Well-written AI music prompts often require little to no editing. Clarity and detail in your prompt will help you articulate exactly what you want to hear, giving you lyrics, melodies, instrumentation, and tone closer to your original vision. Meanwhile, vague or unfinished prompts lead to inconsistent and undesirable results.
This beginner’s guide provides easy tips and strategies for writing better prompts that communicate your creativity naturally and effectively. Using MakeBestMusic’s advice below, you’ll start creating AI music prompts that generate improved first drafts, plentiful inspiration, and songs that align with what you’re trying to convey. Learn how to write AI music prompts that give you greater control, allow for more creativity, and sound consistent from one project to the next.
Elements of a Quality Music Prompt
Before you know what to include in your prompt, it’s important to understand what you are telling the AI to do. Essentially, you are informing the music generator what type of song you’d like it to create. Most prompts include many of these elements below and consider each when trying to convey your desired style, sound, structure, and mood.
Song Structure
The structure will tell the AI generator how you want your music to be formatted — do you want a Verse / Chorus / Bridge, intro/outro, sections that end after 16 bars, or a looped track that stays under 2 minutes? Mapping out your music structure allows the AI to create complete songs instead of unfinished loops of melody. This is particularly useful if you’re looking for ready-made compositions in your AI music generation.
Placement of Lyrics
Is your song meant to have lyrics? If so, it is important to provide structure regarding where the lyrics should go. Will there only be vocals during the chorus? Will your intro be completely instrumental? Will you repeat certain lines? Mapping out where your vocals will go drastically improves the end product by enhancing story, flow, and composition. This applies to all musical styles, whether you plan to make pop, rap, rock, or anything else.
Style Components
This area is where you will tell the AI what you want your song to sound like.
- Style / Genre： Pop, rock, metal, EDM, orchestral, jazz, blues, trap, hip-hop, etc.
- Tempo： A slow ballad (60-80 BPM), upbeat pop song (100-130 BPM), etc.
- Instruments： Acoustic guitar, piano, strings, drums, vocals, etc.
- Vocal Type. Male voice, female voice, children’s choir, mixed choir.
- Mood or Emotion： Happy, sad, angry, scared, surprised, lonely, melancholy, depressive, etc.
The more detail you can provide the AI, the closer it can come to your intended sound texture and vibe. These can help improve the results you get when creating music in Create Music.
Other Details
You don’t need to include these details, but they can help your track resemble what you have in mind:
- Harmony： Backup vocals? Layered harmonies? Second voice line?
- Build & Dynamics： Would you like a climactic build? Slowly adding layers of instruments? Big emotional finish?
You now know the general information you should provide when writing your music prompts. Using strong examples of each section will generate music that fits your needs while inspiring creativity in your music-making process. Read on to find detailed AI music prompt templates you can start using today.
Beginner-Friendly Prompt Templates
To give users the quickest path toward effective prompt writing, we’ve compiled a list of easy-to-follow templates for beginners. Included in these templates are ones you can use for song structure (lyrics) and styles (music arrangement). By replacing the information already provided with your own details, you can generate full tracks with an easily distinguished structure and clear musical styles. This is the quickest way to learn how to use AI to make music.
Lyrics Structure Template
If you’d like to generate music with vocals, it can be difficult to properly arrange your song’s lyrical aspects. The template below provides a general layout for any song with lyrics. Covering popular sections like Intro, Verse, Pre-Chorus, and Chorus. Replace “Insert lyrics here” with what story you want to tell, imagery you wish to paint, or emotions you want to express.
Once you provide context, let the AI fill in musical details for you.
Pop Song Sample Structure
[Intro – 16 bars]
[Verse 1: piano solo, female vocal]
Insert lyrics here
[Pre-Chorus 1]
Insert lyrics here
[Chorus 1: male vocal]
Insert lyrics here
[Interlude – 16 bars]
[Verse 2]
Insert lyrics here
[Pre-Chorus 2]
Insert lyrics here
[Chorus 2]
Insert lyrics here
[Outro – fade out]
This song structure works for both happy and sad songs, as well as any lyrical content you wish to apply. Separating your song into sections allows for natural narrative progression and clear divides between musical changes. You can apply this structure to pop, indie, soul music, soft rock — any genre!
Styles Prompt Template
Although vocals are an important part of many songs, the style, tempo, mood, instrumentation, and tone of voice are what can really sell your song’s musical style. The template below will allow you to accurately describe the mood and music arrangement you’re looking for.
A F-major hopeful jazz song in 4/4 time at 90 BPM. [Intro] Incorporate fast light piano chords to build excitement. [Verse 1] and [Pre-Chorus 1] Layer a clean guitar rhythm with soft vocals. [Interlude] Mix in gentle jazz drums to transition into the next section. [Verse 2] Bring the drums higher in the mix to establish a solid groove. [Chorus] Add light background vocals and the full drum kit to swell the song.
