diff --git a/skills/creative/songwriting-and-ai-music/SKILL.md b/skills/creative/songwriting-and-ai-music/SKILL.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..2f1fc72825 --- /dev/null +++ b/skills/creative/songwriting-and-ai-music/SKILL.md @@ -0,0 +1,289 @@ +--- +name: songwriting-and-ai-music +description: > + Songwriting craft, AI music generation prompts (Suno focus), parody/adaptation + techniques, phonetic tricks, and lessons learned. These are tools and ideas, + not rules. Break any of them when the art calls for it. +tags: [songwriting, music, suno, parody, lyrics, creative] +triggers: + - writing a song + - song lyrics + - music prompt + - suno prompt + - parody song + - adapting a song + - AI music generation +--- + +# Songwriting & AI Music Generation + +Everything here is a GUIDELINE, not a rule. Art breaks rules on purpose. +Use what serves the song. Ignore what doesn't. + +--- + +## 1. Song Structure (Pick One or Invent Your Own) + +Common skeletons — mix, modify, or throw out as needed: + +``` +ABABCB Verse/Chorus/Verse/Chorus/Bridge/Chorus (most pop/rock) +AABA Verse/Verse/Bridge/Verse (refrain-based) (jazz standards, ballads) +ABAB Verse/Chorus alternating (simple, direct) +AAA Verse/Verse/Verse (strophic, no chorus) (folk, storytelling) +``` + +The six building blocks: +- Intro — set the mood, pull the listener in +- Verse — the story, the details, the world-building +- Pre-Chorus — optional tension ramp before the payoff +- Chorus — the emotional core, the part people remember +- Bridge — a detour, a shift in perspective or key +- Outro — the farewell, can echo or subvert the rest + +You don't need all of these. Some great songs are just one section +that evolves. Structure serves the emotion, not the other way around. + +--- + +## 2. Rhyme, Meter, and Sound + +RHYME TYPES (from tight to loose): +- Perfect: lean/mean +- Family: crate/braid +- Assonance: had/glass (same vowels, different endings) +- Consonance: scene/when (different vowels, similar endings) +- Near/slant: enough to suggest connection without locking it down + +Mix them. All perfect rhymes can sound like a nursery rhyme. +All slant rhymes can sound lazy. The blend is where it lives. + +INTERNAL RHYME: Rhyming within a line, not just at the ends. + "We pruned the lies from bleeding trees / Distilled the storm + from entropy" — "lies/flies," "trees/entropy" create internal echoes. + +METER: The rhythm of stressed vs unstressed syllables. +- Matching syllable counts between parallel lines helps singability +- The STRESSED syllables matter more than total count +- Say it out loud. If you stumble, the meter needs work. +- Intentionally breaking meter can create emphasis or surprise + +--- + +## 3. Emotional Arc and Dynamics + +Think of a song as a journey, not a flat road. + +ENERGY MAPPING (rough idea, not prescription): + Intro: 2-3 | Verse: 5-6 | Pre-Chorus: 7 + Chorus: 8-9 | Bridge: varies | Final Chorus: 9-10 + +The most powerful dynamic trick: CONTRAST. +- Whisper before a scream hits harder than just screaming +- Sparse before dense. Slow before fast. Low before high. +- The drop only works because of the buildup +- Silence is an instrument + +"Whisper to roar to whisper" — start intimate, build to full power, +strip back to vulnerability. Works for ballads, epics, anthems. + +--- + +## 4. Writing Lyrics That Work + +SHOW, DON'T TELL (usually): +- "I was sad" = flat +- "Your hoodie's still on the hook by the door" = alive +- But sometimes "I give my life" said plainly IS the power + +THE HOOK: +- The line people remember, hum, repeat +- Usually the title or core phrase +- Works best when melody + lyric + emotion all align +- Place it where it lands hardest (often first/last line of chorus) + +PROSODY — lyrics and music supporting each other: +- Stable feelings (resolution, peace) pair with settled melodies, + perfect rhymes, resolved chords +- Unstable feelings (longing, doubt) pair with wandering melodies, + near-rhymes, unresolved chords +- Verse melody typically sits lower, chorus goes higher +- But flip this if it serves the song + +AVOID (unless you're doing it on purpose): +- Cliches on autopilot ("heart of gold" without earning it) +- Forcing word order to hit a rhyme ("Yoda-speak") +- Same energy in every section (flat dynamics) +- Treating your first draft as sacred — revision is creation + +--- + +## 5. Parody and Adaptation + +When rewriting an existing song with new lyrics: + +THE SKELETON: Map the original's structure first. +- Count syllables per line +- Mark the rhyme scheme (ABAB, AABB, etc.) +- Identify which syllables are STRESSED +- Note where held/sustained notes fall + +FITTING NEW WORDS: +- Match stressed syllables to the same beats as the original +- Total syllable count can flex by 1-2 unstressed syllables +- On long held notes, try to match the VOWEL SOUND of the original + (if original holds "LOOOVE" with an "oo" vowel, "FOOOD" fits + better than "LIFE") +- Monosyllabic swaps in key spots keep rhythm intact + (Crime -> Code, Snake -> Noose) +- Sing your new words over the original — if you stumble, revise + +CONCEPT: +- Pick a concept strong enough to sustain the whole song +- Start from the title/hook and build outward +- Generate lots of raw material (puns, phrases, images) FIRST, + then fit the best ones into the structure +- If you need a specific line somewhere, reverse-engineer the + rhyme scheme backward to set it up + +KEEP SOME ORIGINALS: Leaving a few original lines or structures +intact adds recognizability