Setting Mood (Sad/Happy)

If last time you created basic melodies, now it's time to add "emotion" to that music.

Think about it. Even with the same piano piece, some make you cry and some make you want to dance, right? That difference is the "mood." Today I'll share the secrets of conveying precise emotions and moods to AI.

One of the most important elements of music is 'emotion.' If it's technically perfect but lacks emotion, it's just noise. Conversely, even if it's a bit rough, if emotion is well captured, it becomes a masterpiece.

Emotion Expression Keyword Dictionary - My Feelings in English

AI understands English prompts better. So you need to know how to express emotions in English. Don't worry, it's not hard. Just a few words are enough.

Sad/Emotional Mood

Words to use when creating breakup songs, nostalgic pieces, emotional ballads.

Basic Keywords (for beginners):

• Sad (sad) - Most basic, everyone understands
• Melancholic (melancholic) - Deeper sadness than sad
• Emotional (emotional) - Rich in emotion
• Melancholy (wistful) - Quietly sad
• Sorrowful (sorrowful) - Deep sadness

Advanced Expressions (more specific):

• Bittersweet (bittersweet) - Sad yet warm, good for nostalgia
• Nostalgic (nostalgic) - When thinking of old times, recalling memories
• Wistful (longing) - Feeling of longing for something
• Heartbroken (heartbroken) - Perfect for breakup songs
• Tearful (tearful) - Really sad song, when you want to cry

When to use which word?

• Light sadness → "melancholic"
• Medium sadness → "sad and emotional"
• Real sadness → "heartbroken, sorrowful"

Happy/Energetic Mood

Basic Keywords:

• Happy (happy)
• Energetic (energetic)
• Upbeat (upbeat)
• Exciting (exciting)
• Joyful (joyful)

Advanced Expressions:

• Euphoric (euphoric)
• Vibrant (vibrant)
• Exhilarating (exhilarating)
• Dynamic (dynamic)
• Triumphant (triumphant)

Practice 1: Creating Sad Music

Level 1: Basic Sad Song

Suno Prompt:

Sad piano ballad, slow tempo, emotional, minor key

Components:

• Sad piano ballad: Sad piano ballad
• Slow tempo: Slow tempo
• Emotional: Emotional
• Minor key: Minor scale (sad-feeling scale)

Expected Result:

• Slow piano melody
• Minor harmony
• Emotional atmosphere

Level 2: More Specific Sad Song

Suno Prompt:

Melancholic acoustic guitar, rainy day vibes, lonely, gentle strings in background

Features:

• Melancholic: Melancholic feel (deeper emotion than sad)
• Rainy day vibes: Rainy day feel
• Lonely: Lonely
• Gentle strings: Soft strings

Level 3: Movie OST Style Sad Song

Udio Prompt:

Cinematic sad orchestral piece, heartbreaking, dramatic strings and piano, emotional climax

Composition:

• Cinematic: Cinematic
• Orchestral: Orchestra
• Heartbreaking: Heartbreaking
• Emotional climax: Emotional climax

Practice 2: Creating Happy Music

Level 1: Basic Happy Song

Suno Prompt:

Happy upbeat pop, energetic, bright, major key, fast tempo

Components:

• Happy upbeat pop: Bright pop
• Energetic: Energetic
• Major key: Major scale (bright feeling)
• Fast tempo: Fast tempo

Level 2: More Dynamic Happy Song

Suno Prompt:

Energetic electronic dance, driving beat, euphoric synths, festival vibes, high energy

Features:

• Electronic dance: Electronic dance
• Driving beat: Driving beat
• Euphoric synths: Euphoric synths
• Festival vibes: Festival atmosphere

Level 3: Victorious Moment Song

Udio Prompt:

Triumphant orchestral anthem, epic, powerful brass, soaring strings, victorious

Composition:

• Triumphant: Victorious
• Anthem: Anthem, cheer song
• Powerful brass: Powerful brass instruments
• Soaring: Soaring

