The Custom GPT: https://chatgpt.com/g/g-tUtJKyA3N

Optimize Your Creative Workflow on Suno: A Guide to Leveraging My Custom GPT

Introduction

This guide will help you make the most of my specially-designed GPT for crafting optimal Suno prompts. This guide builds on much of what I shared in my article, "Create Music with Suno: A Guide on Better Prompting, Tools, and Song Structure" (https://civitai.com/articles/6235/). Here, I'll walk you through how to get started, utilize the GPT for tasks you might not have thought of, and create music that more closely embodies the imagined sound you're pursuing.

Since writing the previous article, I've burned through tens of thousands of credits just testing different prompt methods, concepts, and exploring what works best and what doesn’t. That said, this doesn’t mean that everything I say is going to be correct, as I am still learning and I only know what I know.. And, there is plenty that I still don’t know.

I want to make it clear that my approach is not about replacing human creativity but about optimizing the process. The aim is to use these advanced tools to enhance your natural creativity, to experiment freely without the constraints of traditional methods, and to gain new insights that might otherwise be missed. With these tools, you can save time on the technical aspects and dedicate more energy to what really matters—the art itself.

What You’ll Learn:

How to write compelling lyrics by hand and optimize them with the assistance of my GPT.
Practical strategies for using my GPT to refine, expand, and evolve your existing songs.
Powerful techniques to experiment with for different genres and vocal styles.

The Custom GPT: https://chatgpt.com/g/g-tUtJKyA3N

Writing Lyrics by Hand
Using the GPT to Write Lyrics (Not recommended)
Improving Existing Lyrics with GPT
- 3.1 Finishing a Song
- 3.2 Changing a Genre
- 3.3 Other tricks
Conclusion

Section 1: How to Write Lyrics by Hand

Before diving into GPT-assisted lyric writing, it's crucial to understand the fundamentals of writing lyrics by hand. Writing lyrics manually allows you to connect deeply with your creative process and develop a sense of storytelling that can influence your work even when using AI tools.

Additionally, I highly encourage writing lyrics longhand instead of on a computer or phone, and using a dedicated notepad for your lyrics. In addition to the simple fact that separating yourself from your device removes you from distractions, handwriting lyrics actually taps into deeper emotional expression and creativity because it slows you down and connects you more intimately with your words. The physical act of writing engages your mind in a way that helps you reflect on each line, enhancing your connection to the message and feelings behind the lyrics. This process often leads to more genuine, raw, and personal songwriting, as it allows thoughts to flow naturally without the distractions of a screen. Moreover, the tactile experience of handwriting can trigger deeper memories and emotions, allowing you to capture a more authentic and nuanced tone in your lyrics. It encourages mindfulness, which can help you explore and refine your ideas, making the writing process itself a source of inspiration. If you've never tried this before, give it a shot and tell me how this worked for you!

Here's the general process I generally use to write lyrics:

Start with an Emotion or Theme
Every great song is anchored in a specific emotion or theme. Whether it’s heartbreak, triumph, joy, or longing, focus on the core feeling you want to convey. Imagine the scenes, characters, or stories that represent this emotion.
Create a Title Early
A strong title serves as the foundation for your lyrics. It should be catchy, memorable, and reflective of your song’s central idea. Often, a good title will spark lyrical inspiration and set the tone for the entire song.
Free Write Ideas
Spend some time brainstorming words, phrases, or sentences that relate to your theme. This can be anything that comes to mind—sensory details, metaphors, or snippets of dialogue. Don’t worry about structure at this stage; let your creativity flow freely.
Break Down the Song Structure
Typical songs are divided into sections such as verses, chorus, bridge, and outro:
- Verses: Tell the story or explore the theme in detail.
- Chorus: This is the heart of your song, where the main message is emphasized.
- Bridge: Provides contrast and can introduce a shift in perspective or emotion.
- Outro: Wraps up the song, often by repeating key phrases or fading out with a memorable line.
Use Literary Devices for Depth
Enhance your lyrics with literary tools such as metaphors, similes, imagery, and symbolism. These add layers of meaning and help your audience connect emotionally. For example, rather than saying, “I’m sad,” you might write, “The sky weeps with me.”
Develop a Catchy Hook
The hook is often found in the chorus and is the part listeners will remember the most. It should be simple yet powerful, capturing the essence of your song in just a few words or a memorable melodic phrase.
Focus on Rhythmic Flow
The rhythm of your lyrics should match the song’s mood and tempo. Read your lyrics out loud to ensure they flow naturally. Pay attention to syllable count and rhyme scheme to avoid awkward phrasing.
Edit and Refine
Great lyrics often go through multiple revisions. Be willing to tweak, rewrite, and polish your lines. Focus on clarity, emotional impact, and whether each line serves the song’s overall message.
Test It by Singing
Once you have a draft, sing it out loud. This helps you hear how the words fit with your melody, allowing you to adjust the lyrics for better flow and impact.
Additionally, when you're going about your day and an idea for a song, or a topic comes to mind, JOT IT DOWN! I always carry a small notepad in my back pocket for these thoughts, but even "notes" on your phone or something similar will work. These random thoughts are often some of the best foundation for greatness.