Overall feeling: breezy, bright, motivating.
Notice how this prompt defines key components such as key, BPM, rhythmic patterns, instrumentation, arrangement instructions, and emotional journey. By providing specific details, you allow the AI music generation program to have a clear understanding of your creative vision. Feel free to swap out piano for guitar, strings, lower the BPM, or change up the emotion adjectives to your preferred music style. Hip-hop? R&B? EDM? Ambient? Film score? Anything you can imagine is possible. Use this template as your foundation and watch how consistent and targeted your results are using MakeBestMusic.
Full Example Lyrics
Below is an example of full English lyrics generated by AI. The lyrics were created using the Lyrics Structure Template and Styles Prompt Template above.
[Intro 16bars]
[Verse 1: piano solo, female vocal] Curtains tremble with moonbeams, The tea grows cold on the sill. I write your name in the curtains — It crumbles the way you did, gentle and unexpected.
[Pre-Chorus 1] My heartbeat’s the only evidence that I remember you at all. It drums inside my ribcage the way you used to fall asleep against my body — but now you’re gone.
[Chorus 1: male vocal] Oh, I’m still here. Echoes fill my room, trying to find you. Darling, won’t you come home? Please don’t leave me singing words that we used to…
[Interlude: 16 bars]
[Verse 2] Neon flickers into sunrise, My own reflection pretends to wake up. So I steal your eyeliner til my fingertips match the dark under my eyes.
[Pre-Chorus 2] Please don’t sing those songs again. Faces scattered across my memory. Petal after petal after pretty empty, I let you go.
[Chorus 2] Oh, I’m still here. Dreams console my empty bed, lingering on your voice. Won’t you comfort me? Every night I’m whispering words that we used to…
[Outro, Fade out]
As you can see, by including section labels, music style, instruments, and emotional cues, your AI-generated lyrics will have structure. The lyrics created in this example are detailed enough to be used for songwriting or production as-is. If you provide clear and detailed prompts, you’ll find the AI can be your co-writer too.
AI Prompt FAQ
New users will have similar questions when starting. If you find yourself stuck on how to write or improve your prompt, refer to the FAQ below. We provide short and informative answers that will help you begin making music with Create Music in MakeBestMusic.
How can I use the templates as my own?
Simply by making small changes to the templates, you can start making these prompts your own:
- Change up the musical style. Replace Pop with R&B, Chill, Lo-Fi, EDM.
- Change the main instrument. Instead of a piano, use a guitar, a string, or a pad.
- Adjust the mood/emotion of the song. Try changing gentle to powerful.
- Change up vocal types. Male vocal instead of female. Or layered vocals.
- Adjust the BPM. switch from 70 BPM to 90 / 120 / 140.
- Add additional song parts. Insert a Bridge. Remove the Interlude. Lengthen the Outro.
Try replacing just one of these things for starters.
How can I improve my prompts for better results?
- Don’t use vague descriptions such as “nice,” “advanced,” or “feels emotional.”
- Be as specific as you can. Include music style, instruments, emotion, tempo, and song structure.
- Break your prompt into sections. Instead of defining the entire song, break it into Intro, Verse, and Chorus parts.
- Get your prompt right the first time. Writing inefficient prompts only to rewrite them is a waste of time. Instead, take your time to formulate your prompt.
- Make small adjustments. Use prompts like “add more strings” or “less heavy drums.”
The more details you can include in your prompts, the better your results will be.
Do my prompts have to be lengthy?
No, not at all! Lengthy prompts don’t necessarily mean they’ll be effective. Clear, detailed, and well-structured prompts are all it takes for the AI to generate quality music.
What should I change in my prompt if I’m not happy with the result?
It’s best to change your prompt in the following order:
- Mood — Provides overall intention and energy.
- Instruments — Carries your song's musical identity.
- BPM — Sets the groove and how the song feels as it progresses.
- Structure — Determines how your music will unfold.
- Vocal Type — Can change style and instrumentation.
You do not need to rewrite the entire prompt. Changing 1-2 things will make a significant difference.
Do I need to know music theory to write good prompts?
No, you don’t need to know any music theory. You can write prompts using plain language or scene-based expressions:
“It feels like a rainy day in the city.” “A warm summer night spent with friends” “Heartfelt and empowering.” “Upbeat and happy.” “Soft rhythm, background music”
The AI will do the rest!
Wrapping Up
You now have an understanding of how prompts work and have access to a collection of templates you can start using today. Start experimenting with your own prompts and learn to use AI as your music partner. With descriptive prompts and song structure, you can craft your next original masterpiece at your own pace. Enjoyed this guide? Want to start making music right now? There’s never been a better time than the present. Begin with your first prompt, generate your music, and see what MakeBestMusic has to offer!
