Rob Hope

I’ve experimented with AI quite a bit over the last year. I’ve used it to try to train a model to adopt my specific document review approaches. I’ve used it to build a portal on the fly to manage document uploads. I’ve used it when allowed during coding interviews. I even used it to a degree when building the scaffolding I used for those coding interviews, including a basic code, API, and test project.

Where I was most resistant to using it, though, was in my composing. I want what I produce to reflect me, not a machine. That said, I’ve found a specific and effective use for ChatGPT, in spite of all the ads telling me to stop using it “like Google”, because that’s exactly what I do with it.

When composing, I used ChatGPT to unblock by having it hopefully coalesce Google searches I would have executed myself and had to sift through to arrive at an answer.

I am currently writing a symphony. My first question to ChatGPT was to outline a typical approach to a Baroque style symphony and how I should think about structure. That’s pretty basic.

But recently I was writing the second piece in the orchestral suite. It requires the second part of the piece to transition from D major to A major, and then close in D major at the end. I was really struggling based on my melodies and progressions to get from D to A without it feeling like it was absolutely dying to resolve back to the D major chord.

So I sent over a prompt:

Sadly my A section ends naturally on an A for a measure to an A7 for an extra measure before returning to D major. At the end of my second A section, how do I now get to A? I feel like just staying there won’t work. Can I shift to F# minor instead? Or is there a turnaround since this is supposed to transition keys to the major 5?

ChatGPT suggested two responses, which I tried.

Option A – Classic ii–V–I into A
Near the end of the section, let D go, and instead:

Treat B minor as ii of A
E7 as V of A
Then A as I (new key)
Example last 3 chords of the section:

B minor → E7 → A

Coming out of D‑world you can arrive on Bm very naturally (vi in D, ii in A),
Then Bm–E7–A is a textbook ii–V–I in A major.
You can still touch D before that (so it feels like you’re still in D), but your final phrase should clearly choose Bm–E7–A instead of A7–D.

Option B – Use F♯ minor as a pivot (your idea)
Yes, you can go via F♯ minor: it’s vi in A and iii in D, so it’s a legit pivot.

Something like:

… D → F♯m → Bm → E7 → A

In D: F♯m = iii, Bm = vi. Still sounds like D.
In A: F♯m = vi, Bm = ii, then E7 = V, A = I.

Both sounded pretty harsh, so I let ChatGPT know I wasn’t fond of either choice after giving each a listen. After doing the usual “Oh You Are Right” false praise that AIs love to do, ChatGPT offered a few suggestions, and in going through them I figured out why they weren’t working: the D natural in the suggested E7 chord was still pulling back to D major. Once I came up with my conclusion I let ChatGPT know.

Ok so this is what ended up working. The original turnaround at the end was 1 bar D, 1/2 bar Bm, 1/2 bar C#dim, leading into an F# minor, which is how this progression starts. I replaced that with 1 bar Bm, then 2 bars E without the 7; the D in the E7 was wreaking havoc with my ear.

And ChatGPT gave me positive feedback on why it worked.

That’s a very sensible fix, and it explains why your ear finally relaxed.

What you had before:

Old turnaround:
D (1 bar) → Bm (½) → C♯dim (½) → F♯m …
That strongly re‑stated D as “home” right before moving on, so anything after felt like it still wanted to resolve back there.

What you changed to:

New turnaround:
Bm (1 bar) → E (2 bars, no 7) → F♯m …
Why this works:

No strong D at the end

By removing that full bar of D, you stop telling the listener “we’re safely back at tonic.”
Bm → E already steers the harmony toward A/F♯‑world instead of D‑world.
Plain E instead of E7

E7 (E–G♯–B–D) introduces a dominant‑of‑A feeling plus that D natural, which:
still evokes the original tonic D major in the background,
and makes the ear half‑expect A (and then D after that).
Using E major (E–G♯–B) without the D:
keeps the pull toward F♯m/A,
but doesn’t slam a dominant function in the listener’s face.
The result is more ambiguous / modal and less “I must cadence.”
Bm → E → F♯m is a smooth directional line

In D terms: Bm feels like vi, E like a chromatic “brightening” step, and F♯m like iii/vi.
In A terms: Bm is ii, E is V, F♯m is vi; that’s all compatible with A/F♯ as a new region.
But because you don’t resolve E7 to A, the progression flows forward rather than closing.
So the new version:

Stops reaffirming D right at the end,
Points gently into the new harmonic area via Bm → E → F♯m,
Avoids the D that made everything sound like “prep for a cadence.”
This is exactly the kind of local surgery you want in a modulation: same broad shape, but you trim out the one chord tone (D in E7, and the big D bar) that kept yanking your ear backward.

This is actually the critical bit that’s super helpful. While I don’t always adopt the suggestions, I have a concrete list of reasons why something worked or maybe didn’t, and a concrete list of options when I’m stuck that would have taken a while to pull together from searches if I couldn’t dig myself out on my own.

So, in this case, ChatGPT has become what AIs should be. A useful tool. But definitely not a replacement for the creative magic.