How To Use ChatGPT To Make Music

You might know ChatGPT as a chatbot, but it can do so much more! Even if you’re not a musician, you can use ChatGPT to create music, from chord progressions to melodies and even lyrics.

Now, it’s important to note that ChatGPT doesn’t create actual audio files or singing vocals. But it can still help you with the creative process in a few interesting ways.

So, let’s explore what ChatGPT can do musically and see how well it does those things!

How Can ChatGPT Help In Making Music

ChatGPT offers specialized GPTs to assist with your specific needs, even with making music. From your ChatGPT-4 interface, you can access these by clicking “Explore GPTs.” Here, you can either use a pre-made music GPT by searching through the search bar or create a new GPT customized to your requirements.

In this post, I will use the Song Maker GPT to get a more focused approach:

Inspiration and Conceptualization

ChatGPT can help you brainstorm themes and concepts for your music. Whether you’re stuck on lyrics, trying to find the right mood for your instrumental piece, or exploring different stories and emotions, ChatGPT can offer many ideas to get your creativity flowing.

Here’s how you can leverage ChatGPT to spark inspiration and conceptualize your music projects

Creating a Storyline for a Song

My prompt:

Result:

Suggesting Themes for a Series of Songs

Example:

Song Lyrics Generation and Chord Progression

ChatGPT can be a valuable tool for generating song lyrics across various genres and styles. It excels at producing a wide array of verses and choruses. 

• Start with a theme: ChatGPT can generate lyrics on the theme you want. Remember, be specific to get better results. 

For instance:

• Chord progressions:

Whether you’re crafting a soulful ballad or an energetic rock anthem, ChatGPT can help you find the perfect chord progressions to match your musical vision. Here is an example:

• Lyrics with Chord Charts: 

ChatGPT can generate lyrics that align with chord progressions for a song’s basic structure. 

For instance:

Here is the result:

Melody And Beats Generation

However, when attempting to add melodies to ChatGPT-generated lyrics, challenges arise as the AI lacks a deep understanding of musical phrasing and rhythm. Here’s an example:

Prompt: “On the same chart, add melodic notation for the chords and lyrics.”

Result:

If I use another simple prompt apart from the previous one, ChatGPT can generate melodies tailored to your preferences and style.

Let’s say,

It can be seen that, in making music, ChatGPT can only handle simple tasks. With complex music requests, ChatGPT might struggle to follow. 

Music Analysis

ChatGPT is a great tool for music analysis. It can break down different parts of a song, like its key, tempo, chords, and even the overall structure. This helps producers understand how the song was put together and the choices the songwriter made.

For example, ChatGPT can analyze a song’s harmonies and figure out the key signature, which gives you a glimpse into the composer’s melodic and harmonic decisions.

Prompt: 

ChatGPT can also dive into a song’s chord progressions, identifying patterns and cadences that are commonly used. This is a great way for you to learn from established techniques and apply them to your own compositions.

Prompt:

Another aspect that ChatGPT is great at is analyzing a song’s structure. It can identify verses, choruses, bridges, and other sections so you can understand the composition’s blueprint and its key themes.

On top of that, ChatGPT can evaluate the melody, including motifs, intervals, and overall shape, offering helpful feedback. This analysis helps you see how different elements work together to make a catchy and well-structured song.

Prompt:

The Influence Of ChatGPT On Music Creation

Anyone Can Create Music

It’s made it possible for anyone, regardless of their musical background, to start making music. Gone are the days when you needed formal training or lots of experience. Now, thanks to ChatGPT, aspiring artists and bedroom producers can tap into their creativity and share their musical ideas with the world.

Speeding Up the Creative Process

ChatGPT also speeds up the creative process a lot. It can generate lyrics, melodies, chord progressions, and even whole compositions in no time, helping musicians overcome writer’s block and explore new musical territories more efficiently. If you’re struggling to come up with a catchy melody or just need a little inspiration, ChatGPT can give you tons of creative prompts and suggestions, right at your fingertips.

Concerns When Using ChatGPT for Creating Music

There are some concerns about using ChatGPT for music creation. People might rely too much on AI-generated content, leading to music that all sounds the same and lacks originality. It’s important for artists to use ChatGPT as a tool for inspiration while still maintaining their own unique style and voice.

Since AI-generated music blurs the lines between human and machine creativity, there are questions about who owns the music, who gets credit, and how creators should be compensated.

By being aware of these concerns and using ChatGPT thoughtfully, musicians can harness its power while staying true to their artistic vision.

Case Studies of Producers Successfully Use ChatGPT To Make Music

Numerous musicians and producers have explored and incorporated ChatGPT into their creative workflows. Here are a few examples:

Amper Music: Lyrics Generation & Music Production and Beat-Making

Amper Music is a company that specializes in artificial intelligence (AI) music composition. They have developed a platform that uses AI algorithms, including ChatGPT, to generate music compositions tailored to specific styles, genres, and themes, helping songwriters find new inspiration and ideas for their music.

The company also uses ChatGPT to come up with melodies and chord progressions, supporting producers and composers in creating unique and captivating music for various commercial uses.

Mac N’ Cheese Media and Austin and Colin: Innovative Video Marketing Concept

Mac N’ Cheese Media is a video production company with a creative agency mindset, specializing in creating humorous and engaging video content.

In their unconventional approach, ChatGPT was employed to generate a song for the video, adding a playful and entertaining element to the marketing campaign. The video garnered significant attention online, effectively showcasing the capabilities of ChatGPT in enhancing creative content and grabbing audience engagement.

India-based band Swarathma: Live Performance of AI-Generated Song

At the CYPHER 2023 event, the India-based band Swarathma presented a song with lyrics generated by ChatGPT. Given the task to create an 8-line chorus about performing at an AI conference alongside a lady in red, ChatGPT produced captivating lyrics. These lyrics were then beautifully incorporated into a live performance by the band. This fusion of AI-crafted words and live music intrigued the audience, igniting conversations on how technology and creativity are coming together in the music world.

Bottom Line

ChatGPT is a great tool for anyone creating music, offering inspiration, composition help, and new ideas. While it’s not perfect, knowing how to use it effectively can definitely improve your music-making process. So, why not give ChatGPT a try and see what amazing musical creations you can come up with?

FAQs