Prompt cookbook

phonk, menacing, hypnotic, 140 BPM, 808 bass, cowbell, vinyl crackle, rapped, male, modern production

hip-hop/rap — Tempo and vocal type do most of the work here — the genre name alone leaves the model guessing at delivery.

synthwave, nostalgic, dreamy, 110 BPM, supersaw, linn drum, pad synth, no vocals, 1980s production

electronic — BPM matters more than anything else in this category; get it wrong and the genre changes.

heavy metal, defiant, triumphant, 155 BPM, distorted guitar, live drums, bass guitar, sung, male, 1980s production

metal — Naming the subgenre rather than just "metal" is what separates a riff from a wall of noise.

hardcore punk, furious, rebellious, 190 BPM, distorted guitar, live drums, bass guitar, shouted, male, 1980s production

punk — Short, fast, and a vocal style that implies attitude. Adding more would only get in the way.

classic rock, swaggering, triumphant, 120 BPM, electric guitar, hammond organ, live drums, sung, male, 1970s production

rock — The instrument list is the whole character — swap the organ for a synth and it stops being this.

post-rock, cinematic, hopeful, 95 BPM, electric guitar, string section, live drums, no vocals, modern production

alternative — Vague on purpose. This category rewards a mood that does not resolve.

bedroom pop, wistful, tender, 105 BPM, electric guitar, rhodes, drum kit, sung, female, modern production

pop — A clean, uncluttered recipe. Pop suffers most from over-specification.

indie folk, wistful, serene, 95 BPM, acoustic guitar, banjo, string section, sung, mixed, modern production

folk — Era plus acoustic instruments places it in time without saying a year.

outlaw country, defiant, drunken, 110 BPM, acoustic guitar, dobro, upright bass, sung, male, 1970s production

country — Vocal type and instruments carry the genre. The mood stops it being pastiche.

neo soul, seductive, warm, 85 BPM, rhodes, bass guitar, brushed snare, sung, female, 2000s production

r&b/soul — Slow tempo and a warm mood — this is a category where restraint pays.

p-funk, playful, swaggering, 110 BPM, clavinet, bass guitar, brass section, sung, group, 1970s production

funk — Rhythm section first. Funk is an instrument list more than it is a genre.

bebop, frantic, playful, 190 BPM, saxophone, upright bass, brushed snare, no vocals, 1940s production

jazz — Fast tempo plus a small instrument list keeps it playing rather than arranging.

roots reggae, reverent, laid-back, 80 BPM, bass guitar, hammond organ, drum kit, sung, male, 1970s production

reggae — Tempo does the work. Under 90 BPM and the feel arrives on its own.

afrobeat, defiant, joyful, 120 BPM, brass section, congas, electric guitar, sung, group, 1970s production

world — Region-specific instruments are what make this land rather than sounding generic.

dark ambient + drone, ominous, desolate, 65 BPM, pad synth, field recordings, gong, no vocals, modern production

ambient — Almost no instruments and no vocals. Ambient goes wrong when you add things.

cinematic score, triumphant, cinematic, 105 BPM, string section, timpani, choir, no vocals, modern production

soundtrack — Say what the scene is doing through mood, not through the word "cinematic".

dungeon synth, eerie, meditative, 70 BPM, mellotron, choir, music box, no vocals, 1990s production

experimental — Contradictory instructions are a feature here, not a mistake.

gospel, reverent, uplifting, 85 BPM, hammond organ, gospel choir, tambourine, sung, group, 1960s production

devotional — Group vocals are the defining feature — solo delivery reads as something else entirely.

fingerstyle guitar, serene, tender, 85 BPM, acoustic guitar, field recordings, no vocals, modern production

acoustic — One or two instruments and a close mood. More would fight the intimacy.

neoclassical + solo piano, melancholy, cinematic, 75 BPM, grand piano, string section, celesta, no vocals, modern production

classical — Naming the period places the harmony better than any mood word could.