Section 2: Using GPT to Write Lyrics (Not ideal)

I'm just going to cover the basics on this one.. While using GPT to write lyrics can save time, I generally don't recommend relying solely on it if you're aiming for deep personal expression. GPT-generated lyrics tend to lack the unique emotional nuances that come from your own experiences and creativity.

Ideally, the best way to use the GPT to help craft your lyrics is to treat its output as a starting point rather than a final product. I encourage you to revise, refine, and personalize the generated lines so they resonate more deeply with your intended theme or story. An algorithmic, predictable tool can only generate algorithmic predictable outputs, and only you can inject that essential human touch.

Start by describing the mood or theme of your song in detail. Providing a clear, evocative prompt helps GPT understand the atmosphere you’re aiming for. Include as many details as possible about the song. Since the GPT is writing the song, you're going to just go ahead and try to make it "suno-ready." Describe all aspects of the song, ideally describing the Overall Atmosphere, Production Style, Emotion, Dynamic Range, Instrumental Sounds, Vocal Style, etc.

TIP: It can even make a profound difference just having a chorus written to provide the GPT, instead of just a "Write X...." prompt with no other context.

Section 3: Improving Existing Lyrics with GPT

One of the most effective uses of GPT is to improve existing lyrics rather than generating them from scratch. This approach allows you to maintain the original intent and emotional core of your song while leveraging AI to enhance clarity, flow, and impact. This section is broken down into several subsections:

3.1 Finishing a Song
3.2 Changing a Genre
3.3 Other

3.1 Finishing A Song

When it comes to finishing a song, you can either start with a complete piece or work with just a verse or chorus. For this example, we'll begin with the chorus of a song I already have:

"Well, that’s just my luck, what can I say?
If it ain't one thing, it’s another every day.
But I’ll keep on smilin’, won’t make a fuss,
‘Cause when life goes to hell, you just gotta adjust!
Oh yeah, that’s just my luck!"

To expand on this chorus and finish the song, we'll prompt the GPT with: "Create a satirical, gritty southern rock/country song, building upon this chorus: <chorus>.".

Starting with a clear and engaging chorus provides a strong foundation, helping GPT understand the tone and direction you want for the rest of the song.

Make any changes you see fit, simply telling the GPT how/what to change. I've got the lyrics I want, so now were going to make use of the feature that makes this GPT shine... For this song I want to really emphasize the southern style, so to do this we can leverage "Meta tagging".. I will prompt the GPT "Add meta tags to the lyrics to ensure the following: It is sung with a deep bass/baritone male voice with heavy southern drawl, there is a chugging harmonica intro". You can tell the GPT to add more or less meta tags, meta tags for specific variables (Vocals, instruments, instrumental breaks, etc.), add specific instruments, add instrumental breaks at certain points, etc.

Here is the song I've just made: https://suno.com/song/205e6823-fca6-4c3b-84a2-6a7f0ad9e725

3.2 Changing a Genre

Changing the genre of your song can open up new possibilities and perspectives, allowing you to see your work in a different light. Sometimes its just a matter of changing out the meta tags and style of music, others it requires completely changing the lyrics. Let's use the GPT to transform the satirical country/southern rock song into an '80s glam metal, and tag accordingly to ensure the stylistic elements match.

