
2. Add one element at a time
3. Evaluate each addition
4. Build up to complex prompt
5. Remove elements that don't improve

Start Mastering Prompts Today

Download Lriza and practice these advanced techniques. The more you experiment, the better your prompts—and your music—will become.