Medium Moods

Calm and Peaceful

Prompt:

Peaceful ambient, calm, serene, soft pads, tranquil

Use: Meditation, yoga, reading background music

Dreamy and Mysterious

Prompt:

Dreamy atmospheric, ethereal, mystical, floating, otherworldly

Use: Fantasy content, sleep music

Tense

Prompt:

Tense suspenseful, dark, mysterious, building tension

Use: Thriller, mystery content

Expressing Emotional Changes

From Sadness to Hope

Udio Prompt (using track extension feature):

Part 1 (Intro):

Sad melancholic piano, lonely, minor key, slow

Part 2 (Transition):

Building hope, gradually uplifting, strings joining

Part 3 (Climax):

Hopeful major key, warm strings, optimistic, bright

From Calm to Exciting

Suno Prompt:

Starting calm and peaceful, building energy, dynamic changes, crescendo to exciting finale

Description:

• Starting calm: Starting calmly
• Building energy: Building energy
• Crescendo: Gradually growing

Emotional Expression by Genre

Sad Emotion by Genre

Jazz Style:

Melancholic jazz ballad, sultry saxophone, slow blues, late night bar

Classical Style:

Sorrowful classical piece, tragic, cello solo, baroque style

Electronic Style:

Sad electronic ambient, melancholic synths, downtempo, introspective

Happy Emotion by Genre

Rock Style:

Energetic rock anthem, powerful electric guitar, driving drums, stadium rock

Hip-Hop Style:

Upbeat hip-hop, positive vibes, bouncy beat, party rap

EDM Style:

Euphoric EDM drop, festival anthem, high energy, massive synths

Mood Music with MusicGen

MusicGen is good for short but strong emotional expression.

Sad BGM

Sad emotional piano, melancholic, slow, cinematic
Duration: 15 seconds

Happy BGM

Energetic upbeat electronic, happy, fast, dynamic
Duration: 15 seconds

Real Test: Same Melody, Different Emotions

Let's change just the emotion with the same basic structure.

Original (Neutral)

Piano melody, medium tempo

Sad Version

Sad piano melody, melancholic, slow tempo, emotional

Happy Version

Happy piano melody, upbeat, bright tempo, joyful

Result Comparison:

• Scale (major vs minor)
• Tempo (speed)
• Tone (brightness)
• Rhythm pattern

Adjusting Emotional Intensity

Mild Sadness

Slightly melancholic, subtle sadness, gentle

Medium Sadness

Sad and emotional, melancholic, touching

Strong Sadness

Deeply sorrowful, heartbreaking, devastating, tragic

Mild Excitement

Gently uplifting, mildly cheerful, pleasant

Medium Excitement

Energetic and happy, exciting, joyful

Strong Excitement

Extremely energetic, euphoric, explosive, exhilarating

Mood Combination Recipes

Sad but Beautiful

Beautifully sad, bittersweet, melancholic yet hopeful, emotional piano

Exciting but Calm

Upbeat but chill, happy lofi, relaxed yet energetic

Mysterious and Sad

Mysterious and melancholic, ethereal sadness, dreamy minor key

Intense and Exciting

Intensely energetic, powerful and exciting, explosive energy

Practice Assignments

Create music for these scenarios:

Assignment 1: Breakup Scene

Hint: sadness, regret, piano, strings

Assignment 2: Workout Background Music

Hint: energy, motivation, intensity, electronic

Assignment 3: Sunset Scene

Hint: peace, emotion, warmth, acoustic

Assignment 4: Victory Moment

Hint: joy, grandeur, orchestra, brightness

Next Time Preview

Today we learned how to control emotions and moods. Next time we'll explore different genres like jazz, hip-hop, and classical!

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TIP: When expressing emotions, using one or two clear keywords is more effective than mixing many. "deeply melancholic" produces better results than "sad melancholic emotional heartbreaking"!