How to compose a pop song using Artificial Intelligence

We've all dreamed of writing the perfect pop song at some point, right? Just me...? Now, with the help of artificial intelligence, those ambitions could soon become a reality. These are the best tools that AI use to help in the creative process of writing a song.

In this article, the first of two parts, we will look at the theoretical side of the use of AI to write music. I will show you the best tools you can use and how they work. I will also cover the different parts that make up a song and I will tell you how to use artificial intelligence to help you write them.

What do you need for a song?
For the purposes of this article, I am going to stick to the basic and proven principles of pop songwriting. That means you're going to need chords (in a progression), a melody and lyrics. With the help of the AI ?? software, you can acquire them all quickly and easily.

If this is the first song you've written, it's wise to fix things in one of the most common song structures you can hear in millions of pop songs in both the past and present. You can play with different formats, but you will essentially need these parts:

Introduction

• Stanzas (at least two)
• Chorus (repeated several times)
• Bridge
• Outro

Of course, music has to do with expression and some of the best music is invented when the rules are broken, but you have to learn to walk before you can run. Some of the most iconic songs of all time are based on the basic principles of music theory.

A popular song structure is: intro> verse> chorus> verse> chorus> chorus> bridge> verse> chorus> outro. Some examples of songs that use this structure are 'Live Forever' by The Beatles, Day Tripper and Oasis. There are worse places to start your journey as a composer than with those guys.

How to write a chord progression using AI
Writing a chord progression is the starting point for many musicians, but traditional methods mean knowing everything about the notes, major and minor, and which chords work in which notes and which do not. Fortunately, AI means that you do not need to know anything about it anymore. Applications like Amadeus Code, the songwriting assistant with artificial intelligence, can do everything for you.

You can start with a track that you like, using the function Discover or find your favorite artists to hear how a real track sounds through Amadeus Code. However, the selection of artists is still limited at the moment. Next, you can go to the Song tab and slide up to get an unlimited number of full songs inspired by real artists, written by artificial intelligence.

In the beginning, the songs sound like subjects of television programs for children. The idea is that you take the raw materials here and use them to create your own song. All the pieces are created for you (key, the progression of chords, melody, tempo), it is up to you to put them into practice.

Another good tool for chord progression is Autochords. The application is not nearly as ingenious as Amadeus Code, but the basics to do the work is there. First, you have to choose the type of feeling you want to convey and the tone. You can choose from a wide range of musical genres, from the cliché to the melancholic. You can also select between piano and guitar, as the instrument on which the chords will be displayed.

If you do not know anything about chords and tones, you just have to choose randomly, it's not really important at this stage, and you can always change it later.

The main progression will be generated, along with several alternatives. You will probably want to use the main chord sequence for your verse, and the alternatives will be great choirs or they can be used as a bridge. Listen to them and choose the ones you like. Not all the given chords were in tune when I tried this but, as always with the music, if it sounds good, then that's fine.

Both Amadeus Code and Autochord are only available on iOS at the moment, but there are options for those who do not have an Apple device and prefer to use their browser. ChordChord is one of the most simple and effective online tools at this time. It will randomly generate a chord progression in a random key, set the tempo and even add an arpeggio part, as well as a battery.

The disadvantage of this tool is that there is no way to export the sounds, it is limited to four-chord progressions, and the chords are only shown on the piano. There is definitely enough here to work if you have some musical knowledge, but it will take you more work than Autochords, for example.

How to write a melody using AI
There are a couple of AI tools that you can use to create melodies, and this is possibly the hardest part of writing songs. The same chord progressions are used again and again in popular music, but a great melody is immediately recognizable.

If this is the first time you write a melody and you have no idea how you want it to sound, I would suggest that you drag the mouse down the page to place notes. Press "play" and listen to how it sounds. You can then adjust each individual note to make it higher or lower in pitch. You can also change the tempo at the bottom, as well as add octaves. Play with her until you have a tune that you like.

You can also use the Amadeus Code to write a melody for your pop song. The AI ?? will write a melody for you when you create a new song, but if you do not like it, you can change it for a different one.

Go to the settings of a song you have made in the application and you can modify things like familiarity, drama and note duration to alter your melody and create different vibraphones. You can also change the era if you go for a particular style, from a decade in which you want to influence your melody.

How to write lyrics using AI
What is a great pop song without great lyrics? But we can not all be Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, right? There are many different ways to approach letters. Some composers have used random lines of novels for their lyrics, while others, such as the  British Public Service Broadcasting, use announcements of spoken words, documentaries, and other archival materials to complement their songs.

Whichever style you choose, the AI ?? can help speed up the process. Generators of online song lyrics, like this one, can spit words that rhyme about almost any topic you like. You can even choose an artist you would like to emulate, and the AI ?? will create letters with that style. Simply enter the words in the boxes (or use the suggest button to make it even simpler) and let the AI ?? do the rest.

You can also use a poems generator to make things a little more abstract, like this one. However, one of the most fun ways to write letters is using Google's automatic fill-in suggestions. Google Poetics is a site that generates lines of (almost) poetry by entering a word or phrase in the Google search and letting the algorithm do the rest. It's a creative way to create unusual song lyrics for your pop masterpiece.

I've heard a great progression of chords, but I do not know the chords
Chordify is a great option for budding composers who can not identify ear chords. The application allows you to search for any artist and will show you the song and the chords and chord changes in real-time. It works by 'listening' to a YouTube video, which means that any song that has been uploaded to the streaming video service is compatible - a huge amount of music. There is a premium version that allows you to change the tempo, among other things. In the web version, you can also upload a song (such as your song exported from Amadeus Code) to find the chords.

Now that you have all your parts, what is the next step?
Once you have the ingredients for a successful pop song, it's time to go to the studio and record it. I must emphasize that these AI tools are designed to be composition assistants, not factories of instant success. The target market is that of composers with difficulties, devoid of ideas and in need of a creative spark. The AI ?? may be your McCartney, but you'll still have to have a little Lennon to produce a decent pop song.

That is exactly what I am going to do. I'm going to follow this process myself and, with the help of some AndroidPIT colleagues, I will try to use the AI ?? to help me write and record a decent half-pop song. Stay tuned for the next few months to continue my musical journey.