How to Create Music with AI: The Complete Cantivy Guide

Start with four clear decisions: genre, tempo, key, and instrumentation. One possible starting point is acoustic country in G major, at 68 to 72 BPM, with fingerpicked guitar, understated bass, and drums entering in the chorus. Also define a subject, such as missing someone after a farewell, without copying phrases from any song.

Now play four chords you know. In G major, use G–D–Em–C, also described as I–V–vi–IV. Play each chord for four beats and repeat the sequence four times. You will have an eight- or sixteen-bar loop, depending on the rhythmic division. On keyboard, consult keyboard notes: learn to identify every key before building the sequence. On guitar, check guitar scales: master the instrument's fretboard to locate notes in G major.

Record 30 seconds on your phone, even if you make mistakes during chord changes. Then write down four things: approximate tempo, main instrument, feeling, and the part that needs to grow. A note such as “70 BPM, open guitar, intimate vocal, stronger chorus in bar 9” already becomes a useful instruction for generating music with AI.

Do this today: choose a key, turn on the metronome between 60 and 80 BPM, record four repetitions of the progression, and write one sentence describing the sound without using only “beautiful” or “emotional.”

The first mistake is asking for a complete song without explaining what needs to happen. “Make a beautiful song” does not specify genre, tempo, instruments, form, dynamics, or room for the vocal. The result may sound pleasant for a few seconds, but it may not fit the chord progression you can play.

The second mistake is changing five variables at once. Someone generates country at 70 BPM, then folk at 100 BPM, then a worship ballad at 64 BPM. When the result changes, they do not know why. Run three tests with the same genre and key. Change only the tempo, main instrument, or chord density.

The third mistake is trying to reproduce the voice, lyrics, or identifiable style of a specific artist. Describe general elements instead. Use “96 BPM folk dance, accordion, kick drum, and tambourine, chorus with a strong rhythmic pattern” instead of asking for a copy of a familiar recording.

To study repertoire, consult country music, country chords: play the biggest hits, and simplified chords for easy songs. Use analysis, progressions, and arrangement characteristics. Do not reproduce protected lyrics or complete chord charts from protected works.

Do this today: make two generations with the same prompt. In the second, change only the BPM from 70 to 82. Note the effect on the groove, the amount of room for singing, and how easy it is to play along.

Build the prompt in five parts: genre, tempo, instruments, form, and feeling. A practical example is: “Acoustic country in G major, 70 BPM, fingerpicked guitar, understated bass, and drums entering in the chorus; four-bar intro, restrained verse, building pre-chorus, and open chorus; simple melody with room for the vocal.”

You can add restrictions that make the idea easier to play. Say “change chords every four beats,” “no long solos,” “bass following the roots,” or “ending with two instrumental bars.” These instructions connect the generated audio to the exercise you can actually perform.

For a folk-dance idea, change the elements: “Folk dance in D minor, 98 BPM, accordion, kick drum, tambourine, and bass; four-bar intro, short verse, and chorus with a strong rhythmic pattern.” For a worship ballad, specify piano, pads, gradual dynamics, and a progression that leaves room for a congregational melody. For pop, try 92 BPM, hand percussion, tambourine, acoustic guitar, and syncopated bass. For a singer-songwriter track, test 78 BPM, fingerpicked guitar, melodic bass, and seventh chords without overloading the arrangement with layers.

Avoid asking for an entire set of lyrics when your goal is to learn composition. Ask for themes, images, and verbs. “Suggest five images about returning home after a difficult period” produces material for you to write. Then create the lyrics in your own words. Replace an abstract idea with a concrete detail, such as the 10:40 p.m. bus, the kitchen light, or a suitcase in the hallway.

Do this today: write a prompt of no more than 70 words. Underline the genre, BPM, instruments, form, and feeling. If one of those five items is missing, rewrite the prompt before generating.

Before generating a backing track, build an eight-bar loop. Play the progression four times and listen to whether it supports a melody. In C major, C–G–Am–F offers a familiar path. In E minor, Em–C–G–D creates a pop color and works well for a guitar song. In D major, D–A–Bm–G suits a moderate-tempo ballad. These sequences are starting points, not composition rules.

If you do not know which chord comes next, use the chord generator to test combinations. Play each suggestion on your instrument for at least eight beats. Discard any chord that interrupts the pulse, creates an uncomfortable change, or takes up too much melodic space. A sophisticated chord does not help if you cannot fit it into the time.

Test three versions of the same loop. In the first, sustain each chord for four beats. In the second, use a strong strum on beats 2 and 4. In the third, play an eight-note arpeggio per bar. Record all three at the same tempo. Then choose the version that matches the subject and lets you sing or play a phrase over it.

Other free Cantivy tools are also available to support your practice. Use each resource to compare possibilities. Do not let the tool choose for you when your ear already points to a more comfortable option.

Do this today: set 70 BPM, play C–G–Am–F for eight bars, and record three approximately 30-second accompaniments. Name the files “chords,” “strum,” and “arpeggio.”