and lets the audience feel the connection. + +--- + +## 6. Suno AI Prompt Engineering + +### Style/Genre Description Field + +FORMULA (adapt as needed): + Genre + Mood + Era + Instruments + Vocal Style + Production + Dynamics + +``` +BAD: "sad rock song" +GOOD: "Cinematic orchestral spy thriller, 1960s Cold War era, smoky + sultry female vocalist, big band jazz, brass section with + trumpets and french horns, sweeping strings, minor key, + vintage analog warmth" +``` + +DESCRIBE THE JOURNEY, not just the genre: +``` +"Begins as a haunting whisper over sparse piano. Gradually layers + in muted brass. Builds through the chorus with full orchestra. + Second verse erupts with raw belting intensity. Outro strips back + to a lone piano and a fragile whisper fading to silence." +``` + +TIPS: +- V4.5+ supports up to 1,000 chars in Style field — use them +- NO artist names or trademarks. Describe the sound instead. + "1960s Cold War spy thriller brass" not "James Bond style" + "90s grunge" not "Nirvana-style" +- Specify BPM and key when you have a preference +- Use Exclude Styles field for what you DON'T want +- Unexpected genre combos can be gold: "bossa nova trap", + "Appalachian gothic", "chiptune jazz" +- Build a vocal PERSONA, not just a gender: + "A weathered torch singer with a smoky alto, slight rasp, + who starts vulnerable and builds to devastating power" + +### Metatags (place in [brackets] inside lyrics field) + +STRUCTURE: + [Intro] [Verse] [Verse 1] [Pre-Chorus] [Chorus] + [Post-Chorus] [Hook] [Bridge] [Interlude] + [Instrumental] [Instrumental Break] [Guitar Solo] + [Breakdown] [Build-up] [Outro] [Silence] [End] + +VOCAL PERFORMANCE: + [Whispered] [Spoken Word] [Belted] [Falsetto] [Powerful] + [Soulful] [Raspy] [Breathy] [Smooth] [Gritty] + [Staccato] [Legato] [Vibrato] [Melismatic] + [Harmonies] [Choir] [Harmonized Chorus] + +DYNAMICS: + [High Energy] [Low Energy] [Building Energy] [Explosive] + [Emotional Climax] [Gradual swell] [Orchestral swell] + [Quiet arrangement] [Falling tension] [Slow Down] + +GENDER: + [Female Vocals] [Male Vocals] + +ATMOSPHERE: + [Melancholic] [Euphoric] [Nostalgic] [Aggressive] + [Dreamy] [Intimate] [Dark Atmosphere] + +SFX: + [Vinyl Crackle] [Rain] [Applause] [Static] [Thunder] + +Put tags in BOTH style field AND lyrics for reinforcement. +Keep to 5-8 tags per section max — too many confuses the AI. +Don't contradict yourself ([Calm] + [Aggressive] in same section). + +### Custom Mode +- Always use Custom Mode for serious work (separate Style + Lyrics) +- Lyrics field limit: ~3,000 chars (~40-60 lines) +- Always add structural tags — without them Suno defaults to + flat verse/chorus/verse with no emotional arc + +--- + +## 7. Phonetic Tricks for AI Singers + +AI vocalists don't read — they pronounce. Help them: + +PHONETIC RESPELLING: +- Spell words as they SOUND: "through" -> "thru" +- Proper nouns are highest failure rate — test early +- "Nous" -> "Noose" (forces correct pronunciation) +- Hyphenate to guide syllables: "Re-search", "bio-engineering" + +DELIVERY CONTROL: +- ALL CAPS = louder, more intense +- Vowel extension: "lo-o-o-ove" = sustained/melisma +- Ellipses: "I... need... you" = dramatic pauses +- Hyphenated stretch: "ne-e-ed" = emotional stretch + +ALWAYS: +- Spell out numbers: "24/7" -> "twenty four seven" +- Space acronyms: "AI" -> "A I" or "A-I" +- Test proper nouns/unusual words in a short 30-second clip first +- Once generated, pronunciation is baked in — fix in lyrics BEFORE + +--- + +## 8. Workflow + +1. Write the concept/hook first — what's the emotional core? +2. If adapting, map the original structure (syllables, rhyme, stress) +3. Generate raw material — brainstorm freely before structuring +4. Draft lyrics into the structure +5. Read/sing aloud — catch stumbles, fix meter +6. Build the Suno style description — paint the dynamic journey +7. Add metatags to lyrics for performance direction +8. Generate 3-5 variations minimum — treat them like recording takes +9. Pick the best, use Extend/Continue to build on promising sections +10. If something great happens by accident, keep it + +EXPECT: ~3-5 generations per 1 good result. Revision is normal. +Style can drift in extensions — restate genre/mood when extending. + +--- + +## 9. Lessons Learned + +- Describing the dynamic ARC in the style field matters way more + than just listing genres. "Whisper to roar to whisper" gives + Suno a performance map. +- Keeping some original lines intact in a parody adds recognizability + and emotional weight — the audience feels the ghost of the original. +- The bridge slot in a song is where you can transform imagery. + Swap the original's specific references for your theme's metaphors + while keeping the emotional function (reflection, shift, revelation). +- Monosyllabic word swaps in hooks/tags are the cleanest way to + maintain rhythm while changing meaning. +- A strong vocal persona description in the style field makes a + bigger difference than any single metatag. +- Don't be precious about rules. If a line breaks meter but hits + harder, keep it. The feeling is what matters. Craft serves art, + not the other way around. diff --git a/skills/music-creation/DESCRIPTION.md b/skills/music-creation/DESCRIPTION.md deleted file mode 100644 index 04ad703c9e..0000000000 --- a/skills/music-creation/DESCRIPTION.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3 +0,0 @@ ---- -description: Skills for generating, editing, and processing music and audio using AI models and audio tools. ----