Dave Ishii - Problem Solving Blog

🎹 Core Jazz Piano Style Keywords

Use 2–4 of these together:

• jazz piano

• solo piano jazz

• acoustic piano

• instrumental jazz

• piano-led

• piano trio (even if solo, it influences phrasing)

🎶 Harmony & Language (VERY important)

These strongly affect musical quality:

• rich jazz harmony

• extended chords

• complex chord voicings

• lush voicings

• quartal harmony

• altered dominants

• modal harmony

• reharmonization

• chromatic passing chords

🕰 Jazz Substyle Keywords

Pick one main substyle:

• bebop

• cool jazz

• modal jazz

• hard bop

• swing jazz

• post-bop

• contemporary jazz

• neo-jazz

• impressionistic jazz

🎼 Piano Technique & Articulation

These help Suno generate more authentic piano playing:

• walking left hand

• stride piano

• shell voicings

• rootless voicings

• block chords

• comping

• melodic right-hand improvisation

• call and response

🥁 Groove & Feel

Use exactly one for clarity:

• swing feel

• laid-back swing

• medium swing

• slow swing

• straight-ahead jazz

• rubato intro

• relaxed tempo

• late-night jazz

🎭 Mood & Atmosphere

Pick 1–2:

• introspective

• smoky club

• intimate

• moody

• warm

• elegant

• melancholic

• reflective

• nocturnal

🏛 Influences (very effective in Suno)

Use 1–2 names max:

• Bill Evans style

• Thelonious Monk style

• Oscar Peterson style

• Herbie Hancock style

• McCoy Tyner style

• Keith Jarrett style

🎚 Production / Audio Feel

These subtly guide tone:

• natural room reverb

• close-miked piano

• live performance feel

• analog warmth

• dynamic touch

• expressive dynamics

✅ Example High-Quality Suno Prompt

Solo jazz piano, Bill Evans style, rich extended chords, lush voicings,
medium swing feel, introspective and warm, melodic right-hand improvisation,
natural room reverb, live performance feel

🚫 Keywords to Avoid (for jazz piano)

These often degrade results:

• EDM

• cinematic score

• epic

• lo-fi (unless intentional)

• trap

• synth piano

• orchestral

Absolutely — numeric / parameter-style prompt components are very effective in Suno when used sparingly. Below is a curated, jazz-piano-specific list of number-driven prompt components, grouped by function, with usage tips.

🕰 Tempo & Time Feel (most reliable)

Use one tempo value.

• 40 BPM (very slow ballad, rubato)

• 55 BPM (late-night jazz ballad)

• 70 BPM (slow swing)

• 85 BPM (medium-slow swing)

• 100 BPM (medium swing)

• 120 BPM (up-tempo swing)

• 140 BPM (bebop)

• 160 BPM (fast bebop)

Extras

• half-time feel

• double-time feel

• rubato intro → time enters at 70 BPM

⏱ Duration & Structure

Suno responds well to rough time framing.

• 2 minutes

• 3 minutes

• 4 minutes

• short form (AABA)

• 32-bar form

• through-composed

• intro (20s)

• head in → solo → head out

🎼 Harmony Density & Complexity (numeric phrasing)

These are subtle but powerful.

• dense voicings (7–9 notes)

• sparse voicings (3–4 notes)

• extended chords (9ths, 11ths, 13ths)

• frequent chord substitutions (every 2 bars)

• reharmonization every chorus

• modal vamp (8 bars)

• harmonic rhythm: 1 chord per bar

• harmonic rhythm: 2 chords per bar

🎹 Performance Dynamics & Touch

Numbers help shape realism.

• wide dynamic range

• velocity-sensitive playing

• soft touch (pp–mp)

• medium dynamics (mp–mf)

• strong accents (f)

• dynamic swells every 8 bars

• gradual crescendo over 16 bars

🎶 Improvisation Detail

Use one or two max.

• improvised solos (2 choruses)

• motivic development every 4 bars

• space between phrases (1–2 beats)

• phrase length: 2 bars

• phrase length: 4 bars

• call and response (4-bar exchanges)

🧠 Swing Ratio & Feel (advanced but useful)

These can improve groove clarity.

• heavy swing (triplet feel)

• light swing

• relaxed swing (behind the beat)

• straight eighths

• swing ratio ~2:1

• swing ratio ~3:1

🎚 Recording & Room Parameters

Numeric descriptors improve tone realism.

• close-miked (30 cm)

• medium room (20–30 m²)

• small jazz club ambience

• subtle reverb (10–15%)

• moderate sustain pedal

• pedal release noise

🎭 Emotional Arc (time-based)

These help shape the story.

• introspective first 60 seconds

• tension builds at 1:30

• peak intensity at 2:30

• gentle resolution in final 30 seconds

✅ Example: Fully Parameterized Jazz Piano Prompt

Solo jazz piano, 55 BPM, slow swing, Bill Evans style,
dense voicings (7–9 notes), extended chords,
32-bar AABA form, improvised solo (2 choruses),
soft touch (pp–mp), relaxed swing (behind the beat),
medium room (25 m²), subtle reverb (12%),
introspective first 60 seconds, gentle resolution in final 30 seconds

⚠️ Best Practices

• Use 1 tempo, 1 swing feel, 1 form

• Avoid stacking too many numbers (>8 total)

• Combine numeric + descriptive (not numeric alone)