When you generate a backing track, do not evaluate only the first ten seconds. Count the bars and identify the sections. Check whether there is a beginning, development, and contrast. Ask: can I play along? Does the melody leave room for the vocal? Does the bass reinforce the root or create notes that clash with my chords? Does the chorus change the dynamics or merely repeat the verse?

Make a list of three successes and three adjustments. A success might be “the chorus opens up in bar 17.” Another might be “the tambourine maintains the pulse at 96 BPM.” An adjustment might be “the drums enter in bar 5, before the pre-chorus.” Specificity turns listening into a task.

Generate another version by changing only one instruction. If you ask for a slower tempo, go from 82 to 72 BPM and keep the genre, key, and instruments unchanged. If you ask for more room for the vocal, remove pads or reduce the piano density without changing anything else. Compare the files side by side, preferably at the same volume.

A browser-based tool needs the page to remain open while you use it. If you use a tuner or feature that listens to your instrument, the result depends on the device microphone, the environment, and the volume you play. Fan noise, a nearby speaker, and the phone's distance can affect the reading. Check the tuning carefully and do not treat the reading as a laboratory measurement. Your ear and your instrument remain the reference.

Do this today: listen to one generation three times. The first time, mark the form. The second time, note when instruments enter and leave. The third time, write three successes and three adjustments. Make a new attempt with only one adjustment.

Choose a short section of the backing track, preferably four or eight bars. Find the note that seems to feel at rest at the end of the phrase. Play that note and look for two or three others within the scale. On keyboard, use your right hand to test a five-note melody. On guitar, begin on one string, keep the rhythm simple, and record every attempt.

Do not try to reproduce every detail of the audio. Reduce the texture. If the backing track contains drums, bass, pads, and three guitar layers, start with chords and melody. Then add one change at a time. A practical adaptation might be playing the verse with fingerpicking and the chorus with strumming, even if the original recording uses a different combination.

To create a four-bar melody, use this process: in the first bar, repeat one note; in the second, move up a third or a fourth; in the third, create a different rhythm; in the fourth, end on the root or the third of the chord. Sing neutral syllables before choosing words. This helps separate the melodic contour from the lyrics.

Organize the song into a clear form: four-bar intro, eight-bar verse, four-bar pre-chorus, eight-bar chorus, and a repeat with variation. Mark each section on paper. For American repertoire, observe how pop, rock, blues, country, folk, and worship music use repetition with small dynamic changes. In pop, the chorus entrance can gain more rhythmic response. In folk, acoustic accompaniment can sustain the pulse. In worship music, the harmony can change color without requiring a long form.

Do this today: choose eight bars from the generation, find the resting note, create a five-note phrase, and play the progression four times. Record one version with chords and melody only.

This exercise takes 20 minutes. Set out your instrument, a phone, a timer, and a generation tool. During the first 3 minutes, choose the genre, key, and tempo. Write one thematic sentence, such as “a person finds the courage to begin again after a farewell.” Play a four-chord progression and record one 30-second attempt.

From minutes 4 to 8, write a prompt with genre, BPM, instruments, form, and feeling. Generate two options. Do not change everything between attempts. Change only one item, such as the tempo from 70 to 82 BPM, or the drums entering in the chorus instead of the verse. Choose the version that leaves you more room to play and sing an original idea.

From minutes 9 to 15, extract a four-bar melody from the audio. Sing neutral syllables or play simple notes. Record three variations: one with long notes, one with syncopated rhythm, and one with a descending ending. Do not try to reproduce every note in the backing track. Look for a phrase you can repeat without losing the pulse.

From minutes 16 to 20, choose the best variation, play the entire progression, and record a final 60-second version. Name the file with the date, key, and BPM, such as “2025-03-08_G_70BPM.” Write the next adjustment on one line: “try the chorus one octave higher” or “remove drums from the verse.”

Do this today: start the timer, respect the five time blocks, and finish with a saved file. The exercise ends only when you have a recording, even if the idea is still incomplete.

After the exercise, do not immediately start another song. Listen to your recording the next day and write down two specific points. You may notice that the chorus needs more volume, that the melody uses too many notes, or that 72 BPM works better than 82 BPM. Turn each observation into a task of up to 15 minutes.

Have a second session with one goal. For example: improve the transition between verse and chorus. Keep the chords and change the rhythmic pattern, move the melody up an octave, or remove instruments during the four bars before the chorus. Make two versions and compare the entrance, vocal space, and ease of playing.

Save drafts with the date, tempo, key, progression, and prompt used. Also save the recordings made on your instrument. This history shows which choices worked and prevents you from repeating tests without a clear purpose. If you are working on a country song, record the strumming pattern and BPM. If you are working on folk or pop, record which instruments sustain the pulse.

If you publish the song, check the rules of the tool you used. Read the conditions about licensing, distribution, and commercial use. Keep records of what you created, including lyrics, played melody, arrangement, recordings, and edits. Technology can speed up testing, but authorship, performance, selection, and revision depend on your musical decisions.

Do this today: choose one problem in the recording, create two solutions, and save both. Do not change the key, BPM, and instrumentation at the same time. That way, you will know which change solved the problem.