I would normally copy and paste the lyrics from the previous song into the GPT along with the following prompt: "Modify and optimize the following country lyrics, converting the song to a 80's glam metal song". This time, however, there are simply too many Country music "artifacts" in the lyrics, so I'm going to take it a step further and paste the original chorus only, then tell it to "Use this chorus to write the song as a 80's glam metal song".

Final Touches: Once you have your modified song version, refine and improve the lyrics and tags. You can add more descriptions to the meta tags, such as specifying a [Power Ballad Guitar Solo] to ensure it fits the '80s metal vibe, or similar modifications.

Here is the song as an 80's hair metal ballad: https://suno.com/song/06003954-821d-4ca6-8398-a28504c83051

This workflow is not perfect, but it gives you an idea of where to start. If you have a better, more optimized workflow and want to contribute, feel free to post it in the comments so others can build upon it.

3.3 Other Tricks

There are many ways you can use the GPT to evolve, improve, extend, shorten, etc. your existing songs. Below I'm going to compile a short list of simple concepts with prompt examples that I've used. I may add to this over time.

Get specific vocal sounds: If you want a specific vocal sound you can use the gpt to get it. For this example I will do a melodic female vocal sound with a wider vocal range. Using a partially written song, I prompt the following:

"Finish these lyrics, add meta tags within the lyrics to ensure a vibrant, soulful vocal performance with a bright, clear tone. Dynamic range shifts from smooth, soft verses to powerful, belted choruses filled with joy. Playful yet controlled delivery, incorporating subtle melismas and agile runs".

This example demonstrates the process well enough, but if I were serious about making this song I would absolutely continue to evolve it and try more generations until I get a better voice.
Song: https://suno.com/song/6f14926d-e5c5-48a8-ae7d-959094a9a5fd

More complex Rhyme schemes: Add your lyrics to the GPT and prompt it to re-imagine your song with a more complex rhyme scheme. Ideally, you will prompt for your preferred scheme, but its not required. Using the song from the previous step, I will prompt the following:

"Modify my lyrics so they leverage a more sophisticated rhyme scheme, such as AABBCC, ABABCC, ..., ..."
This simple process will level-up almost any song.. Using appropriate rhyme schemes in lyrics is crucial because they enhance the emotional impact, flow, and memorability of a song. Rhymes create patterns that naturally engage the listener’s brain, fostering a sense of anticipation and satisfaction as the lyrics unfold. By structuring lyrics with a deliberate rhyme scheme, songwriters can emphasize key emotional moments, making the message more resonant and impactful. Additionally, rhymes help to establish coherence and rhythm, guiding the listener through the song’s narrative, which enhances both cognitive engagement and emotional connection. The strategic use of rhymes can turn simple lines into powerful, memorable lyrics that stay with listeners long after the song ends.
Song: https://suno.com/song/2208f5b6-fdcb-426a-8083-9d210f743831
Target A Specific Audience, or invoke a specific emotion: This one doesn't need an example to demonstrate its use, but basically you would use this to ensure your song is targeting your demographics effectively, or conveys the raw emotion you intended when writing the lyrics. Some prompts you can use:

"What demographic does this song primarily appeal to?"
"How can I optimize my lyrics as to ensure the song appeals most to <X-demographic>?"
"What emotion does this song most likely invoke in the listener?"
"How can I optimize my lyrics as to ensure the song invokes a sense of <x-emotion> in the listener?"
GENERATE ALBUM COVER-ART IMAGES!: Every time you finish up a song, prompt something like "Generate a portrait resolution (or whatever resolution you need) image to act as the album's Cover art". The GPT will reference the song for context and create an image that should somewhat represent the song. This will probably take some trial & error to get a workable image, as it wasn't actually designed to do this.

Conclusion

The approach outlined in this guide is designed to optimize a musician's workflow, not to automate the creative process entirely. The goal is to use my GPT to support and enhance your creative journey, allowing you to focus more on the parts that matter most in your songs. By collaborating with AI, you can overcome challenges like writer's block, experiment with new genres, and refine your songs to match your artistic vision, all while keeping full control over the creative process. Remember, AI is a tool that should be wielded to make your workflow more efficient, not a replacement for your creativity and artistic intuition. Ultimately, the heart and soul of the music must still come from you.

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Thanks.

Optimize Your Creative Workflow on Suno: A Guide to Leveraging a Custom GPT