Prompting AI for Highlife Chord Progressions

Posted by aftown Music

27 May, 2025

Hello everyone—I’m working on blending classic highlife vibes with AI-generated melodies, but I’m finding it tricky to get authentic-sounding chord progressions.

Which AI tools (ChatGPT, AIVA, Boomy, etc.) have you tried for this purpose?

What prompt structures delivered the best results? For example, did you specify tempo, key, or instrumentation?

Any examples of prompt→output you can share (e.g., “In C major at 120 BPM, generate a 4-bar highlife progression with walking bass feel”)?

Looking forward to your experiences and prompt “recipes” so we can all refine our workflows!

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3 Answers
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Jason Aburey

27 May, 2025

I’ve been down this road and here’s what’s worked for me: 1. AI Tools I’ve Tried • ChatGPT (GPT-4) using the Code Interpreter plugin for MIDI export • AIVA (free tier) with custom “Composer” presets • Boomy for quick-and-dirty chord sketches before refining • Magenta’s MusicVAE (hosted locally via Colab) when I needed more creative variation

Jason Aburey

27 May, 2025

Prompt Structures That Delivered • Be explicit about the genre and feel: “As a highlife arranger, generate a 4-bar chord progression in C major at 120 BPM with a walking bass style and syncopated guitar hits.” • Specify instrumentation (especially the bass & guitar): “Include a plucked bassline on beats 1 & 3 and staccato guitar on the off-beats.” • Add harmonic color—e.g., seventh or ninth chords: “Use mostly major 7 and dominant 9 chords for a jazzy highlife vibe.”

Jason Aburey

Precious Selasi

13 Jun, 2025

For prompt structure, something like this is what works for me : "Generate a 4-bar chord progression in the key of G major, using I–IV–V movement, with a syncopated rhythm and call-and-response feel. Tempo: 115 BPM. Include a guitar chord voicings in palm-muted style."

Precious Selasi

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Prompting AI for Highlife Chord Progressions