> Step by step

4. Build an idea with Hookpad’s AI

1 The online songwriting platform Hookpad offers a smart AI, which analyses your work in progress and suggests new theoretical routes. You can try this browser-based songwriting suite at hooktheory.com.

2 You don’t even need a MIDI keyboard to work with Hookpad, in the multicoloured melody lane area, you can use the 1-7 keys to build up a little melody.

3 Clicking the chord area adopts a similar approach, and you can see how the number keys are chromatically assigned for both melody and chords by the key on the left.

4 While these are the rudimentary ways of interfacing with Hookpad, its main USP is its ability to determine what you should do next. By clicking progressions you’ll see a list of basic suggestions.

5 Found a solid foundation? We’ve put together a Hey Jude- like stately chord progression, using Hookpad’s AI as a guide. We can use Hookpad’s performance options to select playing style, chordal augmentations and adjust the tempo at the top of the page.

6 Clicking on ‘Guides’ our melody editing section now indicates where the best melody lanes for our sequence are. This will refine itself even as we continue to shape the chord sequence.

7 We’ve got a nice-sounding intro now, but to move forward with the arrangement, we’ll let Hookpad’s AI take a scan of our track. Click ‘Magic’ to allow Hookpad to serve up a selection of chordal and melodic alternatives based on what we’ve done.

8 Using Hookpad’s AI, we’ve now got a decent-sounding starting point for a new track. We can experiment with different instrumentation too, with options to divide our track’s elements between different instruments.

9 You’ll be amazed at how truly epic your ideas can be built out to sound, even at this early stage of a process. Hookpad has a huge range of instrumental sounds and approaches (some of which